All Aboard the Gravy Train

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Established restaurant maintains standards

Sometimes too much choice can be a bad thing, especially when it comes to having to choose a restaurant on the hop and pretend it had all been arranged ages ago!

This was the dilemma I found myself in earlier this week when I realised it was my husband’s birthday and really should take him out somewhere nice as a treat.  “I thought I would let you choose” I fibbed knowing full well that he would say he didn’t mind and would go wherever I wanted. This would have clearly been the most prudent response had I a) already decided and b) booked a table, but Tuesday night in Chiswick presented so many possibilities it proved somewhat difficult for me to get away with my little lie.

But get away with I did (at least until now) when I was inspired by comments on the forum about Gravy. Having not been there for sometime, we were keen to see whether they had kept up their standards.

Currently masked from the road by Thames Water paraphernalia, Gravy was very quiet when we arrived just after eight in stark contrast to other places on the High Road. When we commented on this, we were told that it was because passing trade couldn’t actually see the restaurant due to the aforementioned paraphernalia which also sadly removed any al fresco ambiance. Thankfully the diggers had stopped for the evening but we decided to take a table inside anyway.

I have always found the staff at Gravy to be particularly congenial and our waitress for the evening was no exception. The restaurant prides itself on being a cool yet cosy family run business where the emphasis is on a friendly, warm welcome, efficient yet intimate service and superb and imaginative food at a very reasonable price and, judging by previous visits, manages this superbly.

We ordered a cold beer and a glass of house white to quench our thirst whilst we decided what to eat. I like Gravy’s menu because of its simplicity. Set out in courses entitled one, two and three with some side dishes thrown in for good measure (excellent chips with ailoi), there are no more than five choices per course which simplifying decisions.

We ordered the fresh asparagus with poached egg, smoked pancetta and hollandaise sauce (£4.95) and king scallops, chorizo sausages, celeriac puree and rocket leaf (£5.95) to start. My asparagus, although no longer in season, was good and its flavour married well with the egg and hollandaise and the king scallops and chorizo were pronounced really rather decent.

We followed with warm goat’s cheese that had been melted over char-grilled vegetables and balsamic (£11.95) which could only be described as summer on a plate and crispy fillet of sea bass on puy lentils and beetroot (£13.95) again a very good combination that was cooked well.

The perfectly respectable Gravy house wine - a light crisp Colombard Chardonny (£12.95) - proved a good choice and the perfect accompaniment to our summery food.

The bill came to a reasonable £70.82 which included service and we left sated and satisfied that the service and food at Gravy had not diminished and that standards had been undoubtedly maintained.

Emma Brophy

July 12, 2006