Restaurant Review of the Year: 2015's best places to eat

It has been another stellar year for the food scene in west London with some exciting new openings and great dishes served up. Here I look back at six of my favourite restaurants that I reviewed in 2015.

1. Rabbit, 172 King’s Road in Chelsea

This is the second west London venture from the Gladwin brothers who cut their teeth with the widely acclaimed The Shed in Notting Hill, and really does take the saying “from farm to table” to the highest levels.

Going for dinner and sitting on a vintage metal tractor seat may not be everyone’s idea of fun but once you get over the shock it is pretty comfortable. The whole seating arrangement at the King’s Road establishment is a miss-match of comfortable banquettes, stools and chairs placed around tables and benches of varying height and design.

The innovative and highly exciting menu is split into sections and based around sharing plates, with two or three dishes recommended per person. Tiny warming mouthfuls of brown crab bomb with seaweed mayo exploded with flavour in the mouth; plump and juicy scallop (£6) with a wicked wild garlic sauce and fresh and crunchy asparagus with truffle, golden yoked pheasant egg, wild garlic and linseed (£8.50) were delights to the palate.

Other stunners included moist pulled pork stogies with mustard mayo (£8), gleaming white fresh hake with red onion, mussels, sea beet and saffron (£14) and mushroom ravioli with Wiltshire truffle and Ramson sage (£10). And, let’s not forget the pig’s cheek with malt, stout and nasturtium (£8), a melt in the mouth meaty heaven.

Puds in the form of cherry, white chocolate mousse and peanut caramel (£6) and The Shed Magnum Vienetta parfait (£6) were near perfect. There were also great examples of really good English wine in the form of Nutbourne Bacchus 2013 white wine (£24) and glasses of Nutbourne rose (£7.50) from the brothers' own West Sussex winery.

2. Smokehouse, 12 Sutton Lane North, Chiswick

Panelled walls adorned with antler and roe deer heads and a double sided feature fireplace set the scene for Smokehouse which sits comfortably in this Chiswick neighbourhood area , on the site of the former Hole in the Wall pub.

It occupies a healthy space with a pleasant bar area, dedicated whisky room and comfy dining room, which opens up to a smart paved terrace and luscious lawn. The Sunday lunchtime offering is one of its highlights, with exciting starters of foie gras sitting in harmony with a crispy, juicy apple cake and perfectly inviting golden yoked Crackleberry Farm egg (£10) and well balanced and flavoured potted smoked Telfarm duck with sourdough toast (£7).

It would not be Sunday without a roast and melt in the mouth rare Galloway beef (£18) came served with roasted carrots, parsnips, sprouting broccoli, spiced red cabbage, Yorkshire pudding and gravy with every component perfectly cooked. In contrast there was immaculately cooked coal baked salmon (£16.50) which sat lovingly on a warm Thai salad with a great balance of delicate flavours coming from ingredients including radish, fennel, pear and celery along with hits of lime.

We rounded things off by sharing a fun Double D tart pud (£6.50) a take on the Cadbury’s favourite Double Decker bar.

3. Tommy Tucker, 22 Waterford Road Fulham

The Tommy Tucker opened early in the year on the site of the former Pelican pub in Fulham and run by the team behind the critically acclaimed Claude’s Kitchen in nearby Parsons Green it had happy diners singing for their supper.

The emphasis on a pub feel to the joint sits comfortably with quality food which comes from chef Claude Compton and a menu that reflects the imaginative and colourful style of cooking he is renowned for.

A starter of wood pigeon (£7) was Ok but no show-stopper although it was nicely balanced while brown crab cakes (£8) sat like three little beauties on the plate, bursting with plenty of flavoursome crab and served with a decent roast garlic mayo. A main of flavoursome medium rare chunks of chargrilled Lamb (£17.50) brought a warm glow to the plate as the meat sat well with perfectly cooked earthy root vegetables, while a tangy mushroom ketchup helped lift the dish from being just ordinary to a good plate of food.

Melt in the mouth smoked beef short-rib (£18.50) simply fell off the bone and was nicely offset by a salsa verde and tasty Arrocina ‘baked beans’. Another star was a bottle of 2012 Crocera Barbera d’Asti Italy (£24.00) – ‘a chunky beast of a Barbera; like a Merlot that’s been on the whey protein.’

