La Trompette

There was a moment, a generation or two ago, when Chiswick became the place to be seen eating out, at least for those intrepid enough to escape the West End. That it has retained its allure as a London destination is due in large part to the enviable consistency of La Trompette, still a smart choice for serene evenings indoors and summer lunches on the terrace. In a large expansive room with clothed tables and naked floor, the sense of an outfit running on gleaming rails inspires confidence, and chef Greg Wellman has ably maintained the culinary excellence of the place. The weekday lunchtime prix-fixe is a good deal, offering the likes of beef daube bourguignon and mash or roast cod with mussels and monk's beard among its choice of main courses. However, it's the monthly changing carte that gives Wellman the chance to truly spread his wings, with cooking that looks principally to southern France and the Med coasts, not precluding flashes of assertive East Asian seasoning. A first-course assemblage of Hass avocado, Tokyo turnips and enoki mushrooms is lit up with yuzu ponzu, chilli, ginger, sesame and coriander, for example, while sashimi of salmon with pistachios receives a dressing of pickled rhubarb and white soy. The dishes are always multi-layered, but with the kind of complexity that wins over diners, rather than baffling them. There may be nothing unusual in the main-course array of Ibérico pork and presa with charcuterie, pancetta, baby beets and mustard, but in concert, they add up to more than the sum of their savoury parts. Pasta recipes often supply the inspiration for the distinctively polished vegetarian main dish, perhaps pumpkin and amaretti agnolotti in sage beurre noisette with wild mushrooms, pine nuts and Parmesan. Desserts sound deceptively straightforward – rhubarb and custard, apple crumble soufflé, pineapple tatin with lime ice cream – but always reveal unexpected depths, while the immaculately kept cheeseboard offers a wealth of appealing choice. That just leaves the superlative wine collection, a true labour of love that isn't just stuffed with unimaginative European classics. The glass list alone is exemplary: a macerated Sussex sparkling rosé might open the bidding, perhaps followed by a Cypriot Xynisteri or a Nebbiolo from the Adelaide Hills.