Dining Out

The Old Ship

Above: The Old Ship

It sometimes seems that restaurants that are blessed with a wonderful location don’t then pay sufficiently keen attention to equally crucial matters such as ambience, service and the quality of the food. It’s as if the proprietors/ landlords rest on their laurels and believe, albeit foolishly, that the surroudings alone will be enough to attract and satisfy customers. Located on the towpath between Chiswick Mall and Hammersmith Bridge, the Orangery restaurant at the Old Ship pub certainly occupies an enviable setting next to one of the most scenic stretches of the Thames – but does the standard of the cuisine match up?

Sadly, having booked one of the Orangery’s much-prized terrace tables, an outbreak of typically inclement English summer weather forced us to beat a retreat into the light and airy ground floor dining room. Never mind – we were seated near the large window that dominates the room and still enjoyed panoramic views across the river (no wonder the Orangery is a popular local choice for private parties and functions).

To begin, my partner and I decided to share a half dozen Irish oysters and it proved an excellent choice – they were deliciously refreshing and impeccably prepared. For my main course, I couldn’t resist Scottish fillet steak accompanied by roast garlic field mushrooms, balsamic cream sauce, rocket salad and toasted pine nuts. The pine nuts complemented the sauce beautifully, but I was disappointed that my steak wasn’t as well done as I had requested. No such problems with my companion’s sea bass with roasted Mediterranean vegetables and pesto; after many murmurs of approval he duly pronounced it ‘divine’ and polished off a large serving with considerable gusto.

After ‘resting’ for a while, with the encouragement of our friendly waitress (the service was attentive but not pushy throughout) we gave into temptation – and sheer gluttony – and ordered desserts. While rather unadventurous, both the traditional apple crumble and custard and home made ice-cream with chocolate fudge sauce hit the spot nicely.

To accompany the meal we enjoyed a gloriously fruity house rosé from a varied and competitively priced wine list and with the total bill coming in at £60, the meal was reasonably good value for money. To answer my own question, the Old Ship, while perhaps not outstanding when compared to some other riverside establishments, does do justice to its location. As far as my partner is concerned, he will definitely be returning just for the sea bass…
(Karla Mills)

The Old Ship, 25 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, W6. Tel: 020 8748 2593