Take a few steps beyond Chiswick High Road and you will find this much loved restaurant cooking up food that’s a cut above much of the local competition.

The Venue
Chiswick is almost like its own idyllic municipality. Its leafy roads, picturesque green parks and calm air are a welcome respite from the pollution-clogged arteries and hectic pace of central London. Sams Brasserie is actually out of sight from Chiswick’s pleasant if ever-so homogenous high street, but this is advantageous as it allows the restaurant to get on with its business in an unassuming way.

You can access the red brick building that houses Sams via a couple of routes, but locals will give you the best advice: settle in for a drink at the Barley Mow pub on the High Road and you can walk out of the back entrance and find yourself on Sams doorstep within seconds.

Inside, it’s a decent sized, open-plan space that has a bar area showing prominent signs - supporting pillars and iron columns - of its previous existence as a factory, which are offset with plush dark woods and leather booths. Tall, skinny windows and large bucket-shaped lamps suspended from the ceiling offer the space both natural and artificial light. At the opposite end of the building, the main dining area opens up into a room where your attention is drawn towards the rectangular glass windows on the rear wall. Get the right seat and you will have a silent view of the chef’s preparing your food in the kitchen.

The Atmosphere
To say that people quite like to eat out in Chiswick is an understatement on a par with saying that the area’s title of Nappy Valley is a tad OTT. The fact is both posh prams and willing diners are everywhere you look. Sams has long been a favourite with locals. It has also built up a revered reputation amongst foodies so, particularly at weekends, you will find the restaurant running at top capacity. Mid-week, tables are still in-demand but you will almost certainly be able to reserve one. The age range is, as you might expect, at the more mature end of the spectrum, although families with younger members are also well catered for. Staff are welcoming, thorough and fluent in making your visit an enjoyable one.

The Food
The menu is made up of a solid selection of modern(ish) British and European cuisine, nothing too fancy just good-quality ingredients, popular dishes and a high level of execution from the kitchen. A 3-course meal that sums up Sams comforting British cooking: asparagus with a poached egg and Hollandaise sauce (£7.50); slow roast pork belly (£12.50); sticky toffee pudding (£6.50). Order this lot and you’ll be more than content with your lot, and you’ll also be loosening a button or two.

To start, the Lincolnshire asparagus is vibrant, full of flavour and has an appealing crunch to it, whilst a poached egg and voluminous dollops of Hollandaise are on hand to dip the asparagus spears into. Another starter that hits the mark is the creamy mozzarella (£6.50) served with a mix of seasonal broad beans and pea shoots. The flavours in this dish are magnified by a sharp mint and lemon dressing which give it a very zesty impact on the palate.

Main courses arrive very quickly after the starters have been cleared away so if you want to linger over your meal ask for a few minutes’ breathing space before moving onto mains. The pork belly is served in tall triangular segments. The top layer of crackling is so pleasurable it is bordering on rude, and the fatty pork is first-rate. Pulped sweet potato, buttery wilted spinach and a dark drizzle of herb-infused gravy combine to make this a gratifying combo. For something less traditional, opt for the poussin (£14.50) which is served with a crisp skin from the grill and a bowl of delicately spiced cous cous. You may feel quite full by this stage but you really should solider on and eat a pud – they’re worth taking the extra hit for. Good versions of a sticky toffee pudding are commonplace in London, but Sams has a secret weapon in its arsenal: a hidden slice of almond meringue. This sweet, nutty slice sits hidden under the ice cream and its intense sugary flavour and the chewy consistency turn a good pudding into a great one. They also do a stunning version of a lemon meringue pie (£5.50), which has the appearance of a carefully constructed piece of art. The substantial meringue shell has a beautiful swirly pattern embossed on it and the sharp lemon taste of the filling contrasts wonderfully with the sugary shell.

Given the affluent surroundings and the standard of their food, the prices at Sams are far from exorbitant but if you are in search of a bargain you can select from the evening set menus, where a smaller selection of the menu is available at £15 for 2 courses and £18 for 3.

The Drink
The Cherry Morello Bellini (£6.50) works well as an aperitif or alternatively glasses of Prosecco add a glamorous element to the meal and cost just £5.50. The wine list sits either side of the food on the menu, so don’t make a wrong turn as you’ll end up with a liquid lunch. Bottles start at £14.50, with glasses available from £4, and there are 500ml carafes of more expensive varieties if quality not quantity is the name of your game. Celebrity chef Rick Stein’s influence reaches beyond the glowing endorsement and investment he’s made in Sams to the wine menu, with bottles of his signature Aussie Shiraz and a Sauvignon/Semillon available for £24.50 each. At the cheaper end of the scale, the Almeda Sauvignon Blanc from Chile is perfectly good: its lively tropical flavours help to refresh and revitalise your taste buds.

The Last Word
Despite fierce local competition everything at Sams, from the competitive prices to the great quality food and drink, is perfectly pitched for it to continue thriving as a popular neighbourhood restaurant for many more years to come.

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