Restaurant review, The Hampshire Hog, King Street, London.

The Hampshire Hog is not, as you might expect, a country pub. It is in what is called Chiswick borders, west London – admittedly, one of the leafier enclaves in the city, but nowhere near Hampshire.

Mind you, the people who own it used to run The Engineer in Primrose Hill, an area so ritzy the nearest an engineer came to it was when that dear little Polish chap popped round to fix the neighbour's Bose sound system. So much for names.

The journey from NW1 to W6 was not a happy one: after 17 years serving good food in a convivial atmosphere to celebs and swanky types, Tamsin Olivier and Abigail Osborne were unceremoniously removed by the landlords (who wanted to take the space into their 1,000-strong branded portfolio). There was a Facebook petition and lots of anger from regulars – some famous – but that's where it ended.

Luckily, this bit of London is not short of prosperous foodies. They're also well served – everything from experimental (Hedone) to classic (La Trompette) aren't far, and the streets around King Street and Chiswick High Road are a gastropub ticklist. But strolling into the Hog on a warm Saturday evening, something of the special vibe of The Engineer has travelled with the crew. It feels like an urban country pub, if that makes sense. Mismatched furniture and soft lighting make the large space welcoming.

The staff seem to be having a whale of a time, which is good to see on a busy weekend. One gripe: our waiter has a V-neck T-shirt cut so low you can see the hair reaching down almost to his navel – makes you wish for one of those factory hairnets to be fashioned into a chest cover.

Read more at http://www.independent.co.uk