SITTING on the border of Brentford, the last port of call along South Ealing Road is the mock-Tudor Ealing Park Tavern, which lives up to its name as both a gastropub and a historic watering hole.
The dark mahogany bar and panelling and open red-brick fireplaces hark back to its roots as a warm haven to duck in from the cold, while the striking green and gold wallpaper and sumptuous shabby chic decor hint towards its elegant menu.
Accompanied by my fellow reporter, Michael, we put down our notepads and headed over to enjoy a bit of lunch. I was pleased to see it wasn't empty when we arrived at 1pm on a Thursday, as a mid-week lull can leave a dull atmosphere. But with the open-plan kitchen and a pair of kids tucking into some fancy looking bangers and chips, we happily nestled in by the window.
The menu was instantly mouth-watering and clearly staking its claim as a high-end eatery with delights such as crab beignet, aged Scottish rib eye, assiette of English lamb, griotte cherry jus, truffle mayonnaise, foie gras ballotine and navarin of spring vegetables flying off the page. To my uneducated eyes I honestly couldn't tell you what a navarin of anything is, but the foreign words did the job and tugged at my curious taste buds.
We shared a carpaccio of fillet beef to start at £6.95 with homemade piccalilli - a far cry from the jarred stuff my mum slathers on Ryvitas - a punchy horseradish cream and a few sprigs of fresh rocket. It was only my second encounter with the delicacy, and compared to the chewy, salty chunks of my debut experience, this was beautifully pink, perfectly thin and broke away softly in the mouth.
The mains were equally pleasing. Wanting something lighter than the steak or beef burger I opted for a fillet of salmon which arrived delicately divided into three small cubes laying on a thin rosti potato with baby leeks balanced artfully on top drizzled with a sparing drop of lemon caper butter.
While the fish was tender and melted accordingly, at £14.50 the small portion left my poor tummy somewhat wanting. The waiter had offered us sides (£3.50 each) but gave the impression the 'garnish' would be enough, but it wasn't so I was left to mop up my plate with the warm bread which greeted us when we arrived and still left a little hungry.
Michael had the caramelised pork belly with almost too-smooth mash and apple puree (£14.95) which he said was good but not as impressive as the price implied.
With sister pubs in Oxford, Berkshire, Abbey Road, Hammersmith and more locally at The Bollo House in Bollo Lane, Chiswick, the tavern clearly has a customer base. Although the quality was spot on, a much more generous serving would be welcomed.
Nevertheless, the warm, cosy atmosphere would draw me back for an affordable cup of something hot tucked up on a battered-leather sofa with the Sunday papers or in the garden with a pitcher of Pimm's in the summer.
