Sam's Brasserie & Bar

This is one of the coolest bars to be seen in Chiswick, run by Sam with Rick Stein being a joint owner / investor.

They source the very best local ingredients and show real passion in providing excellent food and a wonderful service culture which is up there with the best. It opens at 9-00 a.m. when you can pop in for a coffee or enjoy the wonderful brunch consisting of organic yoghurt's, fresh fruit, muesli through something more substantial like the egg's Benedict.

This place is open all the time and it caters very well for any eventuality, breakfast, lunch, dinner, a night out etc. They offer set menus for lunch, early evening and then have a more elaborate "normal" evening menu. Catering for everyone throughout the day they also have jazz weekends, Friday night DJ's etc so it really is a place that caters for everyone all the time.

They try hard, deliver lots and really try to be part of the community - you will see Mum's and children in there during the day, tourists that stumble across the place, office workers at lunchtime and early evening and the local residents and others that have heard good thing's - in evening's and week-ends.

All this at reasonable money, they were voted as such (Winner - Best Value Restaurant 2008) in the Evening Standard awards.

Well done Sam, keep up the good work.

Usually I go and try a new restaurant if there is something different and intriguing on the menu and if basing it on that, Sam's Brasserie would not usually be a number one choice. However I found myself there on a Sunday evening with my family and friends and ended up having an amazing time. Sam's Brasserie is where you find the usual easily recognised comfort foods like Baby Back Ribs and Nasville style fried chicken at it's best with high attention to detail and a bit of extra flare. I was genuinely surprised.

The restaurant opened at 6:30pm and as we got there early we made used of the Happy Hour they had at the bar, 50% off cocktails and bottled beers and bar food. The bar menu caught my eye with options like fish sliders, chorizo hotdogs and fresh oysters and 50% off too. Sadly we couldn't try any of the food as we were saving our stomachs for the main event. For drinks I would highly recommend my Pomegranate Caipirinha which had a real depth of flavour in there with a fruity twist.Sadly the Long Island Iced tea was slightly weak.

Without food the alcohol did go straight to my head so I was glad that by 6:30pm our table was nicely laid out with the menu and a jug of tap water was ready for us to pour out. We were asked if we wanted all of our dishes to come out together because only two of us had ordered a starter. With five mains being ordered and other diners I thought this would be a challenge however in excellent timing they managed to pull it off.

Unlike the usual soup and bread Sam's goes the extra mile and served my cauliflower soup with a crunchy cheesy crostini and a fried egg on top. Dipping that into my soup was just a pleasure to enjoy. The other starter of prawn masala off the set menu was packed with flavour and spices and had a really refreshing dressed salad on the side to balance the flavours out.

Together with the set menu came the Wild mushroom and onion stroganoff which may have been on the healthy alternative from the 5:2 menu but did not compensate on flavour at all. The mushrooms really fragrant the dish and together with the creamy onion sauce just brought the dish alive and left us satisfied.

The beetroot arancini did seem a bit small for a main, arriving in three medium size balls. The arancini themselves were very delicate in flavour, rice cooked perfectly sticky and fluffy in a beautiful thin crunchy breadcrumb coating. Flavours became more apparent with the goats' cheese & onion sauce which really lifted the dish up. Together with the crunchy roasted radicchio the textures coming together made this dish a delight to enjoy.

For meat lovers I definitely recommend the Baby Back Ribs. This one was cooked to my liking, one with a good bite and meat hugging the bone which I believe produce the best flavour and texture as it's the boiled down till the flavours have gone. The meat was juicy and lean, portion was plentiful and the sauce was spot on, not too sweet or salty. They were finger food, sticky and great to get into. Together with the beautifully seasoned creamed sweet potato mash they were a joy to demolish.

Not so successful were the rib pork-eye that was overcooked even though they said it would be pink in the middle. This made the meat chewier then expected, However we learnt to appreciate the flavours instead and it's juiciness escalated by the marjoram dressing. The Nasville Chicken also had the same problem with being overcooked. This made the chicken quite dry and dense inside which is usually a problem with chicken breast meat. But once again the flavours from the marinated spices giving it that good kick of heat saved it, that and the lovely crunchy slaw and pickled gherkin on the side.

Most the dishes came in a good portion although not all come with a side dish. Chips were one of the better ones, seasoned and fluffy.

As for desserts I recommend the Warm Pecan Pie with cinnamon ice cream which was amazing with the soft yet crunchy pecans. The contrast of hot and cold really balanced out the sweetness, the cinnamon giving it that extra kick of nutty flavour. Sticky toffee pudding was lovely but could have done with more icecream to get the ratio right but faultless in flavour- a nice sticky caramel sauce on top into a light sticky toffee cake. The Ginger & Lemon Cheesecake came a lot lighter and fluffier than I expected. It was a nice change to the denser one I'm used to and I love how the lemon flavours were stronger in the sorbet and lighter in the cheesecake for that perfect balance.