We found room to squeeze in a couple of decent puds; cox apple quince crispy pie with cinnamon ice cream (£6) and chocolate, raisin and infused rum choc ice (£6.50) with the real star a divine salted caramel cream it came with.

4. The Hour Glass, 279-283 Brompton Road, South Kensington

This once tired old boozer in a smart area of South Kensington has been returned to its former glories with a cosy and intimate dining room added above and is very serious about its food with a seasonal menu full of interest.

For my lunch visit in early autumn I kicked off with an earthy starter of well-cooked wood pigeon (£7.50) which sat on a sublime piece of black pudding and also included pickled quince and toasted hazelnuts. My partner Fiona was more than happy with her delicate and slightly sweet potted rabbit and bacon butter (£7.50) served with toast and gherkins. She followed with tender flavoursome breast of lamb (£14) lifted by a delicious anchovy inspired salsa verde potch (a smooth swede and potato mash).

My faultlessly cooked medium rare lean flatiron steak (£18) came with bone marrow gravy, watercress and some fantastic crunchy dripping chips. I finished with a stonking piece of chocolate and porter cake (£6) with cornflake ice cream and crunchy honeycomb although it was not a dessert that blew me away.

The duo behind The Hour Glass are Luke Mackay, the foodie, and David Turcan, now a lifelong friend since they met at university 20 years ago, who also run deli and food shop Brompton Food Market, which is just round the corner.

5. Bistro by Shot, 28 Parsons Green Lane, Parsons Green

There is a poignant quote from the legendary French chef, restaurateur and culinary writer George Escoffier on the front of the menu at neighbourhood restaurant Bistro by Shot which simply says “The greatest dishes are very simple.”

Occupying a spot in Parsons Green the Bistro is open all day from your morning coffee through to lunch and dinner, where it seamlessly changes into a cosy restaurant for around 40 covers. It opened in spring and is the latest venture from the enterprising team behind Shot Espresso and Ice&Slice, both situated in Fulham’s Jerdan Place.

There is an intimate and warm feel as you enter, with well-used soft lighting which includes the now almost obligatory cool funky hanging bulbs and timber lanterns. A lovingly presented starter of cucumber cannelloni of Cornish crab, avocado mousse and soy gel (£9) looked good on paper and did not disappoint, in fact it was one of the most exciting plates of food I have had for a while. Plump perfectly cooked juicy pan fried scallops (£9) came served with the bold flavour of some powerful pancetta and a salsa verde.

For mains well-cooked thick glowing with health halibut (£17) with a tasty fregola, leeks and an earthy hazelnut pesto was just another pinch of seasoning away from being near perfect. Classic beautifully moist and well prepared confit duck leg (£16) served with light as you like gnocchi and well matched orange kale got a big tick.

I was left a bit under-whelmed by a pud of tarte tatin with vanilla gelato (£7) it just did not shine on the plate while scoops of quality vanilla and pistachio ice cream (£2 each) were creamy and flavoursome.

6. Salt and Honey, 28 Sussex Place W2

Take two and Joseph Antippa and Tyler Martin the team behind the much loved and successful Manuka restaurant in Fulham have spread their wings with a second venture – this time in a fashionable area between Lancaster Gate and Paddington.

Sports loving Kiwi chef Martin and the charming Antippa, who acts as front of house amongst other things, have incorporated many of the strengths of their first venture into Salt & Honey, a smart and stylist bistro type restaurant which opened this summer. It sits in Sussex Place, a neat area of mews houses and restaurants, and directly opposite is The Victoria, an old 19th century boozer full of character which can include Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill among its former patrons.

My partner Fiona started with four divine plump scallops (£9.50) and balance and texture was added to the dish by a lovely truffled corn veloute and a layer of lardo. Perfectly cooked medium rare pan fried pigeon breast (£7) with mushrooms, crunchy pickled beets and caramelised salsify was a lip smacking earthy tasting plate of food.

For mains a splendid wagyu beef bolognaise (£14.50) with the luxurious and rich sauce blending in perfectly with thick ribbons of pasta and joyous hits of rocket pesto, parmesan and cherry tomatoes was a triumph. Melt in the mouth medium rare venison (£20) sat expertly with earthy mushrooms, pickled beets and salsify making for a wholly enjoyable dish. We rounded things off with a perfect crème caramel panna cotta (£4) and set lemon crème with granola and meringue (£5.25) which was a treat for the taste buds.