The Devonshire Arms, Chiswick

gordon ramsay has bought it. Menu is pretentious 'Traditional English' ie Homemade Scotch Egg with HP sauce. Went a few nights ago - didn't eat because although pub was full - it was completely lacking in atmosphere. Noted staff were in uniforms although Gordon had had a go at a pub owner in his kitchen nightmares program for making staff look too stuffy.

18 Nov 2007 10:54

The White Horse, Hascombe

Hello Again...I'll try keep this one brief. :)

Biker - thanks for your comments.

Stroller - sorry - I am well known for waffling a bit on my favourite subject - pubs!

h1234 - fires have been lit since the cold kicked in - about 2 months now. Pictures have been rehung since mid-august - not as many as before but I'm sorry some of them were truly horrific and I couldn't bring myself to rehang them.
We do have some candles throughout the pub now, not just in restaurant. I think they are slightly ugly though so have ordered some nice white pillar candles which I think will work better.
Menu - I'm sorry but I just can't budge on this - huge choice is not something that can be achieved with fresh food. You may be surprised about the microwaves and frozen food - I definetly was when throwing it all out.
In terms of specials - because we try and change things every day, this approach negates the traditional need for specials - ie to get rid of low-selling stock. I won't be doing things like curry as they do not fit in to my vision of the type of food we should be doing. We did a homemade chilli for almost a week a little while ago. there is always a burger on the menu - made to nearly the same recipe as before but with a few twists to make it a bit tastier.
As mentioned in previous post I have had Venison Wellington on a number of times in the past few months and it is very popular.

anonymous - trying hard to keep this one short but failing I think.

neil10 - yes I don't do a specific childrens menu. I do children's portions of our burger, fish & chips, sunday roasts, pasta. Whilst this is a pub for everyone - we actually don't get a huge amount of kids except on weekends and school holidays. To prepare fresh food for a non-existent clientele would be a waste. I have found that most parents are kind of happy to get their kids to eat proper food instead of the usual chicken-in-a-basket. However I am definetly considering doing something like chicken/fish goujons for the busier kids periods.
I remember when I was growing up and taken out by my parents (very often they hated cooking) I was always told what I would eat and that was always the same as the adults - I like to think this helped in preparing my pallet for the extensive, exciting eating adventures I have had in my life so far. :)
Re staff: all the staff are the same. I have brought Chef with me from London and had to hire a few part timers for the bar and wash up but otherwise all kitchen staff are the same as before. And, I must say, absolutely loving the new style and management.

Anyways, its early Sunday morning so I better get ready for the rush. Hope to see you all soon and thanks for the comments.

ps. by the way I went to London yesterday and ate at Andrew Edmonds in Picaddily - absolutely the best restaurant I have eaten at in years - I had visited Gordon Ramsays new pub The Devonshire in Chiswick the night before but this restaurant kicked him into touch. Check it out next time you in the big smoke - I promise you won't be dissapointed. (have the Cassoulet).

18 Nov 2007 10:50

The White Horse, Hascombe

Thanks for the wishes stroller.
On doing 300 covers routinely - I have been in the business a while and 300 covers never becomes routine.

I agree that pubs should stick with proper food not fancy restaurant rubbish - I guess it depends on what is considered restaurant food and what is considered pub food. I will admit to leaning slightly towards the so called 'gastropub' side but in a very traditional manner - my chef and I who have worked together for 7 years draw our inspiration from landlords like John Fothergill. I personally consider pubs like The Walnut Tree in Cornwall, the Eagle in Farringdon, The Anglesea Arms in Hammersmith, The Havelock Tavern in Brooks Green, The Swan in Chiswick (i used to manage that one) and The Anchor & Hope in Waterloo - to be the epitome of good pub dining. Admittedly most of these pubs are in London so the food does have some pretentions!
However what we are trying to do is strike a balance between both. I have eaten at so many pubs where the food may be fine but is basically just a variation of meat and veg. Yes we are going to get fresh and interesting carrots from Secretts down the road and yes we might smash them up with some parsnip and herbs. Is this then gastro or is it honest good food?
Yes our menu is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine but only because this cuisine offers the best use of seasonal fresh ingredients.
Yes we are going to do more traditional things, but a lot of what will come we are still inventing. Trying to roast a pigs head (very english and traditional shurely?) and make it appettising to the average punter is hard. Is having the occasional side of crispy deep fried polenta a bad thing or is it introducing new flavours to the customer?
I will admit that finding the line between restaurant food and good pub food is a hard one for me draw.

A taste of things to come:
- Chef and I now have our own sausage machine and are busy trying out recipes - hopefully we can soon put a distinctive White Horse Banger on the menu with real meat, fat and gristle in it!
- Our supply of Venison looks fixed for a while so expect Venison Pie and Venison Wellington (very popular at moment) to become fixtures
- We have finally found a good recipe for pigs ears and trotters so expect a few interesting things cropping up.
- Also this week we are hanging a few pheasants so will be playing with them soon
- We are also going to start our 'mother' or 'starter' for our bread - if all goes well we shall soon be producing our own loaves of sourdough and possible a granary.

Once again thanks for the comments and keep them coming. As a landlord I rely on your feedback to ensure the pub is great.

10 Nov 2007 19:12