Outsider Tart, Chiswick

Outsider Tart on Chiswick High Road, W4: 'outsiders' as in the two guys who started it moved from the US to London (and also a play on Outsider art, perhaps?). Noticing that there wasn't, at the time, any decent American-style cakes or desserts, they set about opening Outsider Tart. Originally baking in a kitchen at Frith St, Soho and selling at farmers markets on the weekend, they moved to a new shop in 2009; they still sell at some farmers markets, though.

The shop front.

Some products on the counter. Brownies in the foreground, sausage rolls (vegetarian; turkey; pork) in the background. There is space for six people to sit inside and enjoy some of the baked goods, food and a bottle of Jones Soda. Most of the people coming in when we were there were taking things away.

Raspberry layer cake. I think it was raspberry, anyway. We didn't try it, but it goes for around £3 for a huge slice. Next time.

Chocolate buttons, for baking. As well as oodles of desserts, there is a considerable wealth of baking supplies available, and also American groceries (at eye-poppingly inflated, transatlantic-shipped prices).

'Outsider Tart' tote bag.

Pulled pork in ciabatta (£6). Pork shoulder, cooked for seven and a half to eight hours, then easily forked apart. Incredibly tasty, especially compared to the travesty that is the version at Bodean's. The bread is also a huge success. At first glance, I thought the ciabatta would overwhelm the filling, but this was no ordinary ciabatta. Wonderfully chewy and considerably crispy, exhibiting the freshness of the bread.

Another angle of the sandwich. It was huge, by the way. Well worth the six pounds paid for it.

Whoopie pie with peanut butter filling (£3). Cupcakes are "so 2009" apparently; whoopie pies are the big thing in 2010, with Outsider Tart as one of the pioneers of them in London. See also: Hummingbird Bakery (where they are smaller and not as good). There were three varieties on offer when we went in: the peanut butter filling, original (buttercream) filling and a carrot cake whoopie pie. We tried the peanut butter and carrot cake, missing out on the original as it had sold out. The peanut butter filled whoopie pie was moist and the filling was perfectly judged, with just enough sweetness. The bits of chopped peanuts added a nice crunch. The carrot cake whoopie pie was also a triumph in baking. A well made carrot cake sandwiching a just-sour-enough filling. These are as good, if not better, than the Wicked Whoopies I had in Freeport, Maine last summer.

Kahlua and pecan chocolate brownie (£2.50). The texture was perfect: crispy top, soft and gooey filling. The chopped pecan nuts delivering an earthiness to compliment the hints of coffee from the Kahlua, which didn't taste boozy at all. A really good brownie, but it was overly greasy to be honest. Look at that brown paper bag - it's like it was carrying a Philly Cheesesteak or something.

For anyone who is a fan of good service, great baking and American classics, Outsider Tart is a must-visit. Go get a pulled pork sandwich if they have it - the food changes depending on what they feel like making -  an A&W root beer (£1.50 for a can), a whoopie pie and chat to the lovely staff. A great way to spend an afternoon.

Note: They should get some IBC Root Beer in to make me even happier with the place, but that's an aside.

Outsider Tart

83 Chiswick High Road

Chiswick

London

W4 2EF

Franco Manca, Chiswick

Lucky Chiswick? Perhaps that is the case, as the residents of W4 can now claim to have an outpost of probably the best Neapolitan pizza London has to offer. Along with Ground the dining-out scene is looking very promising, with the second branch of Franco Manca offering locals a taste of their now famous sourdough pizzas.

My pizza was not without fault, carrying on the inconsistencies I experienced at the Brixton original. I ordered the number 6: a Neapolitan marinara (£4.50) which consisted of their signature sourdough base topped with tomatoes, garlic and oregano. I decided to forego the addition of buffalo mozzarella due to a recent decision to cut out all dairy and in all honesty, the flavour of the pizza wasn't lacking in any way because of this. The sauce was, well, very tomatoey and well seasoned. The oregano and garlic (rather harsh) adding to the complexity, while the three or four leaves of fresh basil on top rounded things off. In terms of taste, it was a little bit like a pizza with za'atar on top, with some tomato sauce. Not necessarily a bad thing, if you like the flavours.

My main problem with the pizza was regarding the base which is usually a contentious issue among visitors to Franco Manca. This is usually due to the thinness of the pizza dough at the centre which causes the crisp underside to go soggy when the watery mozzarella is added. With no cheese on my pizza, this was not an issue, but the centre of the pizza was far too thick and was subsequently slightly undercooked. It seems the pizzaiolo could have been doing this to combat the sogginess issues, although it was slightly odd.

To drink I chose a large lemonade (at £3.60, almost as much as the pizza!) which was pleasant and tangy, but too large and too expensive; more expensive than I remember it being, anyway. This brought my bill to £9 including the service (already put on) which isn't bad for a pizza of this high quality, but a little too much for a weekday lunch. The room is much larger and has better opening times for those who cannot get to Brixton between 12pm and 5pm, from Monday to Saturday. This branch is open from 12pm till 11pm every day. The service was fine although I wasn't informed of any specials and the waitresses understandably looked a little bored, unlike the servers at Brixton whose movement would make a Premiership striker proud.

This is fast food. Unless you have a long wait for a seat, you'll be done fairly quickly; I was done in around fifteen minutes, due to the speed at which my pizza was cooked and the emptiness of the restaurant, unlike it's Brixton counterpart. It will get busier, and it deserves to, despite some early niggles and I'll definitely be back soon.