Gastronomic Delight or Kitchen Nightmare


How does your local pub fare with its fare?

Working on the principle that a local pub should tailor its offering to its local clientele, we embarked on a comparison exercise (well that’s what I’m calling it!) to see if I could identify which area in Chiswick has the best pub grub. Therefore, I invited friends to dine with me at their respective locals, which happily included some of Chiswick’s finest venues, and made notes under a number of headings.

Below are our findings (in alphabetical order)


April 19, 2008

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The Bell & Crown

Location

Strand on the Green

Décor

Traditional well kept pub with various dining/ drinking areas some of which overlook the river

Service

Pleasant though somewhat haphazard waiter service or order at bar

Menu

Everything you would expect from a traditional pub with a few surprises

Food

Barbary duck breast, truffle pancake and spinach with baby onion gravy £13.95, Smoked haddock with poached egg mash potato, asparagus and a grain mustard sauce £12.95, bowl of chips (which for some reason were served as a starter) £2.50

Drink

French sauvignon blanc 14.50

Price

£41.95

Return

Wouldn't rush back to eat but lovely setting for a summer evening drink

Overall Rating

6/10

 

The Hole in the Wall

 

Location

Sutton Road North

Décor

Abundance of scrubbed wooden tables and chairs, roaring fires and a smattering of local celebs

Service

Waiter service at table

Menu

Imaginative gastro fare

Food

Calves liver cooked to perfection and served with pancetta, crispy sage and bubble & squeak £14.50, goat’s cheese with roasted tomatoes and spinach & mushroom confit £10.00 and home made chips £3.00

Drink

Australian shiraz £14

Price

Dinner for two £47.00 including service

Return

Without a doubt

Overall Rating

8/10

 

 The Swan

 

Location

Evershed Walk (off Acton Lane)

Décor

Dark wood tables and chairs pack the pint-sized interior and number of picture windows break up dark wooden panelling on the walls.

Service

Order at bar

Menu

Comprehensive selection of creative dishes

Food

Complimentary basket of warm bread, olive oil and rock salt, grilled tuna steak with sautéed spinach, pine nuts, sultanas and anchovy £14.00, roast guinea fowl with confit onions, savoy cabbage & bacon gratin with chestnuts £13.00 (probably the best dish overall), less than generous side order of roasted new potatoes with rosemary £3.00

Drink

Chilean cabernet merlot 14.50

Price

Dinner for two £46.25

Return

Cannot wait

Overall Rating

9/10

 

 The Old Station House

 

Location

Grove Park Road

Décor

Uniform gastro pub, low chocolate brown sofas on one side, scrubbed wooden tables on the other but on the whole inviting

Service

Order at bar

Menu

Rather uninspiring regular menu but complete opposite with the daily specials

Food

Courgette risotto £8.00, halloumi cheese, salad of spinach leaves, roasted red peppers and chick peas with an olive salsa £8.95 – both excellent

Drink

bottle of house white £15.50 (wine by the glass on the expensive side)

Price

Dinner for two £36.50 (including a bottle of sparkling mineral water)

Return

Yes but would stick to the specials

Overall Rating

7/10

 

The Pilot

 

Location Wellesley Road

Décor

Abundance of scrubbed wooden furniture and floors

Service

Waiter service at table

Menu

Appetisingly inventive, certainly something for everyone

Food

Chargrilled lamb burger with tzatziki, red onion salad and chips £10.50,
Wild boar and apple sauasages with mash potato, spinach and red wine jus £10.00

Drink

Fair Trade Organic Shiraz (£16 on card advertising 'New versus Old' but £17.50 on bill due to "unfortunate price rise"

Price

£41.55

Return

Waiter's attitude towards aforementioned wine's unfortunate hike in price and his refusal to charge the price shown was irrating which was a shame because the food (and wine for that matter) was excellent. I declined to pay service and asked the waiter to take the matter up with management. Would go back but wouldn't be top of my list.

Overall Rating

8/10

 

The Tabard

 

Location

Bath Road (close to Turnham Green tube station)

Décor

Traditional dark wood, red velvet with a ‘lived in’ feel

Service

Order at bar

Menu

typical pub fare (but posters promise future curry nights)

Food

Quite possibly the worst burger and chips ever made £8.50, mediocre beef and ale pie with mash (marks from the foil container prevalent on the pie) £10.50

Drink

Favourite Rioja £15.00

Price

Dinner for two £34.00

Return

Only for the Rioja or a nightcap

Overall Rating

4/10 (although The Tabard doesn’t claim to be a gastro venue, their food offering is prominently advertised which in itself is a reason to expect better standards from the kitchen)