Fire Station is in pole position

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Fresh and seasonal menu makes this Hammersmith restaurant a winner

With restaurants such as the Brackenbury and Snows on the Green out of action, Hammersmith residents may be looking around for another place to splash their hard earned cash on a night out.

And the Fire Station restaurant at 224 Shepherds Bush Road may be just the place to relax with a glass of wine or three on a Friday night.

Housed, as one might suppose, in a converted fire station, the restaurant plays up to its heritage with decorative touches such as fire buckets in the men’s loos, firemen themed photographs on the wall, and many of the original features retained from the original building.

My companion and I arrived at 7.30pm on a cold Wednesday evening to find a cosy restaurant, with an informal air.

Two menus are available in the restaurant, a canteen option for those who wish to have an informal meal or a dining room option.

My dining companion and I sequestered a couple of comfy-looking armchairs and a delicious bottle of Rioja Vendimia Seleccionada (£18.95) and cast our eyes over a well-chosen menu.

The owners of the Fire Station boast that their food is fresh and seasonal, with an emphasis on organic and free-range producers.

Our menu certainly seemed to bear this out, with October favourites such as spicy pumpkin salad and free range chicken terrine with Savoy cabbage and cep mushrooms

With snow on the ground, my dining companion opted for the warming option of confit pork belly and Puy lentils (£7), while I chose a lighter dish of hand-picked crab on toast and watercress (£8.50) for my starter.

My companion described his rib-sticking choice as comforting. The pork belly was tender, and married with the earthy lentils made for a flavoursome, hearty dish.

My crab was fresh, light and creamy, complimented by peppery watercress.

For seconds, my companion chose lamb rump with Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli, capers and mint (£15.50), while I ordered a t-bone steak from the blackboard daily specials (£18.50).

Other options for main courses included Shetland mussels, saffron risotto and a ‘posh’ burger, all ranging in price between £11.50 and £18.

My companion’s lamb was pink, as he had requested, tender and perfectly cooked. He commented that he enjoyed ‘every minty mouthful’. I also enjoyed my huge rare steak, which was served alongside ‘boxty’ potatoes, a kind of Irish potato cake cooked in goose fat, which sounded extremely fattening, but was delicious.

Puddings also lived up to the star quality of the first two courses. We enjoyed an excellent sticky toffee pudding (£5) with butterscotch and clotted cream, and a wonderful Cox’s apple tart tatin (£5) with delicious vanilla ice cream.

We left replete and very happy with the service and quality of the food. The ingredients seemed very high quality and the dishes cooked just as we had requested – a nice rare steak and pink lamb.

For reservations and Information call 0333 240 2000, email info@firestationhammersmith.co.uk or go to www.firestationhammersmith.co.uk.

 

30 October, 2008