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You are here: Home / Restaurants / London restaurants / The Bingham – a Sunday lunch review

The Bingham – a Sunday lunch review

by Jeanne Horak on August 26, 2014 10 Comments in London restaurants

BinghamTitleSign © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

It is a truth universally acknowledged that the TW10 postcode in Richmond is more liberally endowed with lovely places to eat than E16, where I live, on the opposite side of London. It is also a truth universally acknowledged that attempting to drive from E16 to Richmond through the centre of London at noon on a sunny Sunday is an endeavour doomed to end in gridlock, frustration, bad language and possibly divorce (or murder).  So before you set off on this epic journey of fifteen-miles-that-seems-like-a-thousand, you’d better be sure you have a good reason to go.  Sunday lunch at The Bingham turned out to be a very good reason indeed.

The Bingham is a restaurant with rooms (or a boutique hotel, depending on your priorities!) tucked away beside the river in Richmond-upon-Thames, just at the start of the hill that leads you down the road to Petersham Nurseries.  I had previously walked past its terrace while walking with friends along the riverbank and wistfully said “that’s where I want my next marriage vow renewal to be”.  The property started life in 1740 as two elegant adjacent Georgian townhouses overlooking the Thames. The name comes from Lady Ann Bingham who rented the properties in 1821 and added a room to link the two properties into one large house.  After falling into disrepair during the 20th century, the property was bought by the current owners in 1984 to operate as a small hotel, and underwent extensive refurbishment in 2006-2008 to turn it into the chic hideaway that it is today.  Apart from the 15 rooms, there is also a cocktail lounge bar, a riverside garden and terrace, and a riverside restaurant, which is where we headed after our journey.  I was keen to try Head Chef Mark Jarvis’s Modern British menu, particularly because he previously worked at two of my favourite restaurants:  Le Manoir Aux Quat’ Saisons and Texture.   On the early Spring day when we visited, the attractive dining room decorated in warm wooden neutrals was flooded with sun from the French doors opening onto the balcony with a view of the river beyond.  Even better – despite our arriving well after 2pm, nobody raised an eyebrow or muttered darkly about kitchens closing… because the Bingham serves Sunday lunch until the very civilised hour of 4pm!

 

BinghamMenu © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamRoom © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamVIew © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamWine © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

Although there is a full a la carte menu available the rest of the week, Sunday lunch is a more intimate affair, comprising three courses and three choices for each course.  Even with a limited choice, I still struggled – everything sounded good enough to order!  Eventually Nick chose the pollock with Jersey Royals, pickled shallots and avocado purée while I settled on the spiced cauliflower risotto with tea-soaked raisins and toasted almonds.  Nick’s dish certainly won the prize for pretty plating – it looked more like an edible sculpture than a starter.  The flavours were as delicate as the colours and I loved those pink pickled shallots. My risotto was quite possibly one of the most unexpectedly wonderful things I have ever eaten.  I have known for a long time that cauliflower and curry spice are a happy match, but it had never occurred to me to put them together in a risotto.  The tea-soaked raisins added a sweet element which some might find odd, but together with the mild curry flavours, it reminded me appealingly of the flavours of South African bobotie.  The added crunch of the toasted almonds completed this truly wonderful dish – a huge winner.

 

BinghamPollock © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamCauliflowerRisotto © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

For mains, Nick decided on the salt marsh lamb with braised cabbage, sweet potatoes and rosemary jus.  The thick chops had obviously been cooked as a rack so as to attain lightly crisped fat while retaining their moist, pink texture on the inside – Nick loved them.  I, on the other hand, can never resist duck and so I ordered the Telmara farm duck leg, kohlrabi, carrot and orange purée.  Once again, I fell deeply, madly in love with this dish.  The duck was crispy on the outside yet fall-apart tender on the inside; and the sweet carrot & orange purée was the perfect foil for the rich meat.  I have a slight obsession with barley, so I adored the barley risotto that it was served with.  A beautifully balanced dish.

 

BinghamLamb © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamDuck © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

Seeing as it was Spring, neither of us could resist the lure of rhubarb for dessert.  Nick went for the Yorkshire rhubarb, white chocolate, pistachio and lemon balm which  arrived on a black plate that threw the vibrant red of the forced rhubarb into sharp relief. He jealously guarded his plate so I never even got a taste of this, but he assures me that the flavours were wonderful together and that the rhubarb tasted as good as it looked.  I had the mascarpone cheesecake with a Yorkshire rhubarb & strawberry sorbet.  This arrived looking almost too pretty to eat, adorned with micro leaves and flowers.  The cheesecake was creamy and rich but beautifully balanced by the tart flavours of the glorious crimson sorbet.  If memory serves, there were also freeze-dried strawberry flakes sprinkled on the plate which added both texture and a spike of concentrated strawberry flavour.  We both thought we’d won the “who picked the best dessert” trophy.

