Annie's has the key things that make for a great dining experience. It has charming ambiance, a…read morediverse and well-executed menu, and great service. After a long day at work, I trekked down the quiet side of Chiswick to Thames road for a late bite. I was seated upstairs amidst couples and groups of friends, next to a corner fireplace. From this vantage point I could see the entire upstairs dining area. Candles and roses are on every table and the decor is eclectic yet romantic - a love theme. Annie's shepherds pie (a special on my first visit) and a side of broccoli hit the spot. A few nights later I tried a more basic fish and chips, plus a pear, green bean, and shallot salad. The fish was flakey and battered perfectly - not the sloppy pub stuff you find elsewhere. The salad was refreshing. Finally, I've also enjoyed the halloumi burger. It's thick and well-executed. Substitute sweet potato fries or a vegetable for the chips if you want something a little more nutritious. Despite arriving just before closing time on most of my visits, the staff is always helpful and enthusiastic. Even on cool nights, the heat from the kitchen warms the upstairs, so be ready to de-layer if you're dressed for the cold. It's cozy! The love theme extends to your post-meal survey card, which reminds me of Valentine's cards kids give out in school. Maybe the love theme explains why I fell in love with Annie's.

The food and cocktails were quite good except the lamb was overcooked and tough. Service was very…read moreslow and they did apologize for that. They completely forgot about the order put in by the couple at the table next to us and gave them free wine. I would go back though.

We really loved our experience here. The vibe is cozy and they have a lovely curated selection. I…read morewas interested in a particular Pinot Noir, and because it wasn't on the menu, the owner went ahead and opened another type for me and charged me the same price, which was super nice of him! Service was quick and very friendly. I really like where this was located, tucked in on a side road in the neighborhood and does have a neighborhood gem feel. It seems they have really worked on their menu and the selection is really extensive!

Cosy or cozy depending where you are from...delicious seasonal fresh foods. Delightful wines and…read morefriendly, helpful service. They have a beautiful bar and open kitchen with a nice European menu and an award-winning 200+ bottle wine list which we where able to taste before we selected our bottle. This was a nice neighborhood gem and I will go back! They serve roasts with all of the trimmings every Sunday. There are five other locations in London...City, King's Cross, Soho, Farmingdon, and Marylebone. www.viniteca.co.uk Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.

Great food, great drinks, great service. Delightful neighborhood feel for such high end foodread more

La Trompette is a winner. The exterior & interior design and dining room visuals are very…read moreattractive, & immediately give you a sense upon arrival that you are in for some great eating. That sense is not wrong: you are. The menus (one a tasting menu, the other a la carte), are very inventive and rapidly cause glands to salivate. Clever mix of ingredients & cooking forms, and plenty of delicious options to choose from. The wine menu was robust, well-balanced for palates & dishes ordered, and had a comprehensive list of reasonably priced bottles. (We had the Gigondas: absolutely lovely) The dishes were amazing! Linguine w/ black truffles (divine), seared sea bass (more divine), braised short ribs (diviner (?) ), etc.. The cheese cart was sublime, with an excellent selection. The banana souffle tasted as magnificent as it looked. The service at La Trompette is exemplary. We were waited on impeccably, and just enough. If i had to suggest any improvements, it would be 1) serve crustier bread, and more than one option ( the bread served was fine, but the center was spongy), and 2) the toasts for the cheese crumbled into small pieces instantly (fortunately, I like getting my hands dirty with cheese..) I highly recommend La Trompette. Go. Often.

Excellent food and drinks with a cozy atmosphere.read more

Good chilled bar with good drinks, lovely light bar snacks, good music. A good local air urban bar…read moreand already a good local favourite. Summer helps and it will be interesting to see what it is like in the winter. A first rate vodka martini.

Rare 5 star. Outstanding restaurant with innovative seasonal food. Execllent wine selection and…read morefaultless service From the moment you walk in until you leave, the ezperience is great Highly recommend

