Open seven days a week for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner
An excursion to Richmond is always a welcome one. You feel like you’ve left the hustle and bustle of London behind for green loveliness but you’re not too far out of the London comfort zone. So it was with a happy heart that I made my way to the Petersham Hotel one Friday afternoon with an equally enthusiastic Richmond-loving friend. However, our first impressions of the dining room were sadly uninspiring. You would think with a good bit of boutique action nearby, in the form of other groovy boltholes like The Bingham, The Petersham would have upped its game on the decor front. But no. It’s all terribly beige, and not in a Kelly-Hoppen-taupe-furnishings-and-stone-vases way, but in a stuck-at-the-wrong-end-of-the-Seventies way. Ah well, at least the views are good, we agreed, as we settled into our corner table by the window.
Further consolation came in the form of a perfect Bloody Mary and a half bottle of Sancerre. We were looked after beautifully and decided that it could in fact be the ideal place to come with older relatives who weren’t fussed about the beige. Our hopes were high for the food, too, as chef Alex Bentley is of the Michelin-starred variety and at the beginning of the meal we were brought tiny, gorgeously intense mushroom veloute cappuccini that we could have drunk gallons of. But, while I won’t say things were a disaster, from thereon they weren’t exactly tip-top either.
Our starters of home-cured mackerel and oyster beignet with beetroot risotto and ballotine of foie gras with pistachio and green peppercorns were pretty and pleasing, but our mains, while equally attractive on the plate, seemed to have been put together with a little less care and consideration in the taste department. A delicate sea bass had its flavour completely erased by the smoked aubergine it was resting on. My fillet of grilled dorade was on the dry side and the accompanying white bean and piquillo pepper stew failed to come together in a melting medley as it should have done and was instead vinegary and undercooked. A tarte tatin was more sweetly satisfying, although a good vanilla ice-cream would have worked better than the cinnamon one that tasted vaguely of Dentyne.
On leaving we noticed a wall of celebrity photos, informing us that a host of stars from Trevor McDonald to Micha Barton had visited the hotel over the years so we at least departed with smiles on our faces. The Petersham is fabulously located and has a grand, welcoming presence. A few stylish touches to the bar and dining room, and perhaps a make-under with some of the dishes, would go down a treat and could have us returning one day for Bloody Marys and the spectacular view.
Meal for two, with drinks, around £75.
