The no197 Chiswick Fire Station | Review

Article by guest author Peter Brooker

Two days in The No 197 Chiswick Fire Station. Just drinks on day one, happy hour is THURS-SUN, off the menu £15 for 2. It doesn't have the right gin for the Negroni, but I'm guessing that's why it's cheap. The Chase gin doesn't offset the sweetness of the Campari sufficiently. You need a Tanqueray London Dry Gin for that, which they have. But I don't like putting too many demands on a bartender for a £7.50 drink. This is not Dukes, and thank Christ. The cut-glass tumbler was excellent.

The next day I have a Hugo Spritz, which falls flat again. I'm reminded of the line Bill Murray gives the barman in Groundhog Day, 'Can I have another one of these with some booze in it please?'

The food; Padron peppers, smoked sea salt & lemon. Tenderstem broccoli, garlic & chilli butter. Shakshouka, free range eggs, baked tomato sauce, peppers, aubergine, Greek yoghurt, Wild farmed sourdough with Chorizo. Dry aged flat iron steak, skin on fries, avocado chimichurri.

The chips were some of the best I've had all weekend. The rest of the food is good but once again lacks any kind of adventure. The place doesn't have the ambiance of The Hound across the road, or the friendly service of The Swan on Acton Lane. The brick parquet flooring and the chips are the only positives. Maybe the lighting, it was good for photos on day one by the partition wall fashioned from exposed breeze blocks.

The waiter is from Croatia and we both agreed that Dubrovnik has lost its heart to the tourists. And the bell can't be unrung. The kitchen staff allowed me to take their photo.

I like the layout, an even blend of vintage and contemporary. You can't get comfy on the chairs or the leather couch. The paintings on the wall are too small, and the openness defeats any intimacy one might desire. It's for groups, client meetings, and first dates.

I have a Hellcat IPA to finish, and that's really all there is to it. I asked a friend on the way out where the best place to get dinner was in Chiswick. Nando's he replied. "I'm not a foodie," he adds.

"No sh*t," I tell him.