Prix-Fixe Friday (£37.50 for three courses): What a wonderful lunch with rental child #1 (RC#1),…read moreher sublime husband (HRC#1), and the bump that is soon to be my first rental grandchild! They took me to The Glass House at Kew's Station Parade - a picturesque square - the train station bustling with London commuters, on one corner an organic grocer across from a "Chemists" (we call them drug stores), and a butcher shop that features game pie, which is next to the subtle glass and wood front of The Glass House - the facade adds a dash of modernity to the tableau of Britishness of the Kew Parade. Now on to the food... AND WINE! Three courses, a HUGE wine list, menacing the Sommelier (Sorry - I'm persnickety), lovely waitstaff, a friendly General Manager, and delicious bread!!! What a treat!!! Let's start with the bread - a choice between raisin walnut or white bread. Don't fill up on bread - even if the waitstaff politely show you the basket multiole times and offer to place the warm deliciousness on your plate. How do you choose three courses from so many possible combinations? We discussed, we researched, then we chose, and decided to share bites.... We did have to resort to Google to look up a few dish items: chou farci (stuffed cabbage); lardo di Colonnata (mmmm lard - bacon's flavorful fatty cousin); and cime di rapa (Broccoli Rabe) Starters: Each plate was elegant and the flavors were wonderful, but the most beautiful plate of the day was HRC#1's Seared Orkney scallops, delica pumpkin, coco nibs, lime and watercress dressing (I've added pictures) - I was so visually stunned that I don't remember the taste. HRC#1 devoured it though.... which is a testament to the deliciousness. RC#1's Duck breast with bok choy, wasabi, teriyaki and grapefruit was intense, and the duck was so tender - it was a great start. I am a fan of eating things that have been hunted, so rounding out our starters was a succulent Rabbit ballotine rolled in pancetta, Dijon mustard, caramelised kohlrabi and lovage - yes,it may have been Bambi's Thumper served with the garden greens that had been nibbling on - but it was so delicious - with Italian bacon (pancetta) and the subtle bright earthiness of dijon mustard. The lovage really added to the dish with a fresh subtle crispness that offset the velvet richness of the rabbit. Wine: AKA where I showed off by torturing the sommelier... This is a Michelin listed restaurant - the wine library is extensive. Overwhelming for even for me. I wanted something from the Rhône - and was tempted to pick a Viognier - but why not have the professionals make a recommendation... he started off with an American Syrah - NOPE said the loud American (me), next he suggested a French Syrah - NOPE said I. I wanted a lighter wine. Then he suggested some blends - Syrah/Viognier - NOPE ... now even I was wondering "why Syrah???". Then he turned the page and uttered the word Gigondas - that ticked all the right boxes - Red, Rhône and really yummy! A bottle of Domaine des Pasquiers `14 - a black Grenache and Syrah blend that was fermented in concrete tanks (no oak) it was perfect! And a win/win the sommelier finally found a Syrah blend that I was going to agree with! Main Courses: HRC#1' s Cornbury estate fallow deer, roasted salisfy, pine, red cabbage and juniper was so good. The juniper was subtle, and I wanted to steal all of his red cabbage. RC#1 and I were back and forth talking about the Suffolk pork shoulder, chou farci, black garlic, cep croustade (spectacular flavour) and poached cranberries - the pork was amazing - long cooked and melt in your mouth, and the stuffed cabbage (chou farci) was a tight, flavorful comfort food. I went for fish: Roasted halibut, harissa, chorizo, confit red pepper, black quinoa and corn sauce. Even though I could not taste the chorizo and could not identify the vegetable (grilled bok choy?) I am still thinking about the corn sauce. It is wrong to lick your plate in polite company - so I didn't. But needles to say, Love, love, loved it. Dessert: You won't over eat at the glass house. The portion sizes are perfect, and they pack a wallop of taste. HRC#1's Passion fruit meringue, coconut ice cream and caramelised mango was lovely. I only tasted (did not eat all of) RC#1's Warm apple and pecan brioche with ginger ice cream, and the ginger ice cream is so intense - it was the best flavor of the night. I went for a classic Dark chocolate mousse, and milk ice cream yummy. Perfect way to end a terrific meal with 2.5 of my favorite people in the world! TL;DR: Relaxed atmosphere with formal service. Seasonal, delicious food with great staff and an extensive wine list. Expensive but totally worth it!

