We Love Local: The Tommy Tucker
Tell us a little bit about The Tommy Tucker?
The Tommy Tucker is an 80-seater pub in a great corner site, located 2 minutes walk from Fulham Broadway station in a tucked-away residential road. With an excellent food and drink offering and inspired by the traditional London boozer we all know and love, we hope to create a local gem.
Why have you decided to open The Tommy Tucker? What was the inspiration behind it?
It has been largely inspired and driven by the success of our first ventures, Amuse Bouche Champagne Bar and Claude's Kitchen and we were keen to open something else in the neighbourhood we love. We are all fans of a good old pub and felt there was room in the market to create something that was neither a 'gastro pub' nor a drinking den. We hope that the Tommy Tucker will be the ultimate local for today's tastes and SW London's discerning clientele.
What do you think will make The Tommy Tucker unique?
The Tommy Tucker will be a unique approach to the traditional pub, built on Claude's clever and colourful cooking which has been critically acclaimed for its originality and never fails to surprise, and Amuse Bouche's award-winning drinks list. Uniquely, we have also built a wine cellar for enthusiastic locals to store and sell their own wines, encouraging our customers to become part of the place.
What kind of atmosphere can patrons expect when coming into The Tommy Tucker?
With the stressful lives most people live, we understand that people want to relax and unwind in an informal and fun environment underpinned by the reassurance of seamless, expert service. Where possible, our ethos has always been to bring in friends to work within the business which, in turn has created a fun, relaxed atmosphere which is passed down to the floor. The 'Enid Blyton high-jinks' of the team has been noted by many a critic.
What kind of food can people expect?
We believe the ultimate pub for today should bridge the very best of a relaxed drinking hole with hearty classics on the menu (with the finesse of an award-winning restaurant in terms of seamless service). The Tommy Tucker will achieve this through its unique and versatile interpretation of a pub menu with a focus on local produce and adventurous drinks offering.
Do you have a favourite from the new menu yet?
That’s a difficult one - the smoked beef shortrib and sandeels have been going down very well so far with the staff!
At Douglas & Gordon, we love local. Why do you love Fulham?
Each of us has lived in SW6 for years and love being part of the community here. It is often described as a 'village' and that is how it feels. You can't walk 10 minutes usually without seeing an old friend or supplier. In fact we have bought push scooters for our staff so they can run around quicker during the day. We are also lucky enough to have the most incredible award winning family butcher HG Walters down the road who supplies our meat, and our wine suppliers Vagabonds, who is just a scooter ride away if we ever want a special bottle of something.
Do you have any favourite spots around Fulham?
HG Walters (the most fantastic butchers located next to Barons Court Tube) and Vagabonds (independent wine shop in Fulham Broadway) we have already mentioned, and you can grab a very good coffee and breakfast at Hally's in Parsons Green.
Do you have something special planned for your opening in January?
We are launching our 'Sunday Tuck Board' menu where we will buy a whole animal, draw it on the blackboard, and customers can order cuts for their table and carve themselves if they wish. Once a cut is bought it will be rubbed out on the board so customers know what there is left to order. This plays very much into our idea of educating people about the meat they eat and underlines our ethos for using only the freshest ingredients.
The Tommy Tucker has gotten together with Douglas & Gordon in the celebration of all things local. To find out more about their opening, visit tommytucker.com