Going on a Gastronomic Journey in North End Road

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Stuart Webb discovers carnivore heaven at Fulham's Hanger & Cellar

If you’re a steak lover you’ll be in seventh heaven here, but there’s a lot more to it than that as we discovered.

From the outside the restaurant has a contemporary new build look, yet lurking below ground is a 1920’s cocktail bar, ideal for functions.

We’d chosen a pleasant Autumnal Wednesday  evening for our visit and although mid week, I was pleased to see other diners tucking in as we arrived.

Our greeting was pleasant but uninvasive and, given a choice, we settled for a table with what can only be described as cushion covered mini park benches.

The inside of the main restaurant is minimalistic, yet subtle lighting and chunky wooden furniture creates a cosy but contemporary feel. The gentle background music adding the final touch of tranquillity.

Now suitably nested in our cosy corner, I can only describe what followed as a gastronomic journey.

As our host Patrick explained the options that lay ahead of us, it was strikingly clear, his knowledge of food was indeed impressive and combined with a passion to deliver something different.

For example, all of the meats are cooked over charcoal not gas and all UK beef is grass or grain fed and sourced from local farms. They also use USDA approved and iberico meats.

Ok, so having established the butchery is top notch, the options are to go for the traditional starter then main route or to gently feast on a selection of grazing plates.

Whilst the temptation to juggle with iberico pork shoulder, monkfish tail or a selection of steak choices ranging from £15 to a dry aged cote de boeuf at £55, we were lured by our host’s enthusiasm towards a selection from the small plates menu.

It’s a great way to relax, enjoy conversation over a bottle of wine, whilst gently grazing away.

There were ten plates to choose from and at this point I was wishing there were more than two of us at the table.

Patrick stepped in to guide us through the diverse options of fish and meat dishes which ranged from £5 to £9.50 each.

With so many temptations, we opted to step outside our comfort zone and try some of the signature dishes that had been so passionately described to us.

Smoked beef tartare with duck egg yolk £7, rainbow trout ceviche with pistachio and avocado £8, burrata – rainbow chard and confit citrus £7.50, pigs head croquette with lovage pesto £6 and ox cheeks with a confit of garlic and bone marrow crumb £9.

With such a varied feast ahead of us we opted for a fruity but light Picpoul white wine and Patrick also advised us that a whole new wine list will be released very soon.

We were not quaffing for long before our dishes started to arrive, not all at the same time though, allowing us to sample them at the right temperature.

Equal attention had been paid to presentation as had preparation.

Unlike my wife, I’m not known for my over enthusiasm to fish probably due to a long hang up of bones from school diners, therefore when the rainbow trout arrived I approached with caution.

Much to my wife’s amusement I was pleasantly surprised to find it was more like a meat dish than a fish dish.

Each of the dishes had their own individual signature and distinct flavour. In fact, although a well know cliché, all were lovingly prepared especially the ox cheeks that had been slow cooked for 8 hours.

And so the gentle grazing continued until we’d had our fill without feeling stuffed and the wine gently came to an end.

Whilst no longer hungry, my curiousity to sample the notorious Hanger stake still lingered.
Patrick very kindly asked the chef to prepare a small sample of the USDA hanger steak for me to try.

Indeed, this was a beautiful piece of steak, tender and full of flavour.

It’s widely known that a good steak should not be cooked more than medium rare, but the sight of blood on a plate was too much unfortunately for me to tempt the wife.

The idea of sharing a selection of grazing plates is an excellent way to enjoy a dining experience. Whilst I think each dish had been cooked to virtual perfection, I can only perhaps fault ourselves for the selection we had chosen. With so many individually flavoured meats the combination was a somewhat over powering.

My advice would be to choose some of the rich dishes we had sampled but combine them with others such as the baby squid that looked rather tempting.

This is a restaurant seriously passionate about their food and a particularly wonderful place to go if you’re a steak fiend.

Hanger & Cellar is at 461 -465 North End Road, off Fulham Broadway, call 020 7386 9739 or visit the website.

 

October 6, 2017