October: Table Talk

Food news from your part of town, by William Douglas

Above: Princess Victoria in Shepherd's Bush

The Princess Victoria wears the crown
The Princess Victoria in Shepherd’s Bush has been crowned ‘Best New Gastropub’ at the prestigious 2008 Time Out Eating and Drinking Awards. Run by Matt Wilkin and James McLean, the former Gin Palace in Uxbridge Road was hailed as ‘a great local, but also worth a special visit’ and praised for its ‘stunning wine list, welcoming ambience and good food.’ The Princess Victoria was restored earlier this year after a fire caused extensive damage and destroyed many of the building’s original 19th century features. Speaking of the award Matt said: ‘We’re absolutely gobsmacked. We wondered if people would come – and they came in droves. The support has been wonderful.’
217 Uxbridge Road, W12 9DH; 020 8749 5886


New catch for Reef
Reef, the boutique fish and chip restaurant in Grove Park, now has the celebrity factor in the kitchen. New chef Sarab Xavier once worked for Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas and he is bringing his own glitz to Reef’s menu: salmon gravadlax, vegetable tempura and gambas pil-pil are tempting diners for starters and main courses include moules frites in a white wine and cream sauce and grilled salmon with black pepper and lemon hollandaise. To mark Sarab’s arrival, Reef is offering WestSide readers a complimentary glass of wine with a meal until the end of October (one per customer, maximum table size six) when you bring this page with you.
1 Station Parade, Burlington Lane, W4 3HD; 020 8994 1988


McCreadie’s a cut above the rest
A new family butcher has opened on Pitshanger Lane in Ealing. Andrew McCreadie has been a butcher for 20 years – he previously worked at Macken Bros in Chiswick – and his shop will be supplying high quality meat from free range animals at affordable prices. In addition to offering prime Scottish beef, salt-marsh lamb, poultry and pork, Andrew will also be making sausages, stocking marinated and oven-ready products as well as chutneys, mustards, jams and organic eggs and offering all the services of a traditional butcher. And if you’re not sure how to cook a cut, he will help out with recipe ideas and instructions.
54 Pitshanger Lane, W5 1QY; 020 8997 3831


Feel chilli in Hammersmith
Bhuwan Bhatt has been appointed as consultant chef at Green Chilli in Hammersmith, a move that proprietor Amit Dua believes will ‘take the restaurant to the next level’. Bhatt has created a superb, original menu that provides a contemporary take on traditional Indian cuisine and emphasises a delicate blend of herbs and spices. The menu retains Green Chilli’s popular dishes while introducing exciting additions such as a seafood starter of soft-shell crab with a spicy squid salad, rack of lamb served with Roganjosh sauce and a Galouti kebab, and sea bass with a mollee sauce and masala potatoes.
220 King Street, W6 0RA; 020 8748 0111


Raising the standard
One of Chiswick’s favourite restaurants, Sam’s Brasserie and Bar, triumphed at the recent London Restaurant Awards when it was named the Best Value restaurant. Judges, chaired by the food critic Fay Maschler, selected Sam's as winner of the Evening Standard’s 60 under £60 prize. At the same ceremony held at the Grosvenor House in Park Lane, Carluccio’s – another favourite establishment on the Chiswick and Ealing dining scene – scooped the award for Best Restaurant Chain.
www.samsbrasserie.co.uk;  www.carluccios.com


The best in the west
Local gastronomic establishments feature prominently in the newly published 2009 edition of Michelin’s Eating Out in Pubs. Amongst the 563 best pubs serving good food in the UK and Ireland, Michelin gives a special mention to The Devonshire, The Duke of Sussex and The Bollo in Chiswick and to The Carpenter's Arms and Dartmouth Castle in Hammersmith. All the pubs in the guide were selected for the quality of their cooking and Derek Bulmer, the editor, commented, ‘The standard keeps getting better and better. We’re seeing a growing confidence in our culinary heritage, greater use of local, seasonal ingredients and a rediscovery of regional specialities.’
www.michelin.co.uk


Spice you like
Glide by the Patak’s and Sharwoods offerings in Sainsbury’s W4, and find yourself in pure spicy heaven by picking up a jar or two of Mighty Spice, the creation of West London resident, John Gregory-Smith. From tasty Chinese Szechwan and Thai Green to Indian Tandoori spice mix, the sauces are free from artificial preservatives and are surprisingly low in fat. Visit Gregory-Smith’s website for some red-hot recipe ideas.
www.mightyspiece.com