The Stonemason’s Arms Restaurant Review: Gastropub Dining at Its Finest in Hammersmith

I’m going to go ahead with my apologies now and say – sorry for my photos. They really don’t do The Stonemason’s Arms real justice, but I had cosy & romantic lighting to contend with. In real life the food is much more vibrant, exquisite and visually its stunning. Head chef here is Gavin Sinden and he’s a real talent with lots of experience in some of the UK’s best kitchens. I’ll open up with you on this one too and say I wasn’t particularly excited to visit, I got a bit lazy with returning my invite emails and then when I finally booked myself in I was expecting a generic menu of burgers and pies – but I couldn’t have got it any more wrong.

This isn’t just a Fuller’s pub. In fact it’s far from it. It’s an incredibly cosy pub with an incredibly accomplished restaurant inside of it. It screams Michelin bib gourmand and if it was my local I’d be over the moon. The local residents are very lucky indeed. While like any pub they still offer the classics, but we went with the evening set menu and I fell in love with this sweetcorn dish which came charred and served with a tarragon cream, potatoes and popcorn. The latter I didn’t think I’d enjoy but I did surprisingly – all of it worked so well together.

That’s what it is about head chef Gavin Sinden and his cooking. There’s such an element of surprise to it an even more so unexpected because you’re essentially dining in a locals, local pub. The smoked duck with beetroot textures and charred goat’s cheese was a lovely showcase of flavours. I’d have probably preferred a piece of moist cured duck breast instead but actually as a starter this cooked piece was rather lovely and the smokiness through it was a delight. Star dish of our entrees was the London Porter cured salmon cannelloni with cucumber, wasabi and apple. Sneaking in a little of Fuller’s with the Porter beer on the Salmon was a lovely homage to the brand and everything on the plate felt fresh. I’m sure Gavin Sinden could do more with this dish if he wanted to but again given this being a local pub –  it’s perfect just the way it is.

Main courses were excellent too and it was all about the produce on the plate. Quality ingredients cooked carefully. The favourite was my roasted duck breast with confit potatoes, black cherry vinegar, frisée, carrot & walnuts. Loads of flavour and lots of fantastic textures. The black cherry vinegar was fantastic – a gorgeous mixture of sweet and sour on the plate. The pan-fried plaice fillet with spinach, salsa verde and a caper beurre noisette was again a lovely showcase of good cooking and ingredients. Two relatively simple dishes done very well. It’s no wonder all the tables around us were full.

I’ve got one of the biggest sweet tooth’s of anyone I know so when I read the desserts on the menu it got me very excited. Most are playful takes on classics, nodding slightly towards head chefs Gavin Sinden experience in Michelin starred kitchens. We started with a lovely apple and caramel pre-starter before digging into to a fantastic bread & butter pudding. The sponge was fantastic, but the best part about it all was the raisin puree, caramelized slice of banana and legendary toast ice cream – if only they sold it in tubs to take home. Better still was the “Marathon” – a dessert made up of peanut butter parfait, salted peanuts, caramel and chocolate. Essentially a better version of a Snickers bar. Words can’t even begin to describe the utter enjoyment this dish gave me. You’ll simply have to try it for yourself.

Finishing up on some chocolate truffles we sadly had to leave – though we’d have loved to have settled into one of the corners with a bottle more of red. The Stonemason’s Arms really did catch me by surprise and while I may have had some reservations about it at first, Gavin Sinden and his team have done Fuller’s very proud and gone way beyond what everyone may think about this group of pubs. There’s good wines, quality beers and an element of surprise. If only The Stonemason’s Arms was my local because its residents are very lucky people indeed.

NB: I was invited to review and my meal was complimentary. All views are as always, my own. My views are not influenced by anyone other than my own palate and slightly poor eyesight.