Fishworks in Chiswick

www.fishworks.co.uk

It was not a difficult decision to make the forty minute journey to Chiswick in west London to visit this speciality fish restaurant; I had seen part of their menu on the web when I was searching for new and interesting places to visit, just for you. Actually, if truth were known, I had a choice of four from this group; they have restaurants situated in Bath, Bristol and Christchurch as well as the one I had selected to visit.

Those who have had the pleasure of this particular chain will know that it is not merely a restaurant; it is part of an overall experience. Adjoining the tastefully decorated restaurant is a fish shop, open for a considerable number of hours actually selling fish to the public, often until 10.30pm, fresh and cut to your individual requirements. They also have a home delivery operation and, for those wishing to extend their repertoire of culinary skills, regular cookery schools during selected days.

The restaurant was situated on a fashionable road with a fascinating selection of fashion outlets, shoe shops and worldwide restaurants; Chiswick reflects the diversity of its residents as well as the many visitors who find their way during evening hours. So attractive were some of the shops that my wife purchased another pair of shoes in the fifty metres between the parked car and the restaurant. I shall book a later table next time!

This Fishworks restaurant has a variety of levels, with the addition of an outside area, complete with gas heaters, for those who prefer the great outdoors. With dominant light blues the restaurant was adorned with a variety of water scenes to add to the atmosphere, warm, friendly and with sufficient staff to cater for a full house, as there was when we dined. A wooden floor and light wooden tables made for clean lines, together with decorated napkins and shiny glasses ensured new diners had a broad smile when shown to their tables. The menu is large in size, more broadsheet than tabloid in more ways than the obvious.

The reverse of the food menu offers a wide selection of wines, dominated by the range of whites, as one would expect, but with a small supportive selection of reds to savour with their selected fish dishes. Whilst we enjoyed some chilled sparkling water I did succumb to a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with my bread and through to my selected starter, an indulgence but one I have grown used to in latter years. We did take the wine list recommendation for a bottle of red and selected a bottle of Diambra, Michele Satta, Bolgheri, a fine red from Italy, and what a gem, a real find. Sue is not a great fan of white and we are both fans of red as well following our own path to pleasure where wine is concerned, not always the expected or well trodden route. What a pleasure it was to see the menu suggesting some reds rather than adopting a stance of arrogance based upon tradition. Well done Fishworks!

One of the features of dining in a fish restaurant is that the bad news is always given first. The waitress upon delivering the menus and taking orders for drinks informed us of the items missing from the menu that evening, perfectly normal as the catch and the market reflect the available dishes. Missing dishes, of which there were a few, were replaced by specials on the blackboards throughout the restaurant although, as the night wears on, some of these can be seen to disappear. You now know why I booked a table for 6.30pm even though it cost a pair of ladies shoes before we selected our starters, a lesson to others in order that the widest range of dishes is available.

One of the great attractions here is the fact that many of the dishes can be enjoyed as a starter or as a main course, allowing a great deal more variety according to both taste and capacity.

Sue enjoyed a starter dish of mixed seafood, an impressive dish which drew admiring glances from the tables around us with prawns, mussels, winkles as well as a beautiful sauce in which to dip the remainder of the fresh bread brought to our table when we arrived. This was real enjoyment, with the inability to miss out on the pleasures of dipping of paramount importance!

Sue spent a degree of time wrestling with the prawns to remove them from their shells but declared them magnificent. She also used the selection of tools provided to ensure her seafood starter was able to be attacked, savoured and enjoyed, a nice touch! I tried the plate of their own smoked salmon, succulent, three sizeable slices beautifully presented and garnished with strong lemon slices to which I added some black pepper, heaven indeed! If this was setting the scene then the evening's performance was going to be something to be savoured.

Sue cast her line in the direction of the Lemon Sole, of which the waiting staff asked if she would like the bones removed, she immediately said yes! One of her favourite dishes in any restaurant, even more so when much of the fiddly work is done for you. The fish are served alone on the plate but there is a wonderful selection of supporting dishes to ensure there is a balance of flavours and textures. Buttered new potatoes with mint, slow roasted tomatoes with pesto, fennel and herb salad, mixed green salads and mash potato were all on offer as were simply cooked vegetables of the day.

I fell for the attraction of the fresh Carabeneros Prawns grilled with sea salt, selected as a main course this was a veritable mountain of bright red prawns, delivered with, thankfully, a large dish in which to place the discarded outer protection as the battle commenced. I enjoyed the fennel and herb salad together with the slow roasted tomatoes with pesto, complementary dishes which was healthy, wonderful to view, even better to taste and one which attracted attention from all around as my battle with the prawns continued.

The waiters and waitresses were marvellous, and proved very attentive without ever bordering on obtrusive, the bowls for the shells of the prawns were changed in an instant without request, an apron clad magician, otherwise known as a waiter, topped up our wine glasses and changed bowls whilst we were engaged in a conversation about the d

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