Sam's Brasserie really did surprise us with the quality and skilled cooking. All the dishes although very recognisable, were unique and had great attention to detail. Service was friendly although could have done with more staff. I would love to make a return to Sam's if the restaurant was nearer to me- one of the best Baby Back Rib's I've had. A great family friendly restaurant with a kid's menu, warm comfortable decor welcoming people of all ages.

I agree with johnw - Chiswick and edgy don't go hand in hand, but if being 'edgy' means people asking you for drugs, getting stabbed or generally other dodgy stuff, I'm happy for this place not to be particularly edgy!


Even though I've worked in the area for nearly three years, I went to Sam's Brasserie for the first time tonight - it's a little off the High Road and between Turnham Green and Gunnersbury/Chiswick Park stations on the District Line. It's also behind another pub in a rather narrow alley, which is perhaps why I'd never visited before, and when we got there, it was rather quiet with only three or four other customers in there, however, the DJ was setting up for the evening, so they did expect it to get busier.


The place itself is funky and first impressions are certainly good - concrete floor, leather chairs and tables opposite the bar, enormous light shades under it (you'll see what I mean if you go) and an enormous selection of spirits - great for after-work cocktails. Listed on the board was also a huge selection of beers, including the lovely Belgian white beer, Hoegaarden (try it!).


The food looked really interesting, including the Spanish charcuterie board, but on asking, they didn't start proper food until 6.30pm, so unfortunately I can't pass comment. The menu though, of varied things like squid and bits of antipasti did look interesting though. The whole second section of the place is set out for more formal dining, so I'd imagine that this is a fairly important part of their business rather than just providing basic bar snacks.


To be fair though, I went for the cocktails - and they didn't let me down - the mojito being being particularly pleasing, but martinis, the raspberry bellini and the Amaretto and champagne cocktail, with a lovely twist of orange was great - just what I wanted with a cold. All were carefully made and looked beautiful. You can see what I mean by looking at the pictures that I've uploaded above :)


It's obvious they've put a lot of effort into making this a relaxed, pleasant place, catering for a nice range of people - a huge expresso machine, lots of newspapers and free wifi would all help to pull in the daytime crowd I would imagine. Overall, I'd certainly go back, and the drinks were about half the price of the equivalent ones in Central London establishmens such as the Lanesborough or the May Fair Bar in Green Park - £50 (plus service) for 7 cocktails: Sam's is well worth a visit, or three :)


And by the way, if you're wondering, I've written this several hours after coming back home, the mojitos aren't still having an effect ;)

Lets face it, Chiswick isn't exactly edgy, but Sam's is a great option if you're looking for a modern, contemporary brasserie/bar. Its one of those urban/industrial settings (its a converted paper factory) that would be packed full of uber-media folk if it was in Hoxton or Shoreditch.


I love the bar in particular as its one of the few places in W4 where you can drink past 11pm - on til 12pm Sun-Weds and 1am Thur-Sat. Plus it has table service!!


Backed in part by Chef Rick Stein, the restaurant menu is varied but provides the usual options of brasserie style dining. Soups/Salads/terrines to start, roasts/sausages/fish dishes for mains. The food is of high quality, but it comes at a price. Sometimes I'm not convinced you're getting a good deal - in particular I've found brunch plates such as Eggs Benedict to be a bit meagre. Daytime dining is very child friendly - ample number of high chairs and boxes of toys in the foyer. That said its a great place if you want a lively evening - its packed most nights. In fact I had a few beers with some of mates there just last night!

Sam's Brasserie has been picking up good reviews in guidebooks and a friend in Chiswick took me along for dinner recently. It's not easy to find from the main road but we found some parking on a residential street.

The building had a mainly young adult clientele the night I visited though the menu certainly seems to lean towards catering for kids too. The bar served cocktails and I enjoyed my virgin apple mojito.

The eating area has lovely high ceilings, giving an airy feel with a spilt level dining space. Never one to pass on offal, I had devilled chicken livers for starter - the livers were cooked to pink perfection and the devilling sauce provided a punch. My main course of rib-eye steak, chips and bearnaise sauce couldn't be faulted.

