We dined at the restaurant of Bingham Riverhouse, a smart townhouse hotel in Richmond, on a Friday evening.
As the name suggests, the super-trendy establishment is literally on the Thames and can be accessed by boat as well as by road. The floor to ceiling windows gave us a glimpse of the riverside garden that must be the perfect place for lunch on a sunny day, or a wedding reception.
Stylishly decorated with contemporary art, the dining room is light and spacious, and on that evening, packed with well-heeled diners who looked like regulars.
Atmosphere, the most elusive ingredient of successful restaurants, was reminiscent of an affluent country club.
My companion opted for the LAMB SWEETBREADS, swede, heritage radish, wild rocket and mint sauce starter; I, for the PORK TERRINE,mustard puree, pickled Thai shallots, cucumber, watercress & red mustard frills.
The home-baked sourdough bread deserves a special mention here and is well worth trying, even if you are on a no-carbs diet.
Lamb sweetbreads are not an easy dish to get right as they tend toward the bland taste. The balance of the sauce and accompanying vegetables was, therefore, critical and achieved triumphantly, even if my companion failed to correctly identify swede and radish.
The pork terrine had a lovely crust about it and the Thai shallots gave it a nice zing, as did the mustard frills.
I had a glass of Piquepoul Rosé, a fresh and uncomplicated wine with a slight hint of sweetness from the South of France.
The main courses were
GUINEA FOWL, Jerusalem artichoke, trompette mushrooms, sprouts, prunes, and earl grey tea sauce for my companion
and
BEEF SIRLOIN with bone marrow, yeast puree, celeriac fondants, roasted pear, black kale and Madeira sauce for me.
Both dishes arrived as a surprise package, under a canopy of large green leaves that revealed boned morsels of poultry for him and perfectly cooked rare beef fillet slices for me.
So excellent was the earl grey tea sauce, which I’d never encountered before, that my companion requested an extra helping of it.
My beef dish was off the scale delicious, with the yeast puree giving it that extra special umami taste and the bone marrow adding richness to it, all of it nicely rounded by the sweetness of the Madeira and roasted pear.
I opted for a glass of house red, which lasted me well into my last course, a selection of English cheeses, the latter perfectly well-curated to include a couple of staple favourites and some interesting novel choices.
My companion had the BITTER CHOCOLATE, white balsamic strawberries, mint meringue and wild strawberry sorbet. The thin strip of not so bitter chocolate infused with bits of sweet strawberry was yummy and an absolute winner.
Service was relaxed and staff attentive without even a soupçon of obtrusiveness; the feel good factor effortless.
Much recommended for a meal away from the hustle and bustle of Central London, especially if you have the luxury of arriving by boat and appreciating both garden and views.
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