While cockapoos sniff each others' bums, the Chiswick Set gossip. "I heard The Silver Birch is…read moregetting a star". "Oh it's already got one hasn't it?". "Pisses all over La Tromp darling". Chiswick is bursting with good places to eat but if you're a star gazer, there's only one to follow and it leads you to La Trompette where you'll eat refined French food in soft elegance. The Silver Birch feels less elegant as you walk in. It's much smaller. They've done nice things in there but it doesn't quite manage to transport me somewhere else once inside. Luckily, the food does that instead. Pretty as a picture each plate that arrives and wonderfully considered flavours every step of the way. My starter of Mevagissey Mackerel (answers on a postcard please), Porthilly Oyster, Pickled Turnip and Dill looked like a beautifully hand pained Wedgwood plate with no food on it at all. Mackerel doesn't lend itself to subtlety though and congratulations to chef Nathan Cornwell for a producing one with a properly burnished skin. If ever a fish was made to be burned around the edges, this is the one and the pieces duly complied. The skin was glazed and crunchy and protected the soft flesh underneath. The surrounding pickles and sauces set the mackerel off perfectly. Devon Crab with Pickled Apple, Sourdough Crumpets and Caviar, another work of art. If it had a pin I would've worn it as a brooch. The caviar sat in a lily pad of pickle with beads of unctuousness dotted around it. This floated on a foam bisque which hid soft crab. The crumpets gave this delicate dish substance. Superb. None of this came as a surprise as we had already amused our mouths with the morsels they delivered soon after we were seated. So often these bits feel chucked in for the sake of being seen as fine dining. Often they are old and tired. These zinged off the plate and in our mouths. The bread that followed continued in the same vein. Bacon bread was soft and smokey. The choice of butters felt not like overkill but like maximising our enjoyment. Poached Newlyn cod with Brassicas and smoked Roe Sauce was a lesson in simplicity. A perfectly cut and presented mealy white piece of cod with a stark and dark fried Cavolo Nero leaf to cover its head and a creamy, oily sauce for satisfaction. Squab pigeon delivered more of the same beauty with its plum and organic beetroot. Puddings weren't an afterthought. Chocolate and cherry with a milk sorbet, rich and wicked. Berries with 'meadow sweet', Granola and Meringue felt light, airy, natural, good and bad for you in equal measure. I could go on but the word count is giving me dagger eyes. Suffice to say this is cooking of the highest standard from Nathan Cornwell. The name deserves a second mention here. A quick squizz reveals he has worked at a host of great places and all his experience is being brought to bear in leafy West London. He certainly believes we eat with our eyes before our mouths and he engages both brilliantly. And yet the whole experience at The Silver Birch doesn't quite add up to something greater than the sum of its parts. Service is attentive but we detect nerves. Perhaps they think we're from Michelin. The site is small and has been designed to be warm and comfy with lots of natural wood. The colours all work but it does feel beige. And that's because a lot of it is. Is the pursuit of the twinkle twinkle shackling them we wonder? A happy accident here or there would certainly be welcome. Prices (my five course set menu was £97 including supplements) felt more than reasonable for such loveliness. We whisper our delight at the food and we leave happy to have eaten so well. But The Silver Birch does lack a bit of dazzle dazzle aside from the good stuff on the plate. Too small to be sumptuous but too buttoned up charm the pants off you. It feels a little restrained. If a star is incoming like the streets are saying, maybe it might relax relax them enough to turn up the music a little.

My local friends treated me to a leisurely lunch here. The resturant frontage, entrance and…read moreinterior are all fairly understated. It has a comfy and light vibe rather than a setting for grand fancy gourmet experience. The menu is simple and I'd say doesn't fully prepare you for what's to come! Allow yourself plenty of time to be surprised by the delicious, delicate flavors of multiple "amuse bouche" between main courses, each innovative in their own way. The food was cooked to the highest standard and the service was very attentive and helpful too. This is a place to be savoured and not hurried...The final bill was expensive but reflected the quality of the experience.

