If you’re hankering for some seafood in West London, then Faber is a shore bet.
It’s a blissfully serene spot just opposite the bus station at Hammersmith Broadway – and yes, we know how contradictory that sounds – and the fact is that when you step in, you’ll feel a hundred miles away from this busy interchange. Specifically, about 250 miles away, transported down to the Cornish coastline.
The dining room feels like it was hewn from the shoreline itself, with chalky walls and polished granite tabletops. The place is bathed in light, and you might even catch the scent of sea salt in the air.
Faber’s been germinating as an idea since lockdown, when founders Matt and Anthony peddled fresh shellfish and cocktails around East London (literally – they made every delivery by bike). Now, they’ve scaled up to a full restaurant, and to do it they’ve bussed in one of the most exciting talents around: exec chef Ollie Bass (ex-Quo Vadis and Sessions Arts Club).
Ollie 1) grew up on the Cornish coast and 2) shares his name with a fish, both of which equally qualify him to rustle up the day’s catches in the kitchens here. Before opening Faber, the team went on an extensive research tour around the British coastline to find the highest quality – and most sustainable – fishing boats and shellfish suppliers. So on the menu here you’ll find a couple of permanent fixtures alongside daily specials scrawled onto the restaurant’s blackboard.
Trout tartare & BBQ scallop
Highlights among those permanent fixtures include some beautifully marinated, butterflied mackerel; BBQ’d scallop with a pastis & cauliflower purée; and grilled cod cheek skewers with tartar sauce, while on the market board there are whole fish to share, prepared simply with butter, herbs and the like. Each dish is marked with its provenance, and it all has the feeling of being pretty flexible – you could come here for a slap-up three-course meal, or just to share a couple of smaller dishes before catching a show at the Lyric or the Apollo.
Going with it all is a list of European and British wines (to cut down on the carbon footprint) and some suitably nautical cocktails. There’s the Monksbeard Martini, made with a kind of Tuscan samphire; the Sugar Kelp Old Fashioned; and Grog – a rum concoction swilled by 18th century pirates, and once part of the British Navy’s daily rations.
So it seems only rational to try one…
PREVIOUS PERK: Nudge Members +1 enjoyed 50% off the food bill between 9th and 23rd December.
NOTE: Faber is open daily for lunch & dinner. You can make a booking HERE.
Faber | Welbeck Mansions, 206 – 208 Hammersmith Road, London W6 7DH
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