FOOD & DRINK • REVIEW
ABSOLUTELY eats out…
“The garden area out back is an oasis of calm on a crisp, blue day”
Music & Munch Chiswick Fire Station comes to the rescue of hungry west Londoners
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FOOD Modern all-daydining style menu
B y F LO R A T H O M A S
mergency calls outs have been replaced by effortlessly elegant decor and all-day dining at Chiswick high road’s trendiest eatery. Walking in is a pleasure; sun pours through large period windows into the grand openplan space. Giant cacti are a design staple, as are mixed materials like brick, concrete and painted wood. The colour scheme is all soft pinks and pale greys and the resident DJ stands behind white decks; it’s all very cool. There are a few options
DECOR when it comes to seating, you can go for casual lounging on the velvet sofas, a booth, a table for two, or pull up a pew to the long communal dining table. We settle into a twoseater and I order a Bloody Mary which is fiery and delicious. My friend choses beer, of which they have a good selection. For nibbles, we enjoy a selection of crostini: smoked mackerel pâté with capers and sun-dried tomato is fresh and perfectly balanced, whereas my friend prefers the fennel salami with truffle ricotta. The crab cakes are sweeter than they are spicy and
Minimal chic meets urban cool
PRICE Starters from £6.50 Mains from £10
VERDICT A beautifully decorated all-daydining spot
come with crème fraîche for dipping - proper comfort food. Having devoured our starters we move to sit in the sun. The garden area at the back is an oasis of calm. We’re kept warm by overhead heaters despite the crisp, cold, blue-sky day. The large concrete island provides a central seating area and two-seaters lining the brick walls. For our main course it’s mussels for me and a rare bavette steak for my friend. The food arrives quickly and looks delicious. It tastes so too, the béarnaise sauce has just the right amount of truffle running through it, and my generous portion of mussels come with warm sourdough - perfect for soaking up the garlic and cider sauce. This is not ‘fine dining’ but rather solid modern dishes cooked from scratch with fresh ingredients in a sophisticated yet laid-back space. The service is faultless, and with extensive juice, coffee and cocktail menus, No197 has you covered from dawn until dusk and is well worth a visit. NO 197 CHISWICK FIRE STATION 197-199 Chiswick High rd, W4 3DR 197chiswickfirestation.co.uk A B S O L U T E LY. L O N D O N
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22/10/2018 16:56