 The
Eco Pizzeria restaurant is situated in the heart of
Chiswick at 144 High Road and run by father and daughter team
Sami and Charmaine Wasif. Sami may be Egyptian, but has lived in
Italia for so long that he is probably an honorary Italian! They
also ran a pizzeria in Clapham High Street.My 14 year old son Jack accompanied me for the evening and the comfortable yet very informal ambience left us both eagerly awaiting the Mediterranean cuisine… We began with antipasti. Jack had Parma ham accompanied by buffalo mozzarella, figs and fresh herbs while my carne also included Bresaola, a selection of salami together with a fresh salad and the Parma ham. The service was friendly and pleasantly unhurried with waiters who were very knowledgeable on the menu itself, all of which added to a feeling of comfortable relaxation. For his main course, Jack went with the beef, tomato, cream and Parmesan sauce with fresh dill and basil – yes, Jack likes Lasagne! His one word contribution to the article was "delicious." Well two words if you include mmmmm! He begrudgingly allowed me a taster and yes, he was right…! I chose the grilled chicken covered in mozzarella and pesto sauce, a huge grilled mushroom, rocket and salad. I had to agree with Jack, it was just delicious and in addition - for a hungry Dial-a-Cab taxi driver such as myself - there was never any danger of us leaving Eco still peckish with portions being not only very tasty, but also extremely generous. It was nice to see that the exellent service was not just there to speed things up to get us out and get the table ready for the next customer. Quite the reverse in |
David Kupler (Y74), David Ballard (N28) and
Alex Constantinou (N05) are Call Sign’s restaurant reviewers.
These DaC drivers and their guests visit restaurants
periodically and give their honest opinions. This month Alex
Constantinou went to the Eco Pizzeria in Chiswick… EATING OUT WITH CALL SIGN
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fact, Eco is extremely relaxing. To finish off our meal, we both went with an old favourite, Tiramisu. Jack commented on the pleasant alcoholic content within the trifle – as you do at 14 - but whatever it was, it tasted delicious. The prices in the restaurant are very reasonable with starters on average £4 to £5 and main courses £8 to £10. The restaurant is very comfortable and informal with excellent food and choice – although the dessert menu is rather small. But with Tiramisu that good, we could overlook that! I spoke to Sami and was surprised to hear that the eating habits of the patrons in Clapham differ from those in Chiswick to the extent where they sell more of their huge 12inch pizzas in Clapham with Chiswick clients opting more for the pasta meals. Mind you, all the pasta is made on the premises at Eco Chiswick and believe me, you can tell because of the ultra-fresh taste. Daughter Charmaine added that Eco were looking into the possibility later this year of gluten-free pizza bases. They also cater for Calzone, a sort of pizza pie that looks remarkably like a giant Cornish pasty but which contains some delicious fillings, covered with a home made tomato sauce. We didn’t have it but taking a peek at others who did, it looked absolutely scrumptious! They also do grilled steaks, grilled salmon and of course my choice, the chicken. The striking interior of the restaurant was created by Anand Zenz – known by many as Arnold Nononzenz - whose aim was to retain the spirit, treatment and |
approach of the original restaurant whilst at the same time
producing something new. I think the amazing curved wooden
ceiling that ripples like a wave and which is echoed in the
floor certainly comes under that category! With the current advent of TV cooking programmes, there is also a showcase pizza kitchen that allows diners to watch all the theatre that a pizzeria entails. My immediate thought was how huge and delicious their 12inch pizzas looked and should we have gone for that instead? But you can’t eat it all! Sami is also proud of his extensive wine list and so he should be – not just because of the variations, but because the prices are very reasonable and excepting the Tattinger bubbly at £45, most bottles go from between £12 and £20 with a nice Ashbury Grove Shiraz going at £16.50. Eco Chiswick is open everyday with food available from midday until 11pm Sunday to Thursday and until 11:30pm Friday, Saturday and Sunday. They only close on Xmas Day! Takeaway is available during opening hours. For more information and bookings call 0208 747 4822 or visit www.ecorestaurants.com. Eco Chiswick is a nice, informal restaurant with a very tasty menu. And something you don’t find everywhere in London that you would on the Med, Sami and Charmaine welcome well-behaved children to Eco. You will not feel at all uncomfortable. A good choice… Alex Constantinou (N05) |
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