Restaurants

Small, unshowy and on a heavily trafficked bend on the main road to Kingston Bridge, Rocksons is barely noticeable as you head for the river. But the warm service, good food and general atmosphere make it worth a visit. A starter of seared king scallops was small but exquisitely prepared, while the leek and wild mushroom risotto still had a little nuttiness and came drizzled with porcini oil. For mains, the seared sea bass fillets were also perfectly cooked and came on a bed of crushed new potatoes, along with spring onions, crisp asparagus tips, concassé tomatoes and herb vinaigrette, all drizzled (yes, this is Modern European) with a balsamic and red wine reduction. A steak dish also tasted great, but came a bit cool, suggesting it had had to wait for the fish. A further five minutes in the kitchen and it was returned perfect to eat. The lovely waitress was a smile on legs. Sleepy jazz played all the time, soothing in a suburban kind of way. Of the desserts, the roasted rhubarb and cinnamon crumble – with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream – had a slight edge over the chocolate tart, though this last came laced with anis, which was a nice surprise. It was good to see albariño on the wine list, but it wasn’t quite as zesty as it might have been.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2009