The Summerhouse

Not bad. We went there for a summer lunch with a seaside feel and that’s what we got. It’s by the canal and the atmosphere is nice and relaxed, even though the area around it is quite well heeled. We were greeted with a small glass of sangria (rosé, apple juice, brandy and fresh fruits) as we were taking our seats; it was delicious and a nice touch. For starters I ordered insalata tricolore and it was ok, nothing special but nothing wrong about it. For mains we shared chicken salad and swordfish with aubergine ragu and roasted potatoes. Both quite nice, but it was fun to notice all dishes contained avocado in some shape or form. :) I have no complaints about the food or the service, even though I read here some people do. All in all I wouldn’t recommend solely for the food (it’s not bad at all but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eath there), but the drinks are nice, the décor is pleasant and the location just perfect for summer. I’d come back for that.

Had a pretty good meal here. Nice seafood options. Somewhat expensive. Pleasant canal-​side location. Decent service. Worth a go.

Un endroit charmant parfait pour les beaux jours!
Le vrai must de cet établissement c’est le cadre qui a clairement fait passé mon avis de 3 à 4 étoiles. vous mangerez en dehors du temps avec les yeux rivés sur les péniches et bateaux qui traversent à quelques mètres de vous.
Le menu est variés mais c’est dommage j’ai trouvé ça un peu cher pour la qualité/​quantité
Néanmoins rien de hors de prix mais le service est souriant (un tantinet lent)
Les jus sont très bons je les recommandent vivement!

I booked a table for noon because it meant we could enjoy offerings from both the brunch AND lunch menus. Brunch is served until 4pm and lunch starts from 12 so we had the best of both worlds. The Summerhouse is practically located on the canal itself and if you’re lucky like we were you’ll have spectacular views while you’re eating and it’s easy to get lost in your own thoughts.
As it was a Sunday I decided to be naughty and have a peach bellini to go with my brunch, one of my favourite indulgences, while we perused the menu. There was so much I wanted to try that I actually ended up ordering a regular starter and then from the brunch menu as my main. A tad unconventional but they were more than happy to accommodate.
To start I couldn’t resist the seared scallops with black pudding fritters, pancetta and roast apple purée. Two large juicy scalloped with practically cremated bacon (just the way I like it) which went perfectly with the blank pudding bon bons. I have to say wasn’t keen on the purée but the flavours of everything else blended together to create a taste sensation.
My dining companion chose the popcorn shrimp with sweet chilli sauce and I was able to pinch one. Beautifully fried and not overly greasy I could easily have devoured a portion of this by myself and it’s definitely a dish I would recommend.
For main I went for scrambled eggs with toast and crispy bacon. I was disappointed that the bacon wasn’t as crispy as it had been in my starter but it was still pretty good. The toast was a bit weird in that it was about half the thickness of regular bread and so not quite as substantial as I would have liked.
The other main that was ordered was the smoked haddock, salmon and prawn fishcakes with creamy leeks & keta, frisee and quail eggs. I didn’t get to try it but was told that it was full of flavourful chunky pieces of fish and very tasty. I did get to try some of the chips though and those were fantastic. I’m a very particular person when it comes to chips and these were perfect — crispy of the outside and light and fluffy on the inside. I was more than happy to finish the ones that my dining companion could not!
Sadly after clearing our plates we had no room for pudding. Instead we paid the bill then grabbed a whippy cone from a nearby ice cream van as we took another walk along the canal. I’d wholeheartedly recommend The Summerhouse to anyone in the area, the menu is pretty varied and you really can’t rival the views.

When I went here with some friends our first reaction was that we had been transported to somewhere on the Mediterranean. We loved the «seaside» ambiance even if we were there at night and it was pitch black and we were on a canal in London and not somewhere more exotic than Maidavale.
However, the ambiance was all that really sold me (and the lovely bottle of Rioja). My lobster parpadelle was blander than bland – I was literally dumping salt on it.
We also had to wait a long time for our table which was not cool – and we didn’t get a strong offer of drinks or olives to tie us over while we waited.
Go for the atmosphere, order something safe like a salad, drink some good wine and enjoy this precious venue near Little Venice. Just go in with your eyes wide open and your expectations low.

Pleasant experience once again… we tried some eggs but salad and some seafood apetizer.
crispy calamari and shrm popcorn: very good starter
Nicoise salad: Very good but not enough eggs and not enough authetntic greens… feels more like American salad with Nicoise like ingredients
Eggs: good as always
the setting is nice and believe the bathroom is renovated — very nice location indeed.

