Restaurants

The interior of this excellent Turnham Green local hasn’t altered much since its previous incarnation as South African fish restaurant Fish Hoek. You’ll still find a soothing environment of cream walls and dark flagstone floor, soft lighting and moody black and white piscine photos – and all that’s changed on the logo is the ‘e’. But the menu is much shorter, and no longer specialises in South African fish and flavours. Straightforward pricing (starters £8, mains £16, with the occasional supplement, puds £5.50) keeps things simple, though the cooking (courtesy of chef-proprietor Michael Nadra) tends towards the elaborate. A starter of warm octopus salad with purple broccoli, ratte potatoes and a delicate dill and lemon dressing was a finely balanced combination of flavours, with supremely tender octopus. Equally good were our main courses: ragout of scallops with baby squid and black tiger prawns, with tomato, sweet potato and basil; and crispy-skinned sea bass with crab ravioli, bisque sauce and courgettes. Good to see pollock as an alternative to endangered cod too. Desserts have a fruity, seasonal edge (poached peaches or strawberry millefeuille in summer, rhubarb in spring), though English and French cheeses are always available. The carefully chosen, well-priced wine list includes a lovely flinty Disznókó dry furmint from Hungary.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008