 

BinghamRhubarb © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamCheesecake © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

 

With our espressi came a few petit fours so delicious that I wanted to buy them in bulk to take home with me. The dome-shaped chocolate truffles started melting almost as soon as you touched them, so delicate were they – and so deeply sinful! The madeleines were warm, buttery and addictive; and the little plastic-wrapped salted caramels were gooey sweet/salty perfection.

 

BinghamPetitFourTruffles © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamMadeleines © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

BinghamCaramels © J Horak-Druiff 2014

 

Sunday lunch at the Bingham is served from 12.30-4pm  every Sunday and costs a very reasonable £38  for 3 courses (there is also a childrens 3-course menu £20 for children under the age of 12).  Failing that, breakfast, lunch and dinner are served daily as well as afternoon tea Mon-Sat.  The food was very impressive – confident cooking; clean, well-matched flavours; and beautiful plating.  Staff were knowledgeable about the menu and very charming throughout our visit, and the sunny room itself with people drifting in for late lunches in happy groups made for a supremely relaxing meal.  If you live locally, I’m very, very jealous.  If you don’t  it’s well worth the drive.

 

Liked:   the excellent food, the sunny room, the relaxed serving hours, the value for money
Disliked: that it’s so far from my house 😉
On a scale of 1 to 10: 8.5 

 

DISCLOSURE:  I enjoyed this meal as a guest of The Bingham.  I received no further remuneration to write this post and was not required to write a positive review.  All opinions are my own and I retained full editorial control. 

 

The Bingham
61 – 63 Petersham Road
Richmond-Upon-Thames
Surrey
TW10 6UT

Tel.: +44 (0) 20 8940 0902
E-mail: [email protected]

The Bingham Restaurant & Bar on Urbanspoon

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  1. Ben says

    August 27, 2014 at 9:02 am

    Not bad at all for £38, would be hard pushed to find that in Shanghai. I am always complaining how it’ so difficult to find value here, wish I was back in the UK.

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      August 28, 2014 at 3:56 pm

      Although you can dine very expensively in London, every now and again you come across a set menu like this that is really good value for money. How long have you been in Shanghai?

      Reply
  2. Tami says

    August 27, 2014 at 1:15 pm

    Your pictures made my mouth water. What a lovely eatery! 🙂 xx

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      August 28, 2014 at 3:55 pm

      Thanks, darlin! It was such a memorable meal 🙂

      Reply
  3. Camilla @FabFood4All says

    August 27, 2014 at 2:36 pm

    I just saw Bingham’s pop up restaurant at the BBC Good Food Festival at Hampton Court on Sunday and hadn’t realised they were from Richmond. My sister and mother have been raving about this place to me as they are often walking along the river by Petersham Nursery. Lucky you to have such an exquisite meal – those petit fours have me salivating too Jeanne:-)

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      August 28, 2014 at 3:53 pm

      How lucky that your mom and sister live close by! They are raving with a reason – definitely persuade them to take you there next time you visit 😉 The petit fours were some of the best I’ve had.

      Reply
  4. Becca @ Amuse Your Bouche says

    August 27, 2014 at 2:40 pm

    Looks absolutely lovely! Beautiful photos 🙂

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      August 28, 2014 at 3:52 pm

      Thank you! It was a truly lovely meal.

      Reply
  5. Jude says

    August 27, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    I dread leaving Brittany every summer, but the thought of a Sunday lunch at the Bingham is enticing. You have made it sound so appealing, I have eaten midweek with friends and loved it. Now I’ll book an Autumn Sunday, and it’s within walking distance! Yay, if you have to live in London then TW10 is pretty fab, I hope you’ll make it over again, for some of the other great restaurants. Jude x

    Reply
    • Jeanne says

      August 28, 2014 at 3:52 pm

      I won’t lie to you – things were pretty stressed in the car by the time we arrived, what with the nightmare traffic and nearly 2 hour drive… but the room and the ambience and the lovely food made all the tensions melt away. You are so lucky to live within walking distance!

      Reply
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Jeanne Horak is a freelance food and travel writer; recipe developer and photographer. South African by birth and Londoner by choice, Jeanne has been writing about food and travel on Cooksister since 2004. She is a popular speaker on food photography and writing has also contributed articles, recipes and photos to a number of online and print publications. Jeanne has also worked with a number of destination marketers to promote their city or region. Please get in touch to work with her Read More…

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