The
Bingham, Richmond-upon-Thames
Louise Elgin's trip to SW suburbia was definitely worth it!
If
the exact address of Mole and Ratty
(of Wind in the Willows fame) were
known, I expect it would have been
at Richmond Upon Thames. For here
lies an exceptionally beautiful part
of the river, where I dined in a
perfect setting on a rare balmy spring
evening recently.
The
Bingham is predominately an exclusive
boutique hotel that opens its doors
to diners in the evenings. Its chic
and plush interior cleverly combines
an art deco style with classic Georgian
architecture. There’s a rather slick
bar serving all sorts of cocktails,
and an elegant and spacious dining
room complete with large French windows
leading directly onto a heated terrace.
Here one can enjoy the river in all
its glory.
The
restaurant’s menu is fairly short
and concise, with a choice of five
starters and six main courses. To
begin, amongst others, there was
Foie Gras served with fig chutney,
mature stilton and carrot soufflé,
and a chilled courgette and mint
soup. I began with a plate of rare,
blue fin tuna, served with aubergine,
kiwi and balsamic strawberries. The
tuna was beautifully tender, yet
I couldn’t help feeling it was a
rather odd marriage of tastes and
flavours. Our other choice, monkfish
tempura medallions, served with a
gribiche sauce was a real corker!
As pretty as a picture, with wonderfully
light poppy seed tempura batter,
giving way to succulent fish beautifully
seasoned, with a delightful tarragon
flavour. We shared a bottle of Marlborough
unoaked Chardonnay, Kim Crawford,
New Zealand, 2003; this was smooth
and rich with pleasant buttery overtones.
To
follow, choices included a risotto
of crab served with tempura and asparagus,
red mullet with goat’s cheese and
aubergine clafoutis, or halibut with
a herb and walnut crust on buttered
salsifi. My guest chose an Angus
fillet steak served with Camembert
cheese and plum and rocket salad.
The presentation was stylish; the
meat tender and the overall flavours
well matched. My cannon of lamb served
with rosemary mash and figs was pure
comfort food on a plate, a generous
helping, and as with everything served
it was well cooked using fresh, good
quality ingredients.
To
finish there was a choice of four
puddings or a selection of French
cheeses. We tried the fig bread and
butter pudding served with praline
ice-cream. This was a little disappointing,
the pudding’s consistency rather
too dry, and the ice-cream too
sweet. Our other choice, a trio of
chocolate was every dietician’s nightmare
but tasted spot on. Served beautifully
on a rectangular plate this was a
wonderful melange of tastes and flavours
consisting of a sorbet, soufflé and
deeply rich fondant. All were wonderfully
rich and no doubt highly calorific,
but we weren’t in the mood to care!
The
Bingham is a little gem really worth
searching out. Next time the weather’s
good leave London’s urban jungle
behind and discover this little piece
of paradise on the river.
Louise
Elgin. June 2005
Starters
from £6.00
Mains from £12.00
Puddings from £6.50
Wines from £14.00
Dinner for two with a bottle of wine
about £50 a head.
The
Bingham
61-63 Petersham Road, Richmond Surrey
Tel: 0208 940 0902
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