New duo at Thatched House
Wednesday December 1, 2010
One of the borough's most successful pub double acts has arrived at the Thatched House in Hammersmith and is promising a rejuvenated menu and cosy, convivial atmosphere over the cold winter months.
New pub manager Dennis Reus and head chef Jimi Gill took over the historic Dalling Road drinking spot, which dates back to 1832, in August and have set about improving its flagging reputation.
Dutch born-and-bred Dennis, 33, who has made a name for himself reinvigorating pubs across west London for the past 10 years, said: "This is the first Young's pub we have taken on, and they wanted to bring some life back into the Thatched House.
"I used to drink in here four or five years ago, but when we came back this year it seemed kind of quiet - so we wanted to get it back to how it used to be.
"We have a new menu and new staff, and we want to make it more of a foodie pub."
Jimi, who also worked as a pub manager before becoming a chef, has previously collaborated with Dennis on other local pubs including The Dartmouth Castle in Glenthorne Road, The Cumberland Arms in North End Road and The Atlas in Seagrave Road, Fulham.
The affable chef, 31, who grew up in Melbourne, Australia, said: "The menu we do now is very simple, whereas a lot of pubs lose their way and become too 'gastro-fied'.
"You have to have your pub standards like fish and chips and burgers, and outside of that I'm just trying some interesting combinations and using good-quality ingredients."
Popular dishes on the new menu include the confit duck leg with dauphinoise potatoes, green beans and star anise jus, as well as mussels with chips and the flat-iron steak and chips.
"If I eat something I like, I think about putting it on the menu - it's food that we would like to eat ourselves," Jimi said.
"We also try to change it around as often as possible, and the menu will be quite seasonal."
Jimi trained as a chef under the expert guidance of Thierry Laborde at The Kitchen in Fulham.
He started at the restaurant and cookery school as sous chef and then graduated to head chef before the business closed earlier this year.
"It was a fantastic experience - Thierry was Michelin-star trained under Alain Ducasse, and it was nice to have that transition between the bar and the kitchen," he said.
But far from wanting to shout from the rooftops about their flash new menu, Dennis and Jimi say they would prefer the good food, beer and wine to be just one element of a relaxing night out at the pub - and they're keen to tempt back the Hammersmith locals over the festive season.
"It's quite a cosy, wintery pub, so we want to make our mark over the next few months and then concentrate on building things up in the summer," Dennis said.
"This is also an area where the locals talk to each other a lot, so you need to do the right thing by them. A lot of pubs try to make things too difficult and become quite poncey, but it's just about getting good products and then what you do with them."
For more details on the Thatched House, call 020 8748 6174 or visit www.thatchedhouse.com (opens new window).
