Last Updated on June 4, 2018
All Aboard the Old Ship:
Being a West Londoner, one of my favourite haunts, particularly in the summer months has to be along the Riverside at Hammersmith, come rain or shine I never tire of watching the river life go by. It’s the perfect escape from the city streets and well worth a leisurely walk along the river from Hammersmith Bridge towards Chiswick. But it’s always great to be able to stop off in a traditional London pub for some good fare, so where better than the locally famed Old Ship.
The Old Ship Hammersmith has been in residence for nearly 300 years and has recently undergone a major refurbishment, so with its splendid location and expansive Thameside terrace it’s easy to see why this traditional London pub has always been such a popular destination.
The Old Ship boasts a balcony, an airy conservatory and a relaxed lounge area and the interior mirrors its name with the distinct feel of being on board a grand old ship, even down to the Captain’s Table. The glistening bar serves an array of cask-conditioned ales and craft beers including Camden Hells Lager, Founders All Day IPA and Beavertown’s Neck Oil Session IPA. Now I have to admit I’m not a beer drinker but there’s also a fine choice of cocktails and quality wines.
The menu offers plenty of traditional pub classics along with some contemporary dishes using fresh seasonal ingredients.
We started with a plentiful portion of refreshing beetroot hummus dip served on a board with a colourful selection of fresh crunchy vegetables to share. My friend doesn’t eat meat and we did think that the menu had a limited choice for a pescatarian but this proved to be a good option.
For mains, I really enjoyed the generously sized spiced rare breed pork chop with a delicious creamy sweet potato mash, coriander purée and grilled red pepper & garlic. It was full of wonderfully rich flavours.
My friend’s creamy and delicately flavoured vegan mushroom and courgette risotto was beautifully presented with an array of colourful dark green spinach leaves and purple jewelled pomegranate. She said it was sublime!
The perfect addition to our meal was a wonderfully fresh, clean herby citrus courgette salad.
For pudding, I had a lemon tart with a cherry coulis, which erred on the sweet rather than citrusy.
The Bramley apple and oat granola crumble served with vanilla custard was a hearty classic with a modern twist.
We accompanied our meal with a Poggio alto Delle Venezia Pinot Grigio – this was light, clean and grassy, perfect for a summers evening.
We thoroughly enjoyed our meal in the friendly surroundings of The Old Ship, a traditional pub with the benefit of a restaurant with beautiful riverside views. The service was fantastic, the prices very reasonable and the portions were ample, so be sure to eat a light lunch if you’re coming for dinner because I can assure you won’t be going hungry.
The Old Ship
25 Upper Mall, Hammersmith, London W6 9TD
020 8748 2593
Monday to Thursday: 11:00am – 11:00pm Friday: 11:00am – 12:00am
Saturday: 9:00am – 12:00am
Sunday: 9.00am – 11:00pm
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