56 WESTOW — Restaurant in London

Wonderful roast meal on a new year day and dare I say this was my best roast yet! I went for a full-size roast chicken and my partner had a half-portion of beef and a side of apricot & pistachio stuffing with cranberry sauce.

The portion was generous and well balanced. The chicken was well cooked and seasoned - skin nice and crispy. The breast part wasn't dry and the leg part was indeed tender and juicy. The gravy has good flavour, not too bland or too salty or greasy. The trimmings were amazing and flavourful. Greens with garlic still had their crunch which I loved. Big fat multi colour carrots were also nice and crunchy. Good roast potatoes. The highlight for me was mashed parsnip. Creamy and delicious!!

Apricot & pistachio was utterly delicious. It came in good portion (as in not too big). It was warm and comforting. The consistency was almost cake-like with a well balance of savoury-ness, sweetness from apricot, and sharpness of cranberry sauce cutting through. Lovely homemade sauce that we also asked for extra on the side which added to our roast meal when it started to feel heavy mid meal (if you know what I mean).

I left 4 stars for food mainly for the beef that seemed to be on a chewier side for our liking. It didn't taste of a whole lot compare to chicken. We aren't a beef fan (or eating lots of meat for that matter), but order differently to try, so take my review for a grain of salt. If having a roast meal next time, we probably go for chicken or fish instead.

Inside the restaurant was cosy and nicely decorated. Very good atmosphere. The price is good value. The staff are all friendly and kind. I'm pleased we had our lunch here. Also very happy to discover another good place for a meal out...

Upon arrival we were met with nothing but awkward stares, not greeted at all, and were unsure how to proceed. A member of staff who must have drawn the short straw eventually acknowledged us but seemed to view us with doubt and suspicion if we had even booked a table and required a colleagues assistance to find our name in a list. Note: we booked a month in advance.

With hindsight this was either an early warning sign or he may have been giving us an easy way out.

We were ushered towards what can only be described as the worst table in the entire place (PG version). A more optimistic view would be to describe it as a chefs counter, where one could properly observe the array of different shaped plastic tubs in action.

After politely enquiring if we could change tables to any one of the 10+ that were free (and being declined ‘cause computer says no and frankly that would be too much effort), “Are you ready to order” signified the end of any further dialog thru the evening. Literally.

“How is your food” … “would you to order another drink” … “would you like to see the desert menu” … “let me clear those plates away” are phrases you are unlikely to hear at 56 Westow based on this evenings experience.

Our main course was placed down with a “Hi” and a swift departure. I’ve had more engaging customer service at Nandos.

All of this is which to say the food isn’t bad. It is actually good. The kitchen staff clearly work hard, cook well, and deserve better than this.

I don’t write reviews like this often or lightly, but I couldn’t have been more...

I find it hard to rate places 5/5 but this place deserves it.

Very impressive. Our waiter, I think his name was Harrison, was exactly what you wanted, polished, professional,,chilled and non-intrusive. We hadn't booked on a busy evening yet he managed to sit us with a great view of the london city skyline, one of the best seats in the restaurant.

Onto the food. It was fantastic, good portion sized and reasonably priced for the flavour and quality.

Starters- Bruschetta- I've had many bad but this was excellent. Generous fresh toppings but the way the bread was cooked meant it wasn't soggy. A little touch but amateur chefs get this constantly wrong in other restaurants Chimigaro (spelling)- succulent pork. Very good.

Dinner- Aubergine. Most restaurants de-bitter the aubergine that reduces the taste. They kept the flavour and didn't overcook. It worked well with the miso drizzle and goats cheese, lots of strong flavours that contrasted well.

Lamb merguez focaccia. The merguez was one of the best I ever tasted. The focaccia wasn't soggy or too doughy so you could pick it up and eat like a wrap without the contents falling out or it disintegrating. Again, a minor point but inexperienced chefs would forget or ignore this important detail.

We will 100% return and trust it will keep up its excellent...