Developers may be struggling to sell the Brentford side of Kew Bridge to retailers, but Dorset-based pizza and pie purveyors The Stable have decided to set up another branch, their seventeenth, regardless. With a natty waterfront location – all but two minutes stroll from leafy Kew Green – it should prove a wise investment.
Inside, it’s a light and airy space, but the eating areas were somewhat ‘intimate’ – that is to say, unnecessarily tight. Staff were enthusiastic and knowledgeable, particularly about the 60+ ciders usually available. Fruity booze aside, the main dishes weren’t quite the ‘blow-out’ the menu led us to expect (though the ‘gourmet pizza’ tag may have been a giveaway). Our ‘Longhorn Jim’ (£13.50) and ‘Blazing Saddle’ (£13) both passed the taste test; super-thin, hand-crafted and erratically-shaped sourdough bases topped with small handfuls of locally sourced meat and veg. But both left us hungry. Be warned: the menu is thin on starters and sides; all that cider might hit the spot rather earlier than expected.