Review of 'Hampshire Hog (NOW CLOSED)'

Since seeing reviews of the “Hampshire Hog” a gastro-pub serving local produce in nearby Hammersmith we have been keen to give it a try. I can't say that Hammersmith is high on my list of foodie destinations as it is normally plagued by the lower end of the restaurant chain spectrum but, we are willing to give anything a try and, sadly, we were a bit disappointed. We visited on a Wednesday, making a reservation though likely one would not have been needed with a number of tables free at the early hour we booked.

The Hog is not as small as it might first appear with a small room to the left when you enter and a large area to the right around the bar area, another eating area at the back as well as outdoor tables for when the weather is good (there are rooms upstairs as well for events). The decor is quite eclectic but clean looking with wood floors, mismatched chairs, comfortable pillow-strewn benches, plain wood tables, and white walls with rather nice art decorating them.

The menu is divided into “For the Table” (sharing starter plates), “Small Plates”, “Mains” and “Sides”. We started with “Courgette fries w/ organic cucumber & garlic yoghurt” (£4.50) and “Grilled green [Padron] peppers & Maldon sea salt” (£4.75). The courgettes were very large, slightly soggy and quite bland while the padron peppers were overcooked, however, all reasonably tasty.

For our mains I tried the spicy sausage and potato salad (£12.00) of which the highlight was the potato salad though all quite mild.

My companions had the “Crab & salmon fishcake, shaved fennel, capers & lime yoghurt” (£13.50) - very large and quite fishy - and “8oz Rib eye steak served w/ baby vegetables, hand cut chips & jus” (£19.50) - a good sized steak (far more rare despite being ordered medium and a bit tough) served on a simple wood platter with excellent, crispy, chips and a small salad.

A separate dessert menu was preferred from which we selected “Carrot cake, parsley ice cream & hazelnut crumbles” (£5.00) and “Dark chocolate Semifreddo, hazelnut praline & raspberry” (£6.50). The carrot cake was quite dry with only the barest parsley taste from the ice cream while the semi-freddo was quite cold and very creamy.

The service was quite relaxed and often we seemed to be a bit ignored seated in the back room of the restaurant. Several times during our visit neighbouring tables were served incorrect dishes. When they were present, the staff were quite pleasant and efficient. A 12.5% service charge was automatically added to the bill presented at the end of the meal.

All in all quite a disappointing meal with none of the spark I would have liked to have seen. The presentation of the dishes was quite attractive, with prices to match but the flavour simply did not seem to be there. Sadly, it was just “OK”. Having said that I would be willing to go back if I was in the area looking for a good pub meal but I would not go out of my way - I like to hope it was just an off day…

Rating: “Average, but who wants to be average?”

Review Date: 2017-05-17


Cuisine: American/British

Address: 227 King Street, London W6 9JT ENGLAND

Public Transport: TUBE Hammersmith

Location: London (England) - Hammersmith

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Telephone: +44 (0) 20 8748 3391

URL: http://www.thehampshirehog.com/