Restaurant Review: Sam's Brasserie

In 2005, Sam Harrison, the chap behind Harrison’s in Balham, converted an empty building space into what is now Sam’s Brasserie, a restaurant with an 80-seat bar popular with the locals and a few minutes walk away from Chiswick High Street. We took advantage of the London Restaurant Festival to check out the special menu they have assembled for the occasion.The starters were an eye-opener. When was the last time you saw potted rabbit on the menu? We tried the sauted wild mushrooms with soft Parmesan polenta which was rich without being oily. There is nowhere near enough love for polenta in restaurantland so bravo to Sam’s. We also liked the pan-fried scallops which were bouncy and light like monochrome clouds.The LRF menu is limited (three choices for each course) but there’s a bountiful wine list to choose from including twenty-five choices of red or white each with bottles starting at £14.50. About a third of the wine list is available by the glass or carafe (500ml).For mains, we plumped for the sea bream and the calves liver. The bream was a little dry but rescued by the dill veloute and the puy lentils which added some texture. It comes with four mussels which is an unusual touch. The pan-fried calves liver is about the size of a cow’s tongue and oozes plenty of flavour. It’s served atop a large slab of mash (which to this Londonista is A Good Thing but we can agree to disagree). There's a couple of roast shallots and a strip of pancetta to distract you but the tasty gravy went best with the meat and mash.The desserts didn’t leave much to be desired. The caramelised lemon tart was a fine and dandy mellow yellow affair while the chocolate fondant hit the sweet spot pretty much dead on. If you have a sweet tooth and are keen to help the world, Sam's will donate £1.00 to Action Against Hunger for every Sticky Toffee Banana Pudding ordered during October.The menu costs £18.50 for two courses or £21.50 for three courses and comes with a bellini. Other drinks are not included. The menu runs until this Sunday. Please see the Sam's Brasserie website for more details.