Lovely space down a quiet back street, next to the Regents Canal. The fish-​heavy menu reads as though catering for a clientele more at home in TGI Fridays — «popcorn shrimp», fish pie, fish and chips, principal non-​fish option being steak .
All that said, on a mid-​week visit, the place was heavingly busy, mainly with couples, and the food was not bad– lemon sole in a very traditional butter and caper sauce was good (although I couldn’t fathom the choice of jerusalem artichokes to go with it — such a noxious vegetable). Fish pie was deemed adequate. In terms of dessert, apple tatin was very good, no complaints were heard about the berry crème brûlée, and the chocolate praline tart was well received, if somewhat stodgy.
The staff were friendly and reasonably efficient, although service slowed down significantly, as the restaurant filled up. All in all, an unchallenging ⁶⁄₁₀ — OK, but I’ll not be making any special trips to visit, although I’ll confess my visit was marred by the poor company I had to keep that evening.

The fish and chips are very good and also the sweet chilly sauce made me an impression. Overall good place, but somehow dull and monotonous atmosphere. Maybe that would drive me away from it if I go a couple of more times.

We booked for lunch and the place was packed out for a sunny Saturday afternoon. We had a pram which made our already tight table even tighter (we might as well have been sat at a shared 4-​seater). Anyway, the open view of the canal and passing boats was good, although our spot wasn’t shaded from the beaming sun.
We eventually ordered soft drinks, a starter and two mains which wasn’t bad at £50. Pricey for a fish and chips at over £15 but I must say both our seafood mains were outstanding. We weren’t checked on much and although could have done with more drinks we were never offered any. Although (too) well staffed they seemed to be incredibly aloof and chatted amongst themselves rather than see what else we needed.
We found a hair in one of the mains which they assured us was from a cooking brush (?!) and offered us a complimentary glass of wine which we had to decline. I recommend the place for it’s excellent food, great setting, and classy companions — if you have the patience to deal with the slow and aloof service.

Very cute, nice spot on a canal. The style is like a new england summer spot with clam chowder and a fish heavy menu. The cocktails were a standout and the service was very nice. We had a big group that can be difficult to manage, but the staff pulled it off. A view of the house boats on the canal, summer sunset, good drink, good food = a great evening.

We found this lovely spot by accident a few weeks ago, when we were in London. From start to finish, the Summerhouse was really a delightful experience. First indications were good from the minute we walked in– bowls of fresh berries on the bar, an extremely inviting dining room and host. While I knew that it was to mimic a Hamptons atmosphere, I had no idea that it would be so light and airy and literally on the water. From the bleached wood floors to the weathered white furniture, the space evoked a very strong sense of summer (hence the name, I suppose). We languidly sipped cocktails while watching houseboats go by and families of ducks swim up to the restaurant’s edge and rather latently warmed up to the idea of actually ordering some food! We began our meal with the popcorn shrimp. The presentation was whimsical, in little white buckets and the quality was far above the type of popcorn shrimp I used to devour as a child on Florida vacations. I had the swordfish steak sandwich on a very fresh ciabatta roll and my b.f. had the sole. The very respectable wine list included many well-​priced options by the glass and we finished our meals with a lemon tart. Lovely, delicious fare in an idyllic setting. We spoke to the owner/​manager as we exited and discovered he is from Napoli– a place where they obviously know seafood and wine. Brava, Summerhouse!

The website tells you to expect summer salads, crisp rose wine, and the best fish and chips in town. Upon entering the Summerhouse, one could be cheerfully optimistic. The space works (if you pretend not to notice the jumbled bar by the entryway); it’s comfortable, if a bit chilly, and not too pretentious.
We began to get a bit worried almost as soon as we sat down. First, there was almost no one else there. Second, and most important, every member of the staff (bar the french courier waitress who was not allowed to interact with customers it seemed), had an incredibly worried, if not harried expression, despite the lack of a crowd.
We probably should have stuck to the «recommended» menu, but went instead with the summer platter for two (pitta bread accompanied by hummus, taramasalata, and tziki that could’ve come from Tesco), popcorn shrimp (most likely frozen and accompanied by watercress with a dead bug), the summer salad (ok, but still left unfinished), and rocket and parmesan (standard).
Two margarita’s helped, but not much.
Perhaps this pop-​up restaurant (open only from April through October) will improve, otherwise it should pop-​out. Quickly.