Lunch in Richmond

We’re in Richmond on a Xmas shopping expedition. I have researched some places for lunch, so we cut off the shopping street down a quiet alley and go towards the St Mary Magdalene church to look at La Buvette.  The menu looks interesting (French obvs), and the place charming. A passer-by says it is really good, but we decide against because there’s an office Xmas party in full flow, complete with speeches!

 

So we head down to the river and stop off for a drink at Jackson & Rye.  It’s an attractive bar/café with lovely views from the window seats, but as we’re only having a drink we are sat further back. We peruse the menu – American accented, with egg and pancake options, New England chowder, Cajun spiced chicken and of course steaks.  It’s unusual but not quite hitting the spot, so we decide to press on to the third option – and to return here if that’s no good.

 

The third option, near the end of Richmond Bridge, is Chez Lindsay, also French.  It doesn’t look very open, but I try the door and we go in.  It’s quite a surprise, because past the small front area and the bar there is a bright open room with picture windows facing down to the river.  Sadly there are also some ugly buildings in the way. We get a seat by the window, although alongside us there is a table laid for 12.

 

From the very reasonably priced wine list we order a bottle of Viognier at £23, then order our food and some very nice bread arrives.  The party of 12 then arrives – senior gentlemen, the eldest of whom claims to be 80, greeting the waitress like long lost friends. It’s not clear what the relationship is.  They apologise for making a noise, and we are offered the chance to move to another table, but in fact they’re not too bad at all.

 

For starters, B has the salad de magret – several excellent slices of lightly smoked duck. My moules “St Malo” are also really good, in a light white wine and cream sauce that begs to be soaked up with bread – though I manage to resist.  For main course B chooses the Galette aux Fruits de Mer, which comes topped with a langoustine – perhaps too much sauce.  My king scallops “St Jacques” comes with lentils and rocket, and is very good indeed.  We also order some frites and a tomato and onion salad.

 

Service has been good throughout, apart from a slight delay for the first course. But just as well we were ahead of the big group.  With a second bottle of Viognier and 12.5% service, the total comes to just over £110, which is pretty reasonable.

September to November

Round up – September  to November.

Hutong @ Shard:  As a party of 6, we were sat away from window – go in a smaller group. The set meal was disappointing – good monkfish and sweetcorn soup, followed by fair dims um; but badly let down by the main course. The deal was 9 dishes - a con, as that included the rice and it seemed the lettuce wrap.  And they were pretty ordinary – chicken and cashew nuts in the lettuce wrap, duck with rice.  We ordered 2 desserts between us, including weird black sesame dumpling. Others report the a la carte as good, so maybe give that a go. The wine list had suitably sky-high prices, so we had 4 bottles of rose @ £45, taking the £35 set lunch up to £80 a head

Senor Ceviche, in Kingly Court, off Regent Street: our second visit, was as good as the first but we had an almost identical choice of 6 dishes, as we wouldn’t have wanted the others. Free vegetarian slider (“sanguchitos”)  to begin (as they were new to the menu),  pork belly and mixed fried squid, prawn and cod; two ceviches, one salmon, the other sea bream and king prawn; chicken skewer and flat-iron steak.  First time we had black beans too,  All good, and very filling. With 2 bottles and 2 glasses of Sauvignon Blanc plus 12.5% service this comes to £122 for the two of us.

Da Mario, Endell St, Covent Garden: second visit to this homely Italian. All the classics done well, with fish specials. £300 for six including just 10% service added.

Bacco, Holborn. A more sophisticated Italian, but still very friendly service.  I had the tuna carpaccio and the pork belly, which were both good. 3 bottles of house wine at £19 between four of us took the bill to £200 including 12.5% - good value.

Riverside Cantonese, Cardiff:  it’s match day, and we’ve left it late to book, so we end up at this Chinese in a less than salubrious area.  I was very pleased and surprised to find it was a buzzing and smartish.  We had a selection of starters (missed the dim sum menu) and a couple of mains. £93 for two, with own choice of tip added.

Ben Thanh, Twickenham. Another match day but this time have booked early - only to find no-one else there when we arrive.  This small Vietnamese restaurant is fairly basic, but the staff were friendly and obliging. The four of us shared the platter to start – Vietnamese rolls, fried squid, pork and chicken satay.  The ladies had noodles with beef or chicken, while the chaps both went for Phô, the noodle soup – meatballs or king prawn.  The meatballs were not a hit, but the rest of the meal was good.  Three bottles of quite a nice NZ SB @ £17.80 took the total for 4 to just £110 before tip.

House of Hô, Old Compton St (website is the Percy St branch). Another Vietnamese and four of us again, but different friends this time.  Starters include soft shell crab and seafood ceviche; mains lemongrass chicken and shaking beef. Also two desserts and 3 bottles of SB at £24. With 12.5% this comes to £205 for four.  Much more sophisticated place, in centre of Soho, so maybe that’s fair enough.