I can see how this place has become a community favourite - good cocktail bar and family-friendly dining. I wouldn't travel just to eat here but would return if I was looking for somewhere to dine in the area. A solid restaurant and bar

Being in a very family orientated area of London, it makes perfect sense to target that market. It is that what makes this brasserie score top marks in my book. The venue feels spacious, white walls and mirrors make it look bigger than what it actually is. Tables are very well organized and allow for maximum occupancy without feeling over crowded.
The children's corner is a great idea, as if your little ones are starting to get a bit bored and uncomfortable you can go there and read a book, play with the blocks or just play with other children. They keep that portion of the restaurant happy. They offer a very healthy children's menu at £6 for two courses, for instance, Shepherd's Pie & Broccoli, Homemade fish fingers and pea mash or pasta and homemade tomato sauce.
As for adults, they have a fit for anyone, family brunches, weekday lunches, friends gathering for afternoon coffee, sunday roasts or daily breakfasts.
It is very rare that we can spend a sunday together, as a family, as my husband usually works, this sunday it was different.
The weekend brunch is available from 12pm to 4pm, having looked through the menu opened my appetite immensely. The more lunch option won me over. I got the Coln Valley Smoked Salmon, Herb Salad, Caper Salsa, Chive Creme Fraiche for £8 and it was very good, fresh and the chive cream just the right amount of chives. Last but not least, for dessert Vanilla and Honey Panna Cotta with Cherry compote (£5.50), Oh my God! it was that good! I I didn't care I just spent almost as much on dessert as in the main course.
I think I must go back today to try their weekday lunch, or early evening menu or evening menu, anything really, I must go back...

The food (eggs benedict, side of chips aka french fries) was quite good. Eggs were poached and fresh, hollandaise was tasty, if a bit drowning the dish. However, the service was pretty nonexisistent. Seriously, the waitress walked past us multiple times and we almost had to tackle her. More creative cuisine and service available SO MANY OTHER PLACES on Chiswick high street, this really isn't a good spot.

Pancakes, it's all about the pancakes. That's what I think anyway. Sure, Sam's Brasserie has plenty of other things going for it too: It's tucked away on Barley Mow Passage, running discreetly parallel to Chiswick High Street. The service is polite, friendly and attentive. It has a pleasant atmosphere and relaxed, wooden interior. But the fondest memory I have of this place is the delightful, delicious and aesthetically pleasing pile of pancakes I had here one Saturday.

It all started when I was told I would have to wait 20 minutes for them. In other words, they were being made fresh - great. Then they happily amended my order: no bacon thanks, just strawberries and a load of maple syrup please. And finally, they arrived, a stupendous sight of four pancakes drizzled in maple syrup and dotted nonchalantly with pieces of fruit. I took a bite, and yum - warm, fresh, sweet... delicious. I'm on a quest to unearth the best pancakes in London and so far these are definitely in the top two.

Judging by the other reviews here, the rest of their menu is rather good too, which I'll hopefully try soon. But for now, it's all about the pancakes.

Sam's Brasserie is a really great restaurant in the Chiswick area. From the outside you don't expect too much from this place as its tucked down a small alleyway but get inside and its deceptively spacious. The decor is very minimalist and a bit uninspired- it borders on a room you might expect to find in a Travel lodge somewhere in middle England. However, don't let this put you off as the food makes it more than worth staying for.

As you sit at your table you'll notice that your place mat also acts as your menu. Most items change daily and always reflect seasonal ingredients. My boyfriend's skate with caper butter was delicious and my hake with cannellini beans was also very good. Surprisingly though, I was most impressed by the bread. Our plates were constantly topped up with a delicious variety of warmed loaves and seeded buns. Delicious!

My only complaint with Sam's Brasserie is the slightly shoddy table we were seated at. Upstairs in a little corner we felt very shut off from the rest of the restaurant and couldn't get a feel for the atmosphere downstairs. Despite this, I would definitely visit Sam's Brasserie again. For anyone how enjoys eating fish this is a must visit!

If i could fly out to london just to eat here, i would.
but since I cant, I can reminisce and remember the wonderful times I have eaten here. My sister Lives in London, so when I go visit her or attend London fashion week, I ALWAYS make it MY job to come here.

I dont go to london often, but the owner and manager here knows my sister and I pretty well. Its kind of hidden in a little ally way, but the interior decor is very cozy and has a homey feel to it.

I get the same dish everytime here because I dont like change (lol) and the steak with the peppercorn sauce (ohhhh peppercorn) is DEE-LISH.

Sometimes even the manager will serve us herself, and sit and chat with me and my sister. They EVEN created a special dish for us! When does that EVER happen? I mean its not on the menu or anything but they know that we like this specific salad, and its always there when we want it.

Customer service at its finest. The rest of the staff is very pleasant, always greeting us with warm smiles and a fun story. I look forward to coming here again.

thanks sam!