Two Chain Restaurants in Westfield: Shepherds Bush, December 21st & 29th, 2009

On one pre- and one post-Christmas shopping trip to Westfield at the end of last year, I experienced two different yet relatively satisfying experiences whilst dining at two chain eateries which had initially not interested me.

The first trip was the first day of serious snowfall in London for the 2009-10 winter. As the watery flakes pelted down outside, my brother, the other half and I wandered into Kitchen Italia. Some decent efforts here: meatballs and spaghetti was problem-free, a truffle and mushroom taglioni was passable if a little dry, and a great helping of macaroni cheese was surprisingly good. They keep it pretty simple in here, with the tables set out bench-like as a canteen with plenty of olive oil on them.

The pasta (which is more or less what you’d go there for) is not half bad. It’s markedly better than supposedly more upmarket Italian places I’ve tried, and certainly better than some dishes you’ll get in other chain restaurants. The macaroni cheese was probably the highlight. Served in a delightful copper pan with a rich and fresh sauce and salad on the side, it did the job perfectly.

The second visit was more surprising. Byron, a chain with a tagline that promises ‘proper burgers', turned out to do just that. I held my breath as I asked them to cook my burger properly (rare) and I was cheerfully informed that, yes, this was possible because this was high quality Scottish beef. I was delighted on principle as much as anything else.

The fact that the burger turned out to be great was just awesome. I was so delighted that my rants about burgers and chain restaurants are finally being heard. This is better than burgers I've eaten in places that are trying to be upmarket, and it's miles better than somewhere like Gourmet Burger Kitchen.

So hats off to you, Westfield. Along with being the cleanest, classiest shopping centre in the UK, you're now promoting good chain restaurant eating. Plus the array of shops, but that's for a different blog in another lifetime...

Kitchen Italia

Byron