Open Tue–Sat midday–3pm and 6pm–10pm; Sun 11am–5pm; closed Mon
The style & the crowd:
Brenhan Magee’s newly refurbished 17th Century building on Fulham Broadway is a welcome break from the bustling London streets. We were led upstairs and seated at an elegantly laid table next to one of the large, airy windows – great for people watching. Tasteful prints hung on the bare brick walls and summery indie music rebounded off them, whilst informal diners chatted away happily – there weren’t many diners on a Wednesday but we liked that, it added to the serenity of the place.
The food:
The British seasonal cuisine, organic and locally sourced, is cooked on the Asador Grill imported all the way from the Basque mountains of Spain. Impressive. To test it out, I ordered a steak for the main course and asparagus and quail eggs to start. This starter was a good combination of ingredients but a little lacking in flavour – a problem fairly well solved by salt and pepper. My sister got the better deal with the salad niçoise, which was the best I’ve had in a long while.
My main arrived and I found myself somewhat regretting my decision: it only came with a few leaves so I had to order a side of mash, the steak was too tough on the outside, and I had to ask for salt and mustard as (again) it was a little flavourless. The sister, however, got the winning dish again: the salmon and grilled tomatoes were perfectly cooked and the bottle of Argentinian white (fruity but not lacking a good kick) complimented the dish well.
For dessert (which we somehow managed to squash in) I ordered the ice cream, which was really creamy and delicious, whilst my sister ordered the tiramisu cheese cake, which was an odd mix of flavours and the chocolate dust made her sneeze.
The drinks:
Brasa’s cocktails are created using homemade infused spirits, resulting in unique blends and flavours, like their version of the classic Burntdown Tennese, made using homemade orange infused Jack Daniels, marmalade and old-fashioned Victorian lemonade (£7.50). The house wine (Vina Pena, Castilla, Spain, red and white) is priced at £13.50 and beers are available from £3.60.
The Members Club:
The members club – which I have a sneaking suspicion consists mostly of men – is laid out like a grand house; little rooms with arm chairs, book cases and cosy corners soften the glare of the glitzy tropical bar, pool table and cigar vending machine… The roof terrace was empty when we were there but would be an excellent place to go for dinner or just drinks on a summers evening.
Despite the lack of character of some of my dishes, we had a lovely evening: the bright and breezy restaurant was tended by bright and breezy staff and I’ll definitely be going there again.
