Profil von johnw

A good addition to Chiswick High Road - a pub with good food that hasn't gone the full gastro-pub route nor is part of a sterile chain. This location used to be my local for several years and i've seen many incarnations over the last decade - firstly it was a down & dirty boozer (which if i'm not mistaken was a roebuck too) then it was a Rat & Parrot, then it was a gay pub (the birdcage) and now its a gastropub. Its a great site as there's lots of room and a large beer garden to the rear. Serves a good range of ales & bitters including Fullers & Adnams. I didn't eat there, although I must say the bar snacks were awful. The chips were nice & chunky, but were partly cooked, dry and hard. But generally reviews have been good, so i'll give them the benefit. Staff were friendly and good humoured. I'd definitely return.

I was really disappointed by this place. Maybe it was because I was part of a large party (10), but the food was average for the price - which was a shocking-end-of-the-evening-how-much? £95 per head!!!! I had stuffed calimari, which was OK but the the calimari were small and on not much more than a bed of simply chopped tomatoes. My main was 3 meagre lamb chops, which were tepid. the accompanying vegetables were soggy and oily. The dessert (tiramisu) was the only saving grace. Thank god I didn't go for the truffle supplement of £40!!! Yes, we had a drink to start, and a few bottles of averagely priced wine, but i have no idea where £95 went. Over priced, under-delivered.

Architecturally impressive, this Grade II listed building was built in 1846 originally as a rail engine shed then subequently a grain store. Over the years its suffered from neglect and a succession of openings and closures as a venue for the arts. Hopefully now its found a more permanent state following its refurb in 2006. Its a unique venue for live events. The main auditorium is a gorgeous round space that gives the venue its name. With a high domed ceiling and supporting steel pillars, its a great semi-industrial space. The New Wing built alongside the main building houses some bars and cafés, as well as the admin offices. Its a neat contemporary glass structure that creates a nice entree into the building.

My only reservation about the place was access out of the building at the end of the gig I went to. Most venues open up all exits to get everyone out. But here the entire crowd was channelled down one single staircase, which when approached in a sea of people was difficult to see and easy to stumble down. I was very surprised - I thought it would've been better thought out. Any small amount of panic/pushing would've resulted in some serious issues.

Had a really enjoyable time here. I love a good steak and this place does them soooo well. You can choose from all manner of cuts, and as with all good steak restaurants you get to see the cuts first. You can also choose weight - they even go up to 1kg, but 300g is more than enough! I had the fillet, rare, and it was extroardinary - melt in the mouth gorgeous. My wife had the marinaded sirloin and that was delicious too.

The restaurant is kitted out like a nightclub - all black surfaces, funky furniture, moody lighting and pumping music. I'm sure the last Gaucho Grill I went to was more like a wild west cantina!! Anyway, they do a good line in Ceviche (marindaded raw fish) too plus if steak's not your thing there's plenty of other things on the menu.

It seems to average out at around £40/head upwards, so not a destination for the casual diner. Its also tucked away on its own on the banks of the Thames with no direct car access. Beware the walk through the dimly lit & steeply inclined gardens!!

One of the few places in the area where you can roll up at 11pm and still get the chance to have a decent dinner that's not a Chinese. Definite destination for a great steak & chips.

Must've gone downhill since I went. When it first opened it was THE place to go - but sounds like the surburban bandwagon is stopping far too often! I went for dinner a few times, and always enjoyed the range of choice available - a kind of ultra-upmarket cafe/brasserie dining room. I didn't find the room too noisy, but maybe the chattering classes weren't in when I was there :-)

Adding to the prior review, I can add something on the restaurant. Unfortunately it tries far too hard to be an upmarket, sophisticated dining experience. Aspiring to be something like that you might find in Central London, the dishes are over fancy, over drizzled & over coulis-ed. The food's not great either. Everything comes on modern plates with constructions & towers. They should've stuck to something more in character with the rest of the hotel - relaxed, traditional & informal. Also, beware - i went on a weekend and they were hosting a wedding reception. Unfortunately the hotel's not that big (nor the car park) so it did impact somewhat on the visit.

You know how some shop units just seem to have a curse on them, with ventures coming and going like the seasons. Well this unit was one of them - formerly an italian, then a chinese, then a lebanese and now an indian restaurant. You can't help but start taking bets as to what'll be next. Which would be a shame, as this current incarnation is actually rather good. In fact i'd go one step further and say its excellent. The food is fresh and tasty and more importantly consistent. I don't know what it is about the Indian restaurants near to me, but every time you make a visit its as if there's a different chef - food is spiced differently and even a different colour. So shock horror, 2 visits in and the food was exactly, yes exactly!, the same.

The style of cooking is known as "Dumpukht" which counts for nothing with me. All I know is i'll be going back again & again!!

Absolutely stunning restaurant where you'll experience wonderful culinary sights, smells and tastes like nothing you've tried before. The man behind the restaurant, Heston Blumentahl, for years was a relatively unknown quantity. Recently though he's come out into the spotlight and for example has his own TV series. he's reknowned for his scientific approach to cooking, having his very own laboratory where weights & measures, bunsen burners and dry ice assist in the cooking process. If that all sounds very clinical, then the result is not. Heston combines all kinds of tastes, scents and flavours to create some of the most extraordinary dishes. Snail porridge is fast becoming the signature dish, but other fascinating ones include scallop tartare with white chocolate and caviar plus strawberries with leather purée & pistachio scrambled egg. You certainly come away feeling like your taste buds have been given a work out!

The restaurant itself is a converted village cottage, with low ceilings and beams, in the most unassuming (albeit affluent) village. So sightly off the beaten track, but absolutely worth the 20 mile trip out from London. Its no wonder this was voted the world's best restaurant a few years ago

I have to give this five stars as this is where my wife and I had our first ever date in 1995 (yikes!). And in the world of user-rated content that has to be as good a reason as any for a top score!! Sounds like its not as good as it used to be, but there go my rose-tinted spectacles again!