142 Chiswick High Road,
Chiswick,
London,
W4 1PU
(020) 8994 6816
The ViewLondon Review
Chiswick High Road is so densely packed with places to eat, restaurants need to be on their game to survive. Chella, with its Persian-inspired menu, pleasant staff and relaxed surroundings, holds its own and appears well-thought-of by its regular customers.
The Venue
From the outside, Chella’s glass windows are hard to penentrate with your gaze, but inside it’s a much nicer space than you might imagine. Expensive light features, low lighting, cushion-backed banquettes and Persian framed artwork help make up a smart and comfortable dining space.
The Atmosphere
Couples, friends catching up, families and even diners flying solo are present. Chiswick is a lovely part of London and Chella attracts a decent cross-section of fairly well-to-do locals.
The Food
There are several recurring elements on the menu: lamb, aubergine, yoghurt, saffron, rice and chickpeas are among them. Like a lot of menus from the eastern Mediterranean or Middle East, you will find plenty of dishes that are just as at home in a Greek taverna, as a Lebanese café, or a Persian restaurant. And the food is spiced but not spicy.
To start with a kashk-e-bademjan (aubergines and walnuts, £4.10) is a smooth hummus-esque dish that’s served with a slick of yoghurt and a dash of mint sauce to create a good sharing dish, one that can be mopped up with the fresh, warm flat bread (made in-house).
Mains comprise of two options: grills or stews. The grills include a lot of meat-based dishes; lamb dominates with chicken playing a supporting role. The soltani (£13.70), a mixture of minced lamb and lamb steak, allows you to sample lamb two-ways and it is a massive portion of both, with huge mounds of saffron-speckled rice on the side and a salad. The minced lamb has been cooked on a skewer and is well-seasoned but it's noticeably greasy and quality of the meat is not the best. It’s actually more enjoyable than the lamb fillet, which is smoky from the grill but a little too chewy. With no sauce to go with this, aside from an odd pot of salad dressing that tastes of Big Mac sauce, this dish is strictly for meat-heads. But you’ll still need to have a raging hunger if you’re going to finish the plate – it’s colossal.
One of the stews fares better. The gheimeh also used lamb but it contains tender slices of aubergine, yellow split peas and plenty of cinnamon in a tomato-based sauce. All in all it’s a much more enjoyable dish as the sauce adds another layer of flavour in comparison to the meat and rice grills.
Baghlava (£2.95) to finish is beautiful. Packed with cardamom, the flaky pastry is sticky, sweet and full of almond flavour.
The Drink
Wine starts from as little as £12.50 a bottle but for just shy of £20 you can imbibe the most excellent Les Bretèches du Château Kefraya, a full-bodied blast of spicy cherries from the Lebanon. Traditional teas (£1.95), including a refreshing fresh mint version, are also available.
The Last Word
There’s fierce – and highly regarded - competition along this stretch of W4, but if you’re hankering after a change of cuisine and fancy some colossal portions in comfortable, hospitable surroundings, Chella is a reasonable shout.
Chella has been reviewed by 8 users