The Atlas SW6
Tuesday December 1, 2009
London pubs that haven't sold their souls to the big breweries and have managed to hold on to their own identity are becoming as scarce as hen's teeth.
Sadly this means that the food served in the majority is frequently predictable and dull, often based on the same ingredients and dishes as others in the fold.
Commercialism has resulted in it becoming harder and harder to find a nice, home-cooked, rustic supper to go with your pint; the choice in the main seems to be the staple hamburger or at the other end of the spectrum over-priced celebrity chef gastropub risotto.
Somewhere in the middle shouldn't be as difficult as four-leaf clover to find. A pub with character, a heart and soul.
The depressing truth is the number of these gems in this borough is probably countable on the fingers of one hand.
But, if you take the 'short cut', as Baz my ex-husband used to call it, from the top of Walham Grove through to Lillie Road in West Brompton you pass The Atlas in Seagrave Road.
Opened in 2000, it is in a stable of five pubs privately owned by the brothers George and Richard Manners, the others in H&F being The Cumberland Arms in Olympia and The Dartmouth Castle in Hammersmith.
George looks after the food side, Richard the numbers.
As Alison again (well, she does like coming along) and I enter the saloon bar we walk into a cosy, busy warmth and the fire is blazing. Most of the tables are full.
Originally two bars each with a fireplace, they are now merged into one, serving a good variety of lagers and three real ales at any one time; when we went Fuller's London Pride, Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Otter Brewery Bitter.
Coming soon are Timothy Taylor Landlord and Sharps Doom Bar. There is a concise and well-chosen world wine list.
The 'wine of the moment' that night was Molino Loco, Macabeo Yeola 2008 Spain. The menu changes monthly and features a hard-to-choose-from list of British and international dishes.
At the end of the bar is the open kitchen where chef Michael Bates from New Zealand flashes his pans.
I'm starting with a fascinating-sounding salad. Well, all salads should be if they are worthy of standing alone as a first course in their own right. It's buffalo mozzarella with orange, mint, grilled beetroot, cress and a red wine syrup (£8).
Alison has chosen another: Caesar with parmesan croutons (£6) also available with added grilled chicken (£8.50).
Mine is very generous and quite dramatic with its purples, white, orange and greens, definitely good enough for a light lunch on its own and only slightly marred by the very irritating swirl of red wine syrup that snakes around the edge of the plate.
Alison described her Caesar as 'fresh, crunchy and very good', everything a reputable Caesar should be and with toasty home-made croutons.
Washed down with a glass of Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, Cortegiara, Veneto 2008 Italy and another of Calbuco, Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot Central Valley 2008 Chile, we moved on to my salmon and dill fishcakes with sautéed spinach and Hollandaise (£11.50) and Alison's rather glamorous-sounding Tuscan rabbit casserole with peppers, artichokes, sun dried tomatoes and thyme with creamy polenta (£14).
Now I'm a bit of traditionalist when it comes to fishcakes and expect them to be large, thick and generous round discs.
It's funny when something you expect to appear on a plate turns out to be totally different and is therefore quite disconcerting; in this particular case three big round fish balls.
I also quite like flakes of fish and texture in a fish ball/cake but these are quite smooth, and altogether a little extraordinary.
I'm jealous of Alison's Tuscan rabbit casserole - it's rustic and colourful and the sauce is out of this world.
The only thing lacking is a big home-made chunk of crusty bread to mop it all up with.
The rabbit could have fallen off the bone a little more enthusiastically but all in all it's a good wholesome hearty dish.
You know us - we can't leave without trying at least one or two puddings. In this case it's the spiced apple crumble with sultanas, cinnamon and vanilla ice cream, profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce and chocolate and almond cake with cream (all £4.50).
Every one delicious, but my favourite is the crumble. So if it's a little authenticity and charm you're looking for The Atlas is the place to go. It beats a hamburger and chips and Manchester United live any day in my book.
The Atlas, 16 Seagrave Road, SW6. Tel: 020 7385 9129. See www.theatlaspub.co.uk (opens new window).
Nellie Nichols is a food consultant and has specialised in the industry for many years. Visit: www.nellienichols.com (opens new window).
