Restaurant Quality At Pub Prices

Charlie McVeigh and Adam Simmons are proud to announce the opening of The Westbridge Public House & Dining Rooms. Just south of Battersea Bridge, The Westbridge is an old-fashioned public house where all are welcome.

The aim at The Westbridge has been to create a place where the quality of food, drink and service are what one might expect from a restaurant but with the informality, warmth and pricing of a pub.

Charlie was until recently the owner of The Bush Bar & Grill, Woody’s nightclub and The Grand Union Public House (which he sold in 2005-6 retaining a small stake in the Bush Bar & Grill). He is currently concentrating on The Westbridge and a new project with Rowley Leigh (formerly Head Chef of Kensington Place), Le Café des Anglais, a 220-seater restaurant in Bayswater scheduled to open in the autumn.

Charlie says: “I want to be in the Westbridge bar all the time eating oysters and drinking Mared Sous draught beer from Belgium…what more can I say? It’s a pity I have to work.”

Our menu combines English public house classics (done to perfection) with more ambitious fare. Chef Laurent Alvergne puts Beer-Battered Cod with Minted Mushy Peas and Hand-Cut Chips (£8.50) next to Pan-Fried Skate Wing with Caramelised Chicory (£13.50.)

A simple but effective Ploughman’s Lunch (£6.50) sits easily, we think, with a choice of Rock Oysters (1/2 Dozen £8.50) or Fine de Claire No.2 Oysters (1/2 Dozen £9.50) both from Strangford Loch in Northern Ireland. Comfort foodies may be relieved to find a Stew of Organic Blackface Mutton with Pearl Barley and Winter Vegetables (£9.50.)

Little ones are welcome and there is a special Children’s Menu, including Seasonal Pasta of the Day and Organic Breaded Chicken served with Mashed Potato all served at £4.75. Formally trained in France, Laurent has fourteen years experience in the kitchen and has worked in London since 1998, spending the past four years at The Royal Opera House.

He is dedicated to creating an interesting, seasonal menu for The Westbridge with an emphasis on the very best quality Crustacea and fish, sourced from H. Forman in Mayfair, among other suppliers.

The large comfortable bar is under the guardianship of Adam, who joins The Westbridge from the award-winning Chiswick Moran Hotel in West London where he was F&B Manager. The ideal landlord for the Westbridge, Adam Simmons is a life-long student of the Public House in all its forms and has a passion for well-kept ales and old-fashioned customer service.

A range of draught beer from specialist brands Birra Moretti, Edelweiss and Mared Sous to well-known lagers such as Heineken and Amstel are on sale. The bitter comes from Suffolk brewer Adnam’s and a wide range of Belgian and other bottled beers are also stocked. There is an extensive and eclectic wine list with over forty bins (including a selection of grander wines) and a range of fine champagnes. All are available at pub prices – so a pint of Amstel is £2.90 and House White (Alpha Zeta Garganega 2006) is £12.50 a bottle.

Looking ahead to the Spring and Summer, the beautiful trellised terrace at the front of the pub and the enclosed landscape garden to the back both provide the perfect setting to idle away warm evenings over a pint with friends.

For those looking for a little privacy The Westbridge has truly excellent Private Rooms on the first floor. The Olive Room is ideally suited for large dinners of up to 60 people, while The Bridge Bar (above left) can accommodate up to 100 for drinks and dancing. Together they make the ideal wedding party location. We have a range of Party Menus which can be downloaded directly from the website at: Thewestbridge.co.uk.