The Queen Adelaide relaunches as an upmarket gastropub
Despite her royal title, the Queen Adelaide pub on Uxbridge Road has not always had a particularly regal reputation.
Before its current makeover, it used to be a down-to-earth traditional venue with themed evenings during the week and was often packed with football revellers on a Saturday afternoon. However, it was also known for being a little on the rowdy side and for attracting a sometimes unsavoury crowd.
One regular commented on the Beer in the Evening website: "There are probably plenty of people who will be put off by the chavvy nature of most of the punters but it's really just a regular pub dishing up drinks at decent prices. The food menu was equally cheap but I'd be willing to bet that would be reflected in the quality."
Now, however, the Queen Adelaide has been completely transformed into an open plan gastropub, clearly aiming to attract a different sort of clientele with its smart new interior, modern European dishes and Sunday roasts.
When we arrived for lunch on the Thursday after it had re-opened, there were still workmen painting the outside of the building and men in overalls adding the finishing touches to the interior.
Inside the Grade II listed building, there is a happy marriage of traditional and contemporary features as the dark wood panelling is beautifully offset by sparkling modern chandeliers. Natural light floods in from all directions: Uxbridge Road windows on one side, Adelaide Grove windows on the other and a skylight above. The layout is open plan with the chrome kitchen occupying a whole corner of the dining area. On the plus side, you can watch your food being prepared; on the minus, the sometimes quite strong grilling, frying and baking smells come wafting over. The dining and drinking areas are separated by a double set of wooden doors but you can also choose to eat around the bar, where an eclectic collection of lampshades provides a homely feel.
While there were several drinkers on the other side of the double doors when we visited, the dining area was all but empty. Not very confidence-inspiring, but it is early days for this new business.
The menu offers a few traditional dishes, such as 'ham, egg and chips' and 'sausage, mash and gravy', but is also more adventurous with dishes like 'salmon & dill terrine avocado salsa' - which might come as a surprise to some Queen Adelaide regulars.
We went for mussels in white wine with 'fat chips' and a baked aubergine dish. The staff seemed a little unsure of themselves, clearly still getting used to their new roles and environment but they arrived quickly with two glasses of white wine and some French bread and butter. The mussels followed and were heaped high on the plate. I cannot remember ever having tasted such plump and juicy mussels and the chips too were reassuringly good. I would guess that our fried friends had made the journey straight from potato to chip pan, rather than from freezer bag to oven. The aubergine stuffed with ratatouille and topped with crusty breadcrumbs was also nicely presented and tasty to boot.
The walls of the Queen Adelaide feature grainy black and white photographs of the local area: Uxbridge Road station (the forerunner of the new Shepherd's Bush overground station), Acton Library and trams running along a very empty-looking Uxbridge Road, presumably taken at a time when the words "tram" and "Uxbridge Road" could be uttered in the same breath without raising anybody's hackles.
The historic photographs are quite fitting for a pub which itself is named after a historic figure: Adelaide was a German princess who married William IV and became queen consort when he ascended the throne in 1830. Adelaide also gave her name to the capital city of the state of South Australia, which was established during William IV's reign.
We shared a wonderfully creamy crème caramel for dessert, chosen from a long list of options, which included peanut and vanilla ice cream pie, apple and plum crumble and British Isle cheese plate. The final bill for two glasses of wine, two main courses, one dessert and two coffees came to £33.55.
The Queen Adelaide is certainly not what she used to be. Perhaps she will be struck off the football crowd's list of regular drinking venues for not being traditional enough - or perhaps the Saturday afternoon football supporters will pop in for a light lunch of chargrilled squid and chorizo salad.
Yasmine Estaphanos
13 December 2008
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