Fine dining brings me out in Hives. Nervous waiters…read morestumbling through painful descriptions of food and what's been done to it. The clanking of cutlery on china drowning out murmurs of disapproval from people with too much money and not enough life in them to enjoy it. Dinner at SK describes itself as fine dining. But Maitre d' Sam Harrison wrote the book on genuine hospitality (look up Sam's Riverside and Sam's Waterside to see how he rolls) so how's that going to work? Well work it does and splendidly so. The 'SK' bit stands for Sam's Kitchen, a venue that manages to blend cosy and chic without mashing up the blades. In the daytime it's a bright and bubbly brunch place. But by night the low lighting transforms it into something more seductive. A sweeping marble bar to the right, tables to the left, lots of wood and ambient lighting in between to pull you in. Huge windows looking out onto Turnham Green Terrace. We're in the heart of Tweetown but Sam's Kitchen feels modern, smart, comfy and friendly. A warm welcome is followed by a cold glass of sparkles and the dreaded food spiel which, for once, is mercifully quick. It goes "One choice for each course and a veggie option if that suits you more. All seasonal. Changing every night. £55". Music to my ears. Choice is an illusion. Pure folly. Time yourself next time you look through the Netflix menu. All that choice. All that time choosing. All that time. And the result? John Wick part VI. But get yourself to a place where skilled people love what they do and there isn't much need for choice. That said, only a lunatic wouldn't choose the miniature loaves with herb butter that come first. Warm and fluffy pillows of yeasty bread served with a quenelle of the good stuff. Good start. Crab salad is a triumph. People who wang on about balanced flavours are the same people who chat shit about a film's wonderful cinematography or a song's intricate bassline. So apologies for wanging on about the way this dish was put together and the effect it produces on the mouth. It has to be done. The white crab meat is served as a quenelle and has finely chopped morsels of what I think are asian bits and bobs dispersed within. The yuzu and white soy dressing is mayonnaise based and one small finger dab confirms that this was made to be mixed in wholesale to the crab. Not strictly a fine dining manoeuvre but hey ho. The result is heavenly. The mandolined pickled turnip adds bite in both texture and taste. It's pretty too with it's blush of pink surrounded by pearl white. The black rice cracker that lays on top is a dramatic finish. Its nutty flavour is drawn out by the other elements. Put everything together carefully on a bit of cracker and duly deposit in the mouth and you are treated to something that is at once sweet and sour, crunchy and soft, warm and cool, sharp and comforting. Close your eyes as you eat it and apart from looking like a nob you'll be magically transported to a kitchen where people put things on plates for an actual reason. Care and attention and thoughtfulness. There's a vision going on down there and it's coming together neatly. Saddle of venison, Pomme Anna, damson and juniper makes a brilliantly executed main course. Delivered by someone who smiles and is genuinely excited as she brings it. Powerful taste. Beautiful presentation. Perfectly balanced flavours again. Chocolate and passionfruit delice is served with a white chocolate ice cream. The delice looks like a bar of gold and tastes as rich. The sweetness of the ice cream cuts through the richness of the delice and the zing of the passionfruit sauce cuts through the sweetness of the ice cream. It's almost like these people do this on purpose. Sam's footprint is growing in West London and it's built generous hospitality with a high quality food offfering. Dinner at SK is the same but swapped round. The food takes centre stage. As the bill arrives I do a quick mental calculation. So by foregoing too many waiting staff, amuse bouches that don't, a cloakroom attendant and a perplexing range of menu options I can eat Michelin star quality food in relaxed surroundings served by people who are generous with their hospitality for the price of a trip to Five Guys with the boy.

Incredible food and wine pairing options. Our favorite place to celebrate special occasions or…read moreeveryday successes!

Fish Hook is an intimate fish restaurant located in a quiet side road, just off King Street in…read moreChiswick. The address listed on Yelp is correct but at the moment, its position on the Yelp Google map is incorrect, placing it somewhere in north London. Starting off as a South African owned and run restaurant Fish Hoek, it changed its name slightly a couple of years ago and in its new guise, has been garnering rave reviews from such diverse publications from the Michelin Guide to Time Out. As its name suggest, the restaurant and its chef Michael Nadra tend towards the sea for their primary ingredient though there are a couple of meat dishes on the menu for unconvertable carnivores. However, they would be missing out on some great combinations and precise cooking of seafood. Cooking influences range from France for an excellent full depth of flavour soupe de poisson to Japanese light tempura battered soft shell crab. You will find every class of seafood represented on the menu, from humble grilled sardines to no-expense-spared lobster with foie gras and black truffle potatoes. A great fish restaurant. If you like fish, you'll be hooked!

Went here by recommendation for good authentic Serbian food. Dishes seem to satisfy my flatmate who…read morecame from Serbia, and had this place recommended by their Croatian colleague. It was a hefty meal and the meat was tender and succulent. Service was very prompt and people were nice. There's a small place where you can smoke and vape that is also roofed and pleasant. Only qualms is the chairs are quite dirty. Otherwise, it is quiet in the afternoon.

A hole in the wall with great food. Casual, relaxed. Great service. We had five in our party -…read moreeveryone got something different and all meals were really good. Not air conditioned so can get steamy on a hot day; minimal outdoor seating, but it does exist.

Hubby loved the lamb medallions and my mango avocado grain salad was delicious! We arrived on a hot…read moreday and they accommodated us by seating us in the back where it was cooler and they turned up the a/c for us too. It was clean, drinks are delicious and cold service was excellent. We tried going back two days later but there was a private party going on- darn!

Good vibe. Good service. Big improvement on the previous Barley Mow at this location.read more