First time in the Chelsea Lounge the other day. Strange experience. The reception assured me that it was the replacement for the Concorde Room and that the food would be like a four star restaurant !

The layout is as others have described - fancy looking bar area in the centre with various low slung chairs and couches around coffee tables. Lots of staff standing around but no feeling that anyone in charge. We were just sitting there hoping someone would come by.

Eventually went and asked the barman if we could get a cup of tea and he was very pleasant and said he would bring it over. Went to the restaurant section and were given the menu in the photos above which said it was an all day menu available from 3-6 (???) Apparently it is used after 6 as well so we had the underwhelming choices of burgers, tajine or fish and chips. Not comparable with the old Concorde Room. I don't think my elderly mother has eaten burgers in her life so we ordered the fish and chips. As she said she wasn't expecting first class dining to be a chippy tea but there you go.

The waitress was very pleasant and the fish was actually beautifully cooked. The chips were tasty and came with a small saucer of malt vinegar. The tea came in a glass teapot and was made with real tea leaves and had a metal filter on the top. It also came with a tiny jug of HOT milk.

In the middle of this they then unexpectedly delivered a three tiered cake stand with crustless finger sandwiches (egg and cress), scones with lemon curd, and macarons. Wondering whether this comes when you order tea. Again was actually good.

Can't help think that it has been designed by American with AA Concierge Key road warriors in mind, and that someone at BA asked American to try and make it feel more "British" for the Brits who missed Terminal 7 and this is what they came up with. Bizarre.

To conclude the food (unlike my experience in the Soho lounge) was actually tasty for what it was, and individual staff members were kind and thoughtful albeit inexperienced. They badly need a floor manager. But overall it is just very odd for allegedly the premium BA lounge on BA's supposedly most profitable route. Perhaps this is what people want these days.