Tag Archives: Richmond

No.1 Duke St, Richmond

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Richmond is an area of London that is perfect for lovely walks, welcoming pubs and family eateries, but never before have I visited a stylish café that I feel suits my needs. No.1 Duke Street is an elegant neighborhood bar and restaurant offering irresistible breakfast dishes, lunch classics, and dinner feasts. Alternatively you can pop in for a quick coffee or cocktail to relax after shopping in town, or walking round the green.

I visited on a gloriously sunny Sunday morning with all my family in tow. Despite the abundance of space (there is even a private floor upstairs) the main dining room was packed and we were lucky to find a table on the front terrace. Before I looked at the menu, I ran in to admire the instagram-friendly décor – white walls, worn wooden tables and plenty of pretty plants. Unsurprisingly, the interiors are photographed as much as the food.

The breakfast menu features a long list of morning favourites and a few imaginative additions. My brothers were immediately won over by the No.1 House Breakfast – sourdough toast with poached or scrambled eggs, accompanied by dry cured streaky bacon, pork and sage sausages, slow roast tomatoes and field mushrooms. The less greedy end of the table (!) settled for Blueberry ricotta pancakes with maple crème fraiche and syrup, Breakfast sourdough bruschetta with roast tomatoes, spinach, avocado, dry cured bacon and breakfast mayo, and No.1 Eggs Benedict with honey roast ham, avocado and spinach on sourdough with housemade hollandaise.

Fresh juices and strong (Caravan) coffees arrived to quench our thirst, before the morning feast was delivered. After copious photos of the photogenic spread I set about tasting each dish. Despite the simplicity, my favourite dish was the light and fluffy pancakes served with a dollop of sweet crème fraiche and topped with plump blueberries. I also loved the crusty farmhouse-style sourdough bread that comes toasted with many of the dishes. No.1 Duke St work hard to offer ingredients that are high quality and taste great, the meat was all butcher standard and the sauces are freshly made in house. Needless to say, silence fell over the table as the group devoured the delicious food.

Though I now live in South London I am often visiting family in West London and it is wonderful to find new venues that I am excited about visiting in this part of town. Next on my list to visit is the sister establishment, No.197 Chiswick Fire Station, which has also been receiving rave reviews.

More information and book a table at No.1 Duke St. here.

Rocky Horror Show, Richmond Theatre

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There really is no other musical like it – Rocky Horror has a cult fan base that passionately support it wherever it goes. Richmond Theatre was looking glitzier than ever last week as an assorted bunch in sequins and silk excitedly arrived for their favourite show.

Here anything goes… shouting at the stage is permitted, phones are switched on for props and singing along is wholeheartedly encouraged! Even the grumpiest of visitors can’t help but toe-tap, sing and dance.

I first saw the glistening body of Oliver Thornton in Priscilla Queen on the Desert (he starred as Felicia for three years in the original cast at the Palace Theatre) needless to say he has a knack for playing transvestites. But there is more to Oliver than his impressive physique, with a training in dance, vocal versatility and wonderful comic timing, he was made to play this part. With legendary Philip Franks as narrator and soapstar Roxanne Pallett as Janet, the rest of the cast are equally impressive.

Our performance was BSL interpreted for the hearing impaired, which I thought would be a distraction but in fact was a fabulous additional entertainment by the very talented Paul, sadly no second name was given in the programme. Dressed in a black lace corset and panties, he had buckets of swagger and charisma.

This eccentric show is addictive and this production does not disappoint. So dig out your fishnets and make sure you learn the words prior to attending!

Continues until 2 November in theatres around the contact, more information here.

The Bingham restaurant, Richmond

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We both had a nightmare journey getting to the Bingham. My poor friend and her broken sat-nav got completely lost in Surrey suburbia while I battled with a horribly aggressive taxi driver, who insisted on getting out of his car and shouting at me as I ran to the hotel doors. I was relieved to be greeted by the smiling Bingham staff, who escorted me gently to the lounge and blazing log fire. Externally the Bingham Hotel has a low profile, this sophisticated Georgian Townhouse could easily be mistaken for a private property. Inside, there is a quiet buzz of activity as guests and visitors enjoy the comforting surroundings. I rested as I waited for the other distressed member of my lunch party.

