The Eagle Has Landed… in Shepherd’s Bush

It hasn’t been a good year for pubs. Soaring food and fuel prices and the increasing number of folks drinking at home to save money during the financial meltdown have all been enough to ensure that on average, five pubs are closing a day. It’s a bleak statistic, but one that I don’t think Geronimo Inns will have to take too seriously if they keep churning out hearty gastro pubs like The Eagle, in Shepherd’s Bush.

The foodie pub chain snapped up the former Mitchells & Butlers pub in June for approximately £2m and has done a good job – it’s now all scotch eggs on the bar, a tasteful paint job and modern meets oldie-worldy chandelier lighting. Just perfect for the target audience – young professionals with huge mortgages in need of food that suits their bourgeois tendencies and their shrinking wallets all at once.

On our visit, it’s a mixture of friends, couples and families, all relaxing amidst the well-stocked bookshelves and decent wine selection. I wouldn’t really have known it was a chain, until, that is, my worldy dining companion said: ‘This really, really reminds me of the Phoenix.’ And that’s no bad thing, apparently.

But what of the food? Well, my Portland brown crab on toast (£7) was superb. A crusty, well buttered piece of toast generously smothered in the nutty, corally crab, with the obligatory squeeze of lemon for sharpness and a handful of sorrel on the side. It was wonderfully fresh and meaty, and I am very particular about my crab, having grown up with a father whose favourite past time was dressing them. Ditto my chum’s warm salad of chorizo, black pudding and quails eggs (£8) – posh pub grub at its best.

My pork belly with celeriac puree and roast pumpkin was thrillingly seasonal and wonderfully balanced, the meat a gorgeous flavour. Celeriac is one of my favourite things in the world, and the puree was utterly divine, though the crackling could have been cracklier. My friend’s slow-roasted shoulder of lamb, olive and anchovy relish (£12.50) was exceptional – meltingly tender lamb that fell off the bone and was given a sweet and salty kick by the olives and anchovies. We washed it all down with a very nice bottle of pinot noir – a steal at £19.

My only real criticism is that the green salad was a bit of a joke for three quid – perfectly tasty (not a limp lettuce leaf in sight) but dreadfully small. These are the kind of corners The Eagle should be wary of cutting if it wants to succeed, because what people want to see more than anything in times of recession is value for money. But we came away from The Eagle full and merry – and not much worse off for it – Geronimo has worked its magic on yet another ailing inn.

The Eagle
215 Askew Road
Shepherd’s Bush
London W12 9AZ