Cork-popping pubs

Hands up anyone who has heard of the Trophee Gosset Celebris? Unlikely as it may seem, this is the prize awarded to the British gastropub with the best 'representation of champagne'.

You have to suspect that any gastropub with a long list of exalted fizz but no bottles from Gosset would raise an eyebrow, but the very fact that there is a competition for gastropub champagne lists is a bit of a jaw dropper and tends to confirm the suspicion that many are merely restaurants in disguise.

This year there were three London gastropubs among the 15 finalists in the Gosset trophy, and one of them is the Bridge in Barnes.

This establishment went through the gastrochange a year ago, when the management team of a small and eccentric restaurant called The Odd Spot (on the Hammersmith side of the river - very good puds) ventured south and took over the somewhat seedy Bridge Tavern. Now it is a huge gastropub: there's a large bar, a large lounge area, a large dining room and a large garden. The wine list is a considered one, with some steadily priced bottles including various adventurous New World options. Under champagne there's a choice of five different Gosset champagnes (including the highly acclaimed Celebris Millésime 1995 for £90) plus Bollinger Grand Année and a couple of Proseccos from the Veneto.

Unsurprisingly, the food jars a bit against such a high ticket backdrop. For lunch, the starters range from 'seasonal soup with rustic bread' to salmon Thai fish cakes, pork spring rolls, and giant crab tortellini with champagne sauce and a crisp red pepper and chicory salad - solid pasta, light on crab, sauce heavy on cream and light on champagne --workmanlike rather than inspired. The main courses play safer still: rib eye steak, funky fish fingers, bangers, neeps and mash, pan-fried wild cod, and 'the Bridge burger' - a good burger topped with Emmenthal cheese and a decent tomato chutney, served with good chips and only let down by a rather chewy ciabatta-type roll.

In the evenings, the menu introduces a few more ambitious dishes. The service is friendly and prices are competitive - even that £90 bottle of champagne could be seen as a bargain - but it is difficult to create an atmosphere that is the perfect home for both funky fish fingers and vintage champagne.

204 Castelnau, SW13 (020-8563 9811) Lunch for two with wine, £50

Bridge Tavern
204 Castelnau, SW13 9DW