Hammersmith

It has been some time since we have eaten in this lively gastropub just south of the Goldhawk Road in Hammersmith. It was good in the past and probably even better this time. Despite the boisterous atmosphere in the bar & the tightly packed tables in the well-used dining area, staff maintain their good humour and give us a cheerful welcome, showing us to a scrubbed pine table and presenting us with the day’s special menu.

Menus change constantly according to what is available on the market. There is a large blackboard along one end of the room; it is full of mouth-watering offerings such as starters of Carpaccio of beef; smoked eel with a beetroot remoulade; Country pork terrine (fantastic pate de Campagne) and Ricotta and Courgette tart. Main courses included Roast mutton with lentils, peas and artichokes; Turbot with courgettes, roast cherry tomatoes and asparagus with a salsa verde; Duck breast with Kenya beans, red onions and new potatoes; and for the more daring Caramelised pig’s head with stuffed cabbage and celeriac puree.

Desserts such as Orange and vanilla Pannacotta; Treacle tart; and Raspberry soufflé all sounded tempting, but we were too full by then. Excellent, good value house wines and nice coffee.

Everything we ate was superb and the quality was exceptionally high. The al fresco terrace is a must when the sun shines and there is a good selection of well kept beers for the beer drinker. If we lived in London, it would be one of our regular haunts.