Gastronomic Delight or Kitchen Nightmare

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)

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)

April 19, 2008