Almost half an hour later than our original booking time and we were finally ready to go… we apologised profusely though the waiters seemed completely unfazed and instead offered warm welcomes and a lovely corner table overlooking the restaurant.

The smart light and airy dining room is luxuriously appointed with wooden flooring and French windows revealing a lovely al fresco balcony for summer… this stunning room raised our expectations. This restaurant once had a Michelin star, but two years ago lost it for no apparent reason, and in 2012 failed to regain it, again without explanation. We wondered why throughout our lunch.

Guests can choose between the reasonable but restricted market menu, the six course tasting menu or the a la carte. Interested by the variety in the a la carte, we both chose this option. Chef Shay Cooper uses the freshest seasonal ingredients to create irresistible Modern British cuisine and we thought this was best exemplified in the full menu.

To start:

Venison tartare with preserved vegetable salad, foie gras mousse, horseradish creme fraiche

Winter vegetable salad with crispy onions, organic leaves, goats curd, walnut vinaigrette

For main:

Cornish Stone Bass with braised endive, artichoke, glazed salsify, potato gnocchi, bergamot lemon, mushroom vinaigrette

Saddle of rabbit with grilled pear, cured ham, smoked celeriac, braised rabbit, truffle sauce

To finish:

Selection of British and Continental cheeses

Mascarpone Mousse with candied pistachios, espresso ice cream, hot valrhona chocolate sauce

Salted Butter Caramel with apple compote, cider cream, bitter chocolate vanilla ice cream

After a delicious vegetarian mousse amuse bouche we decided to leave the bread, avoiding the risk of becoming too full to enjoy the meal. Service was professional but relaxed and very efficient throughout. Our waiter seemed to possess impressive expert knowledge on all of the food and wines. The dishes were presented in an incredibly clean and attractive way, and thanks to the natural daylight in the restaurant each plate really did look beautiful.

The Winter salad was one of the best I’ve ever tried… a variety of different colours, textures and tastes make what could be a very boring choice into an imaginative feast of flavour. The soft creamy goats curd was matched with crunchy leaves and sweet caramelised vegetables, every mouthful was different. The venison was carefully arranged with the other components, green lettuce and pink onion adding colour, another artistic masterpiece.

Mains were the perfect size, both wholesome, well balanced dishes. The delicate and light Stone Bass was served with a variety of subtly flavoured vegetables to avoid overpowering the fish and a rich and creamy gnocchi cheese on the side for eating with the fish or separately afterwards. The rabbit was exquisite, wrapped in Iberico ham and precisely cooked so that the rabbit was tender but the ham was crispy and almost caramelised. The grilled pear was a surprisingly delicious addition to the dish and the truffle sauce added a touch of extra indulgence.

After a round of the best cheeses to share, from the Teddington Cheese shop up the road, it was time for puddings. The list of sweet options all sounded so tempting that it took some time to choose our final two… and even then we promised we’d share. Interestingly we both had our favourites… for me the clear winner was the salted butter caramel, a wicked dessert with an odd but brilliant mix of flavours. The chocolate salted caramel disc in the centre was soft and buttery and worked well with the acidic apple compote and the sweet cider cream. Definitely in my top three desserts I’ve eaten, ever. The mascarpone mousse was completely unique and faultlessly tasty too. Hot chocolate sauce is poured over the hard chocolate casing to melt a piercing hole. The light creamy mousse is mixed indulgently with the chocolate, and the nuts add a bit of exotic crunch.

With our strong coffees we received a final plate of treats… tiny heavenly handmade petit fours: macaroons, bailey truffles and fruit jellies.

The Bingham restaurant is better than many 2 Michelin star restaurants I have eaten in and I feel completely baffled by the board’s decision to withdraw the one star. This eatery deserves the highest recognition for offering the finest food, a magnificent menu and exemplary service. I would recommend this restaurant to even the fussiest foodies and the meanest critics.
More information here.

www.thebingham.co.uk