Locale (Fulham)
our comments
A short distance from Fulham Broadway, Locale is both a cocktail bar and restaurant. The décor brings together a mixture of styles, from classic chic to rustic. Although nothing specifically matches, somehow it works and the overall effect is a cool sophisticated space with a rustic twist. The outside terrace will provide a great place to eat and drink when the weather improves.
We kicked off with an appetiser of pureed white beans, rosemary and garlic. This was a really good dish, the beans still chunky and full of flavour, and was given balance by the crunchy crostini it was served with – really good stuff. This would make a lovely starter in just a slightly larger quantity.
For proper starters there was goat’s cheese coated with crushed walnuts and served with baby spinach and a sweet onion relish and it really was a terrific dish. The cheese was tangy and creamy, nicely paired with the spinach and the relish, which had a delicate, fresh taste. Salami and Tuscan ham served with crispy Sardinian bread was a real winner, the ham in particular having a lovely taste and texture, and the bread, drizzled with a delicate tomato and olive oil dressing was a perfect accompaniment to this lovely starter.
On to mains and cod wrapped in Parma ham had fine flavours all working well together. Served as it was with sautéed mixed chard it gave a satisfying combination of flavours and texture. Fillet of beef with mashed potato and field mushroom was a fabulous dish; top quality meat cooked medium rare exactly as requested. Sides of rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes and sautéed French beans also hit the spot, retaining their bite and full of flavour.
For desserts, orange panacotta had a cool trembling texture and was given a breezy lift by orange zest. It was accompanied by coffee, although an espresso would have been a good contrast of bitter to the sweet and sharp of the panacotta. A ball of cinnamon ice cream, served with shot glasses of espresso and frangelica all had good flavours, making a refreshing dessert.
The wine list has a broad range, with prices to match, and a good choice of wines by the glass. Service was good, attentive but not intrusive, and unhurried. Locale is a good neighbourhood restaurant, a place to come and relax and well worth getting to know.
akandpa - February 2007
your comments review this restaurant and win a bottle of champagne
Truly Spectacular!!! I discovered this little gem last night and had, without doubt, the best dining experience i can remember there. The cocktails were awesome and the music and service were great too.
We had a seafood linguini, which is the best thing i've ever tasted and a Steak which was great. It was our first time last night and the manager made us feel as though it was our second home. The food was fantastic and the fun and friendly service was even better. Thanks to everyone at Locale for a fantastic evening, you'll be recieving as many guests as we can possibly recomend to your restaurant.
Sami.
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Sami - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Ate here with three friends last night after Locale was rcommended by a friend. Great place to eat, friendly atmosphere but they got our orders wrong - I ordered pea soup with grilled prawns, but just got pea soup. On enquiry was told they had 'run out of prawns'. Since my main course was to be without prawns, I had to reorder. I was left eating my starter well after my friends had finished theirs. We ordered a cocktail each, they got 2 of them wrong. The food we got was lovely though, and decent sized portions too. The service I found a bit pushy, kept asking us if we had finished and I ended up feeling a tad rushed.
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Amanda O''Brien
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 7
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Ate at this joint last Saturday. I though this place was just a restaurant but they have quite a hip bar with a pretty cool crowd. We didn't try the cocktails but just ate. I had the grilled lamb which was awesome. Honestly order it! Mel had the lobster which was a jumbo portion but she liked it. This is a real local joint and refreshing for an area a bit empty of decent restaurants. Nice staff, nice service, very good grub. We'll be back. Mark and Mel
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mark jenkins
Overall rating 
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 8
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Summary: Slow service, ok food.
The full tables outside on a lovely sunny day gave the impression this restaurant was worth going to. Unfortunately once we had sat down we discovered the reason the tables were full was because most people were waiting for the waitress to attend to them.
I have a feeling the waitress was relying on people not asking to reduce the service charge automatically added on.
Food was ok. Calamari was small and sparse but good and lightly battered. Bruchetta was average. Seafood Linguine was good.
If you're not too hungry and can handle the wait, give it a go and you might be lucky and get a competant waiter/waitress.
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Daniel A.
Overall rating 
Food 7 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, April 28, 2007
I moved into this Fulham neck of the woods from New York nearly a year ago and have been exploring all the local eateries. I have to say that no one is shortchanged choicewise. Not even in my hometown is the range so wide. I could list maybe five or six good places within a mile of my frontdoor but the restaurant I've come to like best - for its cuisine and friendliness and discreet cosmopolitan style - is Locale on Munster Road. A real downhome treat. I think it's being discovered by a lot of my fellow Americans, too. A couple of times I've been there the Hollywood actor Robert Vaughn has been on a nearby table with a bunch of people with West Coast accents. By the way, I love this London-Eating site. I've made plenty of use of it since I've been here. Hasn't let me down yet. Thanks.
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penny
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Friday, March 23, 2007
My boyfriend and I ate here the other day and had a really great meal which was very reasonably priced. Service was efficient but friendly and welcoming at the same time. The restaurant had a great buzzy feel to it, which added to a really pleasant experience. I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting great Italian food at a great price!
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Vanessa Beart
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Friday, March 09, 2007
We went to Locale last Sunday and did not know that the menu changed into italian! We were very disappointed by the quality of the food. The Goat Cheese Salad came without bread and when we ordered bread it came way to late and they charged us for it. The Bruscetta was basically just cut up tomatoes without any tast and a tiny little slice of bread underneath.
The Risotto was o.k. but the cod wrapped in Parma Ham was awful. The chard that came with the cod was way too salty so that we could not eat it. We mentioned it to the waiter but they did not do anything about it!
In general it was very disappointing. We would like to have the old Loco Locale back with their old menu and food!
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Overall rating 
Food 0 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 4 | Value for money 1
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
I ate lunch at Locale in Fulham last week and have to say it was lovely. Both my partner and I had pizza, which was cooked to perfection. We had the profiteroles to follow, which topped off our meal nicely.
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Stephanie Watson
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Ate here today and had a great lunch. Fab decor,friendly staff and terrific food.I had the stone baked Diavola pizza (american hot in a pizza express) and John had the parma wrapped cod.Both were excellent quality for the price. Not a cheap eat but a good addition to the neighbourhood
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george Campbell
Overall rating 
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 7
Thursday, January 25, 2007
I've known this venue for 5 years since it was Ciao, then Loco Locale and now just Locale! Went lots of times when it was Ciao and was always happy with the food and service. The first time I went as Loco Locale was great, however the second time we received poor service even worse food. Decided not to go back since then - too much of a risk of disappointment.
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David
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 6
Friday, December 15, 2006
