New menu, same charm at The Hurlingham

The Hurlingham on Wandsworth Bridge Road is an institutional Fulham pub thanks to its impressive beer selection, recognisable kooky decor and mismatch furniture. Famed for many a wild party during any Rugby tournament and the 'Hurly Burger' it has long been a firm favourite for many fulhamites. Always keen to support independent local businesses and more importantly always keen for a glass of cold white wine after a day in the office it was without hesitation that I accepted the offer to try their new menu last week. 

                                          

Still in its teething stages the new menu is very much open to local opinion and feedback. Hearty comfort food has taken the place of less exciting pub food and favourites of ours included the lasagne, chicken curry and chili con carne. With all main course dishes now under £10 and portions bigger than ever it makes for an ideal post work-out, pre pay-day dinner option. 

                                      

                                      

To start we had calamari which was crispy and delicious and lightly battered king prawns which also were pleasantly un-oily and light, not always a given with pub seafood. We were guided by a lovely waitress with our menu choices and were not disappointed. It seemed she instinctively knew what type of evening we were in the mood for and recommended accordingly- it is worth asking their opinion as they have tried and tested all the new dishes and are more than happy to give honest advice. 

                 

The pub was inviting and cosy on the rainy evening that we visited and we were delighted to curl up by the fire over a bottle of delicious Sauvignon Blanc and plates of piping hot comfort food- perfect! It's also worth noting that they have wine Wednesdays, comedy nights and a weekly quiz nights if you're looking for something more lively! 

                                     

Blue Elephant Revisited

It was a sad day indeed when the legendary Blue Elephant shut its doors in Fulham Broadway (our previous glowing reviews are here and here). It had been long known for its excellent food, served in extremely exotic surroundings (it had a Koi river, people!) and was a bit of an institution. However, a collective sigh of relief was breathed when they reported they weren’t closing down, but simply moving premises, to a riverside location in Imperial Wharf, conveniently, for me at least, just a stone’s throw from my face. Obviously, I had to go check it out.

The new venue has a totally different vibe from the last. What was once dense jungle, dark woods, scattered flowers and flowing water is now much more slick, elegant and pared back. The ambience is undeniably exotic, and very Thai: you still feel like you’re on holiday (there’s plenty of light, and although no koi river, the actual Thames is right outside), but you feel more like you’re in a 5 star restaurant than a rainforest.

The looks may have changed, but in substance the Blue Elephant is just the same as ever. This food is expensive, but it is top notch, expert and creative Thai cuisine, full of delicious, fresh and surprising flavours and the cocktail list is the perfect exotic complement. We kicked off proceedings with the fantastically refreshing (and fairly potent) Golden Ice Tea and the sweet ‘n’ sharp Passionfruit Mojito, before cleansing our palates with the complementary Tom Kah Soup amuse bouche. I always find an amuse bouche a nice touch (particularly when you’ve spent a fortune on the main) and the soup did not disappoint. Although not the most inventive soup, it was coconut smooth, yet sharp and zingy – you can buy this as a starter dish, so I’d definitely recommend it.

The starters were certainly adventurous: we ate wild catch tiger prawn and crispy catfish and mango salad. The prawns were really spot on, and the chilli mango element of my salad was really delicious, however, there seemed to be a bit much crispy and not enough catfish for my tastes. Still: in principle a gorgeous dish, and I hope I was just a bit unlucky.

But if I didn’t get enough fish in my starter, my main certainly made up for it. My Pla Rad Prik (deep fried whole seabass topped with garlic, chilli, sweet basil and red curry paste) was huge, packed with meat and flavour. Although it didn’t come with any accompaniments, there was enough flavours and textures in that dish to set you up for the evening alone. The boy’s lamb chops with red rice stir fry, wild basil, garlic and black pepper was also quite an exciting dish: very spicy, but full of contrasting and interesting tastes.

The bill did come in at rather a lot, but the Blue Elephant still serves the finest and most exciting Thai food I’ve tasted in West London. The riverside location feels elegant and gracefully luxurious (even if it lacks the wow factor of the previous premises), and for a special occasion I can still give it a wholehearted thumbs up.

The Blue Elephant 

The Boulevard

Imperial Wharf

Townmead Road

London SW6 2UB

www.blueelephant.com/london

Get the Jam Jars in!

Last week I drank 15 cocktails in approximately 3 hours. Now this may seem boastful, crude and more than a little lad-ish, but let me explain. It was all for a good cause, and I hope some of you may even benefit from it. The occasion was the Jam Tree's Cocktail Committee - a committee of local "experts" brought together to taste all of the contenders for their new cocktail menu, with the aim of whittling down 15 to the ultimate drinks list.

So, on a beautiful sunny Wednesday, I dutifully lined by stomach, and plunged right in. 15 drinks, 3 hours and, thankfully, a belly full of the Jam Tree's famous hot wings, asian squid and vegetable somosas later, the committee had spoken. Each drink was introduced by the barman that had created it, and we marked each for taste, appearance and originality. We had weird, we had wacky and we had lots of tasty. We drank the Marmalady out of a jam jar (this was a recurring theme) with an accompany mini-pot of marmalade vodka jelly. The Pearl Jam came with popping candy, and the Jaffaholics Anonymous tasted uncannily like an alcoholic jaffa cake. Both the All England Club and the Jelly Dream would have made the perfect desserts, tasting of strawberries and cream and Reese's Pieces as they did, whilst the Royale Tree and Dreadlock Rasta were fruity, yet sophisticated perfection.

It was a fantastic way to spend a Wednesday evening, sampling away to our heart's content in the Jam Tree's sunny garden with a fabulous group of locals and amazing hospitality from the pub's management and bar staff. I can't wait to see which make it on to the menu! Have a look at all the drinks below (except for the Fig Tree: sorry, I didn't get a picture of that fig-jam wonderment) - which do you think look the tastiest? And which have the best names?

The Jam Tree
541 King's Road
London SW6 2EB

All England Club

Jaffaholics Anonymous

Pearl Jam

Wham Bam Thank You Jam

Basil Faulty

Alabama Jammer

Bison's Kiss

Dreadlock Rasta

Jamhattan

Jelly Dream

Marmalady

Wu Jam Clan

Royale Tree

Ru Bar