32 Turnham Green Terrace
W4 1QP
020 8747 8772
Argentina is famous for the Malvinas, Malbec, Maradona and Messi. And meat; specifically, beef. On average Argentinians consume 97lbs a year (just the beef, that is) according to the ironically-named website beef2live. Sticking 'Argentine' in front of 'steakhouse' gives a restaurant a certain macho authenticity which using 'Hong Kong' (the world's biggest beef consumers at a whopping 123lbs per capita) does not. And so when carnivorous Master WEST4URANTS was allowed to select the venue for our latest outing, Buenos Aires Argentine Steakhouse was an obvious choice.
Cristian and Linda Barrionuevo opened the first Buenos Aires restaurant in Purley in June 2007 and they now run 8 steakhouses in London and the South-East. Chiswick opened in May 2013 on the site of the former Gallery, a slightly seedy (tautological?) bar/nightclub.
They've done a pretty good job of smartening the place up, but it still feels a bit cavernous and lacks soul. The outside tables have the ambience of sitting in a side passage and the inside ones are not designed for larger parties. Six can sit in a booth, but not particularly comfortably.
We skipped starters and just shared some olives. If you're going to take this place seriously, you need to leave room for the steak. And it is exceptionally good. Argentine Angus cows eat Las Pampas grass, and as a result their meat is less marbled and has 10% less cholesterol.
We sampled various different sizes of fillet and sirloin, and none disappointed. The meat was tender, succulent and perfectly cooked. I had the South American chimichurri sauce (parsley, garlic, oregano, oil, vinegar) but the peppercorn sauce also received the thumbs up.
As she might have expected from the name of the restaurant, vegetarian Miss WEST4URANTS was not spoilt for choice. She went for two starters, adding a side salad to the Provoleta, a typical Argentine starter of Provolone cheese with slow cooked tomato and oregano.
As I might have expected from the name of the restaurant, there is an extensive selection of Argentinian wine, from which we chose a decent Malbec (obvs). And Master WEST4URANTS continued his quest to drink his way around the world in 80 beers with a Cerveza Quilmes, the most popular beer in Argentina and - appropriately for him - sponsor of the national football team.
Food (for 6): £153.55
Drink: £45.95
Total: £219.45
2 Fauconberg Road
W4 3JY
020 8742 8545
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in," she said,
"I'll give you shelter from the storm."
Well it didn't quite happen like that, but Bob Dylan's 'Shelter from the Storm' should really have been on the music system when we hit The Copper Cow on the wettest night of the wettest summer last month. Instead it was back-to-back 80s classics, with Rick Astley welcoming us in.
The Copper Cow opened in the spring of 2008, replacing much-loved local favourite Coyote. And the Cow has built up its own loyal following: it was shortlisted in Time Out Love London Awards last year.
It calls itself "a relaxed, bright and friendly cafe, bar restaurant set in the heart of Grove Park Chiswick" and (notwithstanding a few quibbles with the grammar and punctuation of that description) it's hard to disagree. It has a real community feel - children having a quick tea after school, a couple having a drink at the bar on the way home from work. The wooden furniture has a mismatched feel, with a variety of chairs, stools and benches. The well-stocked bar includes a frozen margarita machine, which is basically a slushy machine for grown-ups.
The food is gastropub-style, with the Copper Cow burger and London Pride battered fish and chips the menu mainstays, with daily specials.
We shared some chickpea cakes and chargrilled halloumi with roasted peppers and mixed leaves to start. The halloumi was a bit bland, but it all looked and tasted freshly prepared.
Mrs West4urants went for the veggie burger for main course, and I had yet another chicken kebab with couscous. We washed it all down with a bottle of rioja.
If you live south of A4, then Fauconberg Road is a bit of an oasis, and The Copper Cow must be the highlight. If you're North of the A4, then there are enough other options doing this food just as well, that don't require getting the car out. Either way, you're very lucky.
Food (for 2): £37.50
Drink: £24.00
Total: £70.00
219-221 Chiswick High Road
W4 2DW
020 8747 1156
A birthday breakfast for the young Master West4urants, who hit 19 this year. Any birthday celebration comes with the obligatory reminiscing on my part (Mrs W) of how I know exactly what I was doing (fill in appropriate number) years ago. Everyone groans, of course, but that's obligatory too. I keep telling them they'll miss me when I'm gone, though alarmingly they are becoming less and less quick to disagree.
Anyway, I digress. Jackson and Rye is where we went. We have fewer and fewer choices these days if we're not to replicate anywhere we've been before and even fewer if you discount those that don't serve breakfast. Not that Jackson and Rye was a hard choice, just saying.
Jackson and Rye occupies the site vacated by Jamie Oliver's Union Jacks. It always felt like an ill-feted site - I can recall several restaurant incarnations there during my time in Chiswick but nevertheless Jackson and Rye very kindly came to Chiswick, they say, to bring us the flavour of the USA.
There were only 4 of the 5 of us, plus the dog, who was served first with a bowl of water. The birthday boy lived up to his reputation as the family hoover and ordered the Anglers breakfast (scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, spinach and granary toast) with a Peanut Butter and Jelly Bagel on the side.
Mr West4urants, who is in training for a cycle event, was cutting the carbs in an attempt to shed a few pounds (less to carry) and went for the Ham and Cheese Omelette (without the potatoes). Miss Elder West4urants and I had the House Roasted Granola (roast almonds, hazlenuts, cashew nuts, toasted seeds, coconut, raisins & dried cranberries with almond milk & yoghurt) and with eyes too big for my stomach I ordered a bread basket - yummy sourdough bread but the granola was more than enough. If I had been in the USA I wouldn't have done that but being in Blighty where the portions are smaller I was hedging my hungry bets.
So, the service was good, the food was nice, the dog was looked after. We didn't get to test the bar and the Bloody Marys which was strange considering how many teenagers I know have an unhealthy interest in vodka. Maybe next time.
Food (for 4): £32.35
Drinks: £15.75
Total: £54.11
