I grew up not far from Hammersmith it is an area that has some great pubs-I had many a wonderful, lost evening at the Hop Poles, plus pints along the river at the Blue Boat and the Old Ship were a regular feature of my late teens and early 20’s.
What the area has lacked is a real and accessible neighbourhood restaurant. The River Café is of course a brilliant neighbourhood spot but lacks the price point that allows the average local, or any of the huge amount of people working or passing through to visit time and time again.
The plan for Sam’s Riverside was to have a restaurant that combined being a destination along with a space the local community could feel comfortable in.
Sam Harrison is renowned within hospitality for some of the best local restaurants that London has to offer. Sam’s in Chiswick and Harrison’s in Balham were a favourite date night spot for my wife and I when we were dating.
The sale of his two eponymous restaurants to Hawksmoor in 2015, and some much-needed time out for Sam left a gap in the market for what he specialises in. Thankfully he decided to make a comeback in 2019 with Sam’s Riverside with his business partner Fanny Stocker.
Situated adjacent to Riverside Studios and overlooking the Thames, close to Hammersmith Bridge with one of the best views in London, this is a meal and a place I have been looking forward to with gusto. The Interior is a mix of hard industrial grey floors, with warm dark wood tables light green/grey chairs. It has several large flower displays that all combine really make the room feel cosy and alive.
There is also a great central bar that boasts a fine spirit and cocktail selection, and an open kitchen where you can see the Head Chef Karol Mielczarek and his team buzzing around.
Speaking of the culinary team, let’s see what they bring to the table.
My guest and I were getting into the Christmas spirit with the festive menus at Sam’s Riverside there are two options. The Holly at £55 and the Ivy at £70-we opted for the Ivy, because it is Christmas after all, and we certainly deserve to be spoilt! They are available until the 24th of December.
As an amuse bouche we had the smoked salmon blini with crème fraiche-this was well smoked, with the juxtapose of the spongy blini and cream to compliment the fish, not game changing but a nice bite of food.
The mushroom duxelle tartlet was a bite of earthy goodness with a soft pastry casing. It paired perfectly with the Pinot Noir L’Artiste Famille Bougrier, 2024 from the Loire Valley.
Onto the starters, the yellow fin tuna crudo, with a bergamot dressing, blood orange and fennel, was bursting with both colour and flavour-bright, fresh and zingy. This was paired a glass of Weather Station Sauvignon Blanc from the great South African winery Journey’s End, and it was a match made in heaven.
The truffled beef tartare with pickled shiitake mushrooms was excellent. Smoky flavours in the background, and really, really well seasoned.
I would dare to say was the best tartare I have had this year (and that is a big compliment)!
The main event had now begun. Roast halibut with choron sauce (a tomato hollandaise/bearnaise) spinach and crushed herbed potatoes was sublime. The fish was cooked to absolute perfection the sauce was spot on, and the spinach gave a lovely lightly earthy finish.
A bronze turkey roulade, with CRISPY ROAST POTATOES yes, I repeat crispy roasted potatoes. This element of a roast/Christmas dinner is very hard to get right in a restaurant setting, due to the nature of having to cook them a-la-minute. Bravo to the team for nailing it.
The turkey was moist and as tasty as turkey can be, there was a chestnut stuffing which was a great accompaniment, as well as soft and sweet heritage carrots. A very moreish plate of Christmas food.
What could top these dishes you may ask, well let me tell you.
It was the Christmas pudding soufflé, almond crumble with Brandy ice cream.
Reading this dish from the menu made little sense, but when the fluffy eggy soufflé that had the elements of the Christmas pudding on the top of it arrived all worries were eradicated. It also had a lovely puddle of butter at the bottom which I happily splashed in. Hands down, this was the dessert of the year.
Lastly a Baileys macaron arrived with the coffee, a great touch and the macaron was exactly as it should be- a crispy shell with a smooth cremeaux inside.
My guest and I left feeling very well fed and looked after-exactly what one would expect from any of Sam’s venues.
This is a festive menu that is certainly worth heading to the riverside for, but more importantly this is a restaurant worth visiting, and then revisiting time and time again.
Sam’s Family
- Sam’s Riverside, Hammersmith
- Sam’s Larder, Hammersmith
- Sam’s Kitchen, Hammersmith
- Sam’s Kitchen, Chiswick
- Sam’s Waterside, Brentford
- Sam’s Larder, Brentford
Sam’s Riverside, Riverside Studios, 1 Crisp Rd, London W6 9DN – 020 8237 1020
Monday to Saturday – 12–9:45 pm; Sunday 12–4 pm