The Bingham

[Matthew Grant]

Friends suggested lunch at the Bingham yesterday after they had enjoyed a couple of visits and I was glad I joined them

My starter of butternut squash soup with cep ravioli, wild mushrooms and sherry jelly looked beautiful and most importantly passed the taste test with flying colours, hardly needing the ravioli or wild mushrooms though they certainly weren’t out of place, the sherry jelly adding a nice note to the dish. Red leg partridge with sprout tops, wild mushroom spatzle and cauliflour puree was again on the money though I would have liked to see a more pronounced saucing. There was a pleasing bitterness to the brussel tops and the spatzle served on the side was excellent. I finished with a plated cheese course which was acceptable but weren’t necessarily the best British cheeses I have tasted. Elsewhere on the table everybody plumped for the quail with beetroot tarte fine and a port reduction, again it looked lovely but I didn’t get a chance to get my hands on any, wild mushroom risotto was served with a Madeira jelly laid over the top with puffed rice and a truffle emulsion. Hake which is not a fish I necessarily enjoy came with salsify, chestnut and a Jerusalem artichoke tortellini. I managed to grab a mouthful of the Hazlenut Marquis which left me wishing I had gone for that or at least persuaded the other half to let me have half! 

Overall it was a lovely lunch, certainly enough to encourage me to return for an ALC meal. I imagine the dining room which overlooked the Thames, would be lovely in the summer when you could sit on the balcony. £26 for 3 courses was more than reasonable given the standard of cooking.

[david goodfellow]

We too had an excellent meal last year at The Bingham just after chef Shay Cooper won his Michelin star. Very good chef and thoroughly nice bloke. Wanted badly to post a review but time ran out due to other stuff. Still if anyone's interested I will dig the photos out and post them here.

The location is superb, little wonder their wedding business is booming.

[Harters]

I went in 2008, not long after they'd opened. It was a cracking meal - sweetened even further by a 50% TopTable deal.

Much, much, better than the usual solo dining I manage on my trips to the National Archives.

[Culinista]

Thanks for this post. I'm pretty embarrassed that I have not gotten around to going there, despite the fact I can see it from my house and I've seen suckling pig mentioned several times on the menu. I eat out so much that when possible I just stay home. It's quite popular among the locals, which is surprising. Richmond folk usually abominate anyone who tries a bit harder.

I'll correct the oversight as soon as possible.