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No 197 Chiswick Fire Station is a recent Chiswick opening, on the south side of the High Road where All Bar One used to be. It's the latest outpost of Darwin and Wallace, an independent group founded by a former All Bar One brand manager which is being watched with interest by the ABO team. D&W plans to expand into London's 'local villages'; Chiswick follows Belgravia, Clapham and Richmond and precedes Hampstead, Knightsbridge, Notting Hill and Islington.
The new bar has restored the masonry on the front that reveals the building used to be the home of the Chiswick fire brigade. The fire station originally opened on this site in 1891 and operated there until 1963, when it moved to its present location on Heathfield Gardens.
All Bar One was designed by Bass as a 'female friendly' bar and 197 has retained that vibe. Probably two-thirds of the customers were women the night we visited. And the place was packed. We had tried to book but were well behind the curve so took the offer of chancing a walk-in table. We were behind the curve on that too, but did get a comfy sofa in the bar area where we could also eat.
Mrs West4urants arrived first, and things weren't looking good when her Aperol Spritz took a quarter of an hour to arrive. But after a few apologies the service picked up.
From the 'Small + Sharing' section of the menu we shared a Crispy Peppered Squid with coriander, spring onion and chilli (£7.95). Slightly more crispy than peppery, but none the worse for that.
I followed it with the Chicken, Ham Hock, Leek & Tarragon Pie, served with iceberg lettuce in a buttermilk and blue cheese dressing (£14.50). It was absolutely packed with meat and a perfect blend of flavours. Mrs W went for the Wonky Veg Aubergine Curry, with coconut chickpeas and flat bread (£9.95). As the menu says - with a sad disregard for the apostrophe - 'wonky is not waste, its perfectly good grub'. And so it was.
The menu ticks all the currently hip 'Australian-inspired' boxes, like Brew or Granger & Co in Notting Hill. 'Australian-inspired' no longer means just throwing another shrimp on the barbie or a Four 'n Twenty meat pie. It's basically just a mish-mash of every other world cuisine. So expect tacos and crostini, black pudding croquettes and truffle macaroni cheese accompanied by samphire, taleggio and yuzu dressing. Not necessarily all on the same plate, but it's only a matter of time.
There's a good range of wines by the glass and bottle. We had a 500ml carafe of the Rioja Crianza from the 'Bolder & More Intense' section of the list: living on the edge.
197 will soon become a Chiswick favourite, whether for summer brunch in the outside courtyard or a Sunday roast in winter. And in 5 years' time it will seem all so 2010s, we'll be bored of it and queuing for the latest Hawaiian Poke shack, Japanese Ramen bar or Modern Jewish start-up.
Food (for 2): £32.40
Drink: £31.00
Total: £71.33
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