Events/News Bites

The Thatched House is a traditional pub that’s set in Ravenscourt Park, a pretty nice area, one stop from Hammersmith on the District Line.  Having recently undergone a refurbishment, The Thatched House, which is a Young’s pub, has still kept true to its ‘old style’ feel despite all the work that’s been done.  I understand that the bar has been moved back, making the seating areas more spacious, a new ‘music’ space with a dance floor and a little area for the musicians has been created and outside there’s something of a patio garden.

The pub was pretty full when I arrived on the evening of its re-launch, heaving to be exact, with all the seats taken and a festive atmosphere pervading the place. I managed to find my way to the bar and get myself a glass of the house white, a Pinot Grigio that’s was quite pleasant and easy to drink. The bar staff were very friendly, perhaps a little mischievous, as having ordered a small glass of the wine they tried to tempt me with a larger one. I resisted, this time.  Surveying the clientele, they’re a pretty mixed bunch, ranging from the energetically conversing mid twenty-somethings to the 70+ year olds sitting serene, surrounded by the extended family. I got the strong impression of ‘family friendly’ here – but without the usual screaming four year olds careening into your legs. It’s perhaps a little too lively in here to be an ‘old man’s pub’, but this is a re-launch party after all.

I had arrived after canapés had been offered around so a helpful member of the staff put some food together for me.  My wooden plate had a selection of offerings, including a piece of pork pie, and in a world of extremely questionable pork pies, this one’s helped restore my faith somewhat. The pork was really flavoursome and complimented by hints of herbs and spices. There was a quarter of a scotch egg, which is possibly one of the best thing they do here; certainly the pub’s regulars think so. You can tell that the premium quality from the deep orange yolk. This comes from the eggs of Cotswold Legbar hens.  The yolk had been left a little soft, which is the current trend in making good scotch eggs, giving it a delightful taste and texture.  I’ve never had a scotch egg quite like it.  A salt beef sandwich with harissa mayonnaise had tender not overly seasoned meat and was very enjoyable, but I wasn’t sure about the need for the mayonnaise here.  A mini cheeseburger was my second favourite thing on the plate after the scotch egg, it was just a shame that it was ‘mini’, I could easily have eaten a full sized one!  The meat was fantastically tender, the cheese worked perfectly and it was basically everything a good burger should be, in my view. A piece of battered cod with tartare sauce was a little like what you’d get from your local ‘chippy’, but much better. The batter was quite soft, as oppose to crispy and the fish was really good, I liked it. Finally there was some cured salmon with dill mayonnaise, hard to get this one wrong and I love salmon, so no complaints there!  Overall, I was impressed with the variety and quality of the food.

The atmosphere in The Thatched House is very pleasant, the renovations seem to have worked well and the inclusion of an intimate area for live music, complete with a PA system, is a great addition. Apparently they have Irish folk music some nights which, I’m told, draws a good crowd.  The Thatched House is a good and attractive pub which, despite its refurbishment, has remained faithful to its old style.  It has a loyal clientele, affable staff and a pretty good food menu, that apart from normal sized burgers and fish & chips, includes sausage & mash, a pie of the day and a 250g rib eye steak.

So if you like good quality pub food, in the traditional sense, you’ll be well catered for here, I can definitely recommend their scotch egg, the burger and the fish!

The Thatched House, 115 Dalling Road, Hammersmith, London W6 0ET

Jack Oughton

Twitter: @koukouvaya