The Wrap: Winter’s Kind Of Here – Seek Shelter From The Cold (And Rain)

Winter’s just about here (apparently it’s going to the wettest in 33 years – a miniature nightmare for wheelchair users) and at this time of year, as the weather starts to turn nasty and the nights draw in, there’s nothing like some warming grub and a nice glass of wine. So that’s something I’ve been doing in the last few weeks… quite a lot. Here are the first two venues I’ve visited this winter:

The Brackenbury, in Hammersmith, is a good restaurant but not a particularly accessible one. They don’t have a disabled toilet and they told me that there isn’t even the option of tracking down one nearby. I was also less than fully impressed with the smoothness of entry. Getting into the restaurant, I had to wonder: when is a ramp not a ramp? Well, that would be when – like the ‘ramp’ at the Brackenbury – it’s half hearted and resembles a kerb and is an obstacle. It looked like they’d just smeared some concrete over the problem, which is a shame because their food and service was much more thoughtful. Once inside it’s very cosy and the restaurant could accommodate my wheelchair once we’d negotiated through the narrow doorway with a slight ridge.

Again, cosy is the word for this place, with a carpeted floor like you’d find in someone’s front room and great Italian inspired cooking. I had partridge with cabbage and chestnuts and the wine was outstanding – a beautiful Pinot Bianco for £32. It was all you’d expect from the son of the River Café and their wine buyer for 20 years (see previous review). I can only give them 1.5 BBS Ticks because it was a bumpy ride and when the wine’s this good you want to be able to drink it without worrying about when you’ll be able to next use the toilet.

The Havelock Tavern is also in Hammersmith (I didn’t visit both these places in a single day!). It’s an old fashioned pub frequented by the yummy Mummy & Daddy set on Sunday for their great old fashioned roast beef with Yorkshire pud. Delicious – just what I wanted. You can tell why they won the Good Pub Guide London Dining Pub of the Year in 2011.

Again, there’s no disabled toilet and I couldn’t find one nearby. The pub has wooden floors and one step up to get in. The Havelock Tavern also gets 1.5 BBS Ticks.