Chez Kristof

Chez Kristof is the third restaurant by Yan Woroniecki, owner of Baltic and Wodka. But this is his first venture into French cooking, and also his first establishment in west London, a market saturated with great dining experiences. Chez Kristof is tucked between Shepherd's Bush and Hammersmith and, despite being on the main Hammersmith Grove drag, is mildly inaccessible - but on the evidence of the quality of food, it's worth making the effort to seek it out. Local diners have already taken the place into their hearts. Occasionally the service can be rather stand-offish, but we've only ever experienced a warm, enthusiastic reception with the waiting staff friendly, knowledgeable and efficient. The French style of the place is married to a menu which lovingly details the source of ingredients. For instance, when we visited the specials revolved around red Devonshire beef - one main was a delicious port au feu of oxtail and in an exotically thin stock which was served from the pot at the table. The attention to detail in every part of the meal was complemented by the serving style - when a dish arrives steaming in a miniature cassoulet dish, it certainly makes you feel warm and well looked after. The menu is long on stews, roasts and other staple French classics, with a good number of fish dishes and a short but excellent selection of Parisienne desserts - from which the tarte tatin stood out, elegantly stacked and wonderfully scented with cinnamon. From a party of six there were no bum notes, although those who had the hearty meat dishes were better fed than ladies who picked at rather small sea breams and a tiny (but exquisite) Dover sole. The house wine (from an impressively large and fairly priced cellar) was robust and well suited to the strong Gallic flavours of the meal. Topped off with careful, welcoming service and a stylish choice of background music, this was an entirely convivial meal.