This neighbourhood brasserie in Chiswick caters for all tastes and types.

The Venue
Sams Brasserie sits on the right-hand side of a delightful little street with a church tower silhouetted at its end just off Chiswick High Road. The venue has an informal 100-seat restaurant on one side with an attractive 80-seat bar on the other. The interior is well designed with a beige, cream and white colour scheme, funky big lampshades, Sixties-style cubes and dark banquettes. There was a buzz when the restaurant first opened in 2005, as co-owner Sam Harrison had previously worked with Rick Stein at the TV chef's restaurant in Padstow. Unfortunately, however, the buzz seems to have ebbed way somewhat.

The Atmosphere
Sams Brasserie attracts every type of diner, from besuited office workers and pairs of friends to families and birthday parties. It's got the balance right between the restaurant on the one side and the bar with its louder music and appealing bar menu on the other. The seating arrangement is far too cosy though, and it's almost impossible not to earwig the next table's conversation.

The Food
Dispensing with a specials board, a new menu is printed up every day, although thankfully the changes aren't wholesale. Modern European is perhaps the best way to describe the nosh. The homemade salt-encrusted bread is very good and starters can include dishes such as buffalo mozzarella and tomato salad, Spanish charcuterie and grilled leeks with a soft boiled egg, sherry vinegar and parmesan (although the leeks were unexpectedly cold and the sherry vinegar a little overpowering).

Mains start from around £15.00 and include monkfish, which is tasty and arrives on a bed of spinach and capers, although not the fat, juicy ones. There's also sea bass with chopped citrus fruits and a red pepper mash, which had all the colour of the peppers but, alas, none of the taste. For dessert, the chocolate fondant should really ooze class but unfortunately was more of a muffin with a gooey centre. The steamed lemon and date pud was a better bet with its citrus peel kick and clotted cream. Breakfast, weekend brunch, lunch and children's menus are also available. The competitively-priced menu is an obvious pull for the local crowd and Sam's covers all the bases but, in doing so, seems to have compromised on standards.

The Drink
The wine list is good, much of it by the glass, and includes bottles such as a Tuscan Merlot/Sangiovese and the mouth-watering Gavi La Zerba. Prices are, dispiritingly, par for the course and bottles range in price from just over £12.00 to about £125.00. There's a good selection of bottles and draught beers such as Staropramen, Leffe and Guinness at the bar.

The Last Word
Sams Brasserie is a very reasonably-priced local brasserie, but has diluted its offering by trying too hard to be all things to all people.

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