Have a Butcher's at this

They've gone and done it: Chelsea Football Club - or Chew-sea, as the footballers' wives might say - are the cham-pee-ons of Eng-er-land, and unless you're an Arsenal fan, or can't read (or both), you'll probably be aware that this occurred in their centenary year.
Part of the club's centenary celebrations include an all-singing, all-dancing stadium gig this Saturday afternoon with a line-up expected to include Lemar, Jamelia, Liberty X, someone called Nathan and (be still my beating heart) Jenny Frost.

The football club was founded in rooms above the Rising Sun pub, directly opposite Stamford Bridge stadium. The pub was probably furnished with spittoons and frequented by hookers and ne'er-do-wells, but today it displays bay leaves and sun-dried tomatoes, and a clientele of Sloaney wannabees and posh Chelski fans.

The Butcher's Hook - it's rhyming slang for look - sounds like a name one of the major pub chains might give to a footie pub, which it is on match days and before stadium gigs. But this is an independent operation that manages to lead an altogether more sedentary life for the rest of the year, bringing a touch of class, plenty of style and new, high levels of hospitality to Fulham folk.

The large, ground-floor room of this contemporary and elegant, brasserie-style operation is neatly partitioned into two seated areas (one non-smoking), smartly decorated in a gentle green hue and decked out with old-fashioned dining furniture. A high, long butcher's block provides additional seating near the bar area and runs almost the full length of the room, while a smartly accoutred, semi-open kitchen occupies the corner.

Football lagers are on tap - Stella Artois, Carlsberg and Kronenbourg - as are Greene King's fine ales. The wine list is lengthy and esoteric to the point that it ignores familiar names, but if you pass on the lamentable house white offering, La Croix (£11), there are 10 of each colour in the under-£20 bracket. Worth a punt are the 2003 Chilean Palena cabernet sauvignon (£14.50), and the 2003 Michel Laroche unoaked chardonnay (France, £16.50).

But it's the food that's the big draw, and the extensive menu of modern British fare offers all manner of uncomplicated dishes that the masses want to eat. I pitched up for lunch one day and enjoyed a skewer of succulent tuna chunks over a Nicoise salad (£5.50) and returned again that evening with my mate to happily graze over barbecued beef ribs with French beans, potato wedges and a tomato and onion salad (£9.25).

I'm looking forward to going back because I'm a sucker for tip-top service and reasonably priced, quality fare. The atmosphere is romantically subdued, but this makes The Butcher's Hook a venue suitable for all ages and tastes.

The Butchers Hook
477 Fulham Road, SW6 1HL