Restaurants

22 South Chophouse

178 Whitton Road,  Twickenham,  Middlesex,  TW2 7BA
+44 (0) 208 891 8200  / 22south.co.uk / view map

Surveyed 11/06/2012
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About this restaurant

A dream destination for rugby fans, the London Marriott Hotel forms part of the South Stand at the legendary Twickenham Stadium. There are even bedrooms with a birds’ eye view of the pitch - the ultimate room with a view.

The design of the hotel and restaurant is crisp and contemporary. The Chophouse takes its name from the 22 metre drop line and is a large but pleasantly informal space  which serves a cracking breakfast - big boy dishes to tackle include rib eye steak with mushrooms, spinach and hollandaise sauce (£22.50), although you can also opt for a pair of grilled Manx kippers (£11.50) or toasted bagels with cream cheese and oak-smoked salmon (£9.50).

Start dinner with a classic Martini (£10) while considering the menu which takes in a number of modern British themes from grilled diver scallops with pea puree, red pepper sauce and crispy pancetta (£10.25/£19.50) to confit Gressingham duck leg with sweet and sour cabbage with damson berry glaze (£15.50) or farmed striped sea bass with maple-glazed roasted winter vegetables and lime emulsion. Steak and Guinness pie with root vegetables, and pan-fried pigeon with golden beetroot, walnut and cherry sauce and salad cress show a kitchen proud of its national roots, and considerable behind-the-scenes prep goes into dishes such as home-cured smoked salmon or slow-cooked pork belly with buttered Savoy cabbage and charcuterie sauce (£11.50).

As the name of the restaurant implies, there’s also a choice of grills served with field mushrooms, roasted vine cherry tomatoes and a choice of sauce. For more informal dining, there’s beer-battered haddock and chunky fries (£15.50), burgers or chicken tikka masala at the Sidestep Cafe-Lounge.

All-in-all, Twickenham delivers a winning formula.

They say...

On the menu it says, “All our fish is caught through sustainable sources”, and on the website they say, ‘We care passionately about the fish we buy from our suppliers. The team is committed to responsible sourcing and follows the highest industry practices to protect the rich and ample stocks we currently enjoy.”

In correspondence with Fish2Fork they add: "We believe well managed and ecologically friendly fishing is essential for healthy waters. We want to work with industry partners to encourage ethical choices in seafood and preserve our abundant sources of marine life.

"We are meticulous in the way we select our fish, ensuring supplies can be traced back to fisheries and vessels that operate sustainable policies. We promote fish that are available in plentiful volumes and avoid pressure stocks."

We say...

Hats off to Marriott, we say. It is both highly unusual and extremely commendable for an international chain to show this degree of care, concern and openness about their sourcing policies. They include a statement of sustainability on the website, a lead we would like to see followed by far more hotels and restaurants.

We are told the salmon comes from Loch Duart where they only use feed from sustainable non-GM sources, sea bass is farmed in Greece and Turkey, scallops are diver-caught from Brixham, North Atlantic prawns are MSC certified, and the sea trout is farmed in France. It’s an impressive score.