Mini-Hot Dogs With Brown Sauce Boost London’s W8

Sometimes, a dish may stop you in your tracks for the right reasons: cutting through the small talk, pulling your wandering eye back to the plate and causing an involuntary movement that returns wine glass to table. Game consomme with bacon cream and a small game hot dog --a starter at Philip Howard’s informal new west London venue, Kitchen W8 -- take a bow. (The kitchen is headed by Mark Kempson of the Vineyard at Stockcross, so he should take one, too.) The consomme comes in a mug, and I confess I’ve asked the restaurant what’s in it, rather than just identifying through taste the grouse, venison, pheasant and mallard that have gone into it. It’s topped with thick and creamy bacon foam. The texture is like an old-fashioned Irish coffee. It’s richly flavored and comforting on a cold day and the gourmet mini-hot dog served on the plate alongside the mug may raise a smile. It’s venison, hare and pork and comes with a sweet-and- sour brown sauce with onions, spices, malt vinegar and beer. I’m not sure where I last had so much pleasure for 8 pounds ($13) but it was probably late at night somewhere exotic in Asia, rather than at a smart London neighborhood restaurant. Howard is best known for his fabulous food at the Square, which holds two Michelin stars and attracts a corporate crowd. His business partner here is the restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas. Crab Ravioli The seasonal modern European menu employs mainly British ingredients and is full of reasonably priced tempting dishes, with eight of the nine starters costing less than 10 pounds, 12 of the 13 mains costing less than 20 pounds and all of the desserts at 6.50 pounds. The top-priced dishes are ravioli of crab & red mullet with squid, cuttlefish, octopus and lemon (10.50 pounds); and fillet steak with red-wine butter at 12 pounds. There’s a foie-gras mousse starter with raisin puree, crisp fruitbread and parmesan that I would order repeatedly if I didn’t like the hot dog so much, and if you like game as much as I do, you may love the hand-rolled pappardelle with rich game sauce. This uses meat from a braised hare leg, with a red wine and port sauce. It’s finished with diced carrot and swede. The current bestseller in these early days is fillet of halibut with Beaufort (cheese) crust with melted onions and chanterelles, according to Simon Freeman, the former sommelier at Hibiscus who oversees the wine list. There are about 120 wines on the list, which starts at 14.95 pounds a bottle and includes a reserve section. The house wines (a chenin blanc-semillon from Argentina and a French Cabernet Sauvignon) are fine by the way, and the list -- chosen by the excellent Freeman -- merits exploring. Citrus Crunch Among the desserts, the rice pudding comes awash with Pedro Ximinez sherry -- which is a good thing -- and the passion fruit & lime mess with Brillat-Savarin cream comes in a glass: light and citrussy with a satisfying crunch. Howard is known for the Square. Its corporate feel belies the passion of the chef, who has battled his own demons to overcome drug addiction and to win the admiration of his peers. While Kitchen W8 is more relaxed, the professionalism is the same. In attempting something similar to his protege Brett Graham of the Ledbury -- who last year opened the wonderful Harwood Arms in Fulham -- Howard has revealed more of his own talent and made the London dining scene that little bit better. Kitchen W8, 11-13 Abingdon Road, London, W8 6AH. Tel. +44- 20-7937-0120 or click on http://www.kitchenw8.com/. The Bloomberg Questions Cost? The lunch and early dinner menu is 19.50 pounds. Sound level? Pleasantly quiet: about 70 decibels. (A London park is 50 decibels and a subway train 90 decibels.) Inside tip? Tables at the front are best. Special feature? The Sunday lunch is a bargain. Will I be back? yes. Date place? Yes. Rating? ***