Restaurants

Skye Gyngell’s restaurant may be under threat of closure from Richmond Council, but it clearly has the backing of the many well-heeled diners who book weeks ahead to dine here. The appeal is obvious: Petersham Nurseries must be the prettiest garden centre in the UK, with its carefully styled faux-ramshackle look of old greenhouses, tangled flowers and potting shed knick-knacks. The Indian antiques and furniture are for sale (our wobbly dining table for two: £650). Dish prices are also very expensive for what is – let’s face it – a garden centre café run by eager but amateurish posh girls. A starter of fresh crab meat, pink grapefruit and salad leaves (£18) was an excellent mix, showing Gyngell’s flair for flavour combinations, but was sloppy in execution: it contained lemon pips and shards of crab shell as well as a lovely verjuice and olive oil dressing. A vegetarian tomato curry (the cheapest main course at £16) was heavy on the coconut milk; although pleasant, it wasn’t too far off something a home cook could turn out. A slice of hazelnut tart was another highlight, though the accompanying raspberries were bland. A lovely spot maybe, but lunch for one with no booze came to a staggering £46. Living proof that an excellent cookery book and prominent newspaper column will do wonders for your restaurant’s business.

Guy Dimond 2007