GOOD KAI

I am always in awe of this beautiful building. It's located down a historic footpath, which is now a road, from Richmond Hill. Petersham Hotel is almost intimidating as you approach. Its high tower and Gothic styled balconies make it quite an imposing feature. The gardens are well manicured and it's location allows for seamless views across Petersham Meadows and river Thames, our venue for tonight's meal. We were early and headed for an aperitif in the bar area which in actuality, seemed more like a doctors waiting room, it's a little dated. We had a wait for service and drinks, it took almost 20 minutes before we got our beverages by this time it was past our dinner booking, this didn't appear to be a problem. It wasn't busy, one other couple who'd finished their high tea in the bar area and that's it. So far the drinks service had been slow but fortunately, things perked up when we were moved to the dining area. The restaurant describe thei

Hakkasan - Sea Bass Gawd, I wish all the meat I cook, all the fish I cook not to mention veges, had these sorts of textures and taste profiles. What do I need to do? Apply some sort of quantum wizardry because that's what they've learnt to do at Hakkasan. Mere mortals like myself will continue to toil away in the hopes of one day getting something even minutely similar in flavour and texture in our own cooking. In the meantime, we leave it to the masters. Walker Budda & 'The Hakka'  I could easily stay all night in a restaurant like this but on this occasion we're limited to a two hour dining slot. Despite this, I really love dining out in London, there's lively atmosphere, the big dining spaces, dark, and if you live out in the boon-docks in  Twickenham like me, it's a treat. Hakkasan has two branches in London, and many more worldwide including the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, famous for Liv nightclub which incidentally is also run by Hakkasan'

I am glad this experienced Swedish chef (having spent nine years cheffing at Harvey Nichols and more), decided to open his first restaurant in Richmond Borough. I'd only properly heard about this new venture recently, someone mentioned it to a Swedish acquaintance some time ago and only now have I made the link after stumbling across it online.  Linnea is a very quaint modern restaurant positioned on Kew Green, close to Kew Bridge. It has an unassuming exterior but the interior is slick, inviting and accented with lovely crystal wall lights. It's easy enough to get to from Kew Bridge Station or Kew Gardens Station and ideal for a place to dine after a day out at the gardens.   The menu choices are complete with Atlantic prawn gratin, quail, smoked haddock on the starters and rib eye, duck, brill and more for mains.  On this day I had the heirloom tomato salad with feta cheese and pumpkin seed vinaigrette. The chic geek chose the smoked haddock, carrot and coriander s

Tuna Steak & Avocado Tartare with Prawns This is a tasty low carb meal, inspired by Michel Roux Jr. You can add toasted sesame's to the tuna sauce and spring onion as well. The key to this dish is the tuna, make sure you source it from a good fish monger and that it is sushi grade, see my link below for more. Tuna Steak Tartare for two 1 Tuna Loin Steak  (Sushi Grade) - How to get sushi grade fish 1 tsp Chilli Flakes (use finely diced fresh chilli if possible) 1 tsp finely diced ginger 2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoons honey 1 tablespoon rapeseed oil (can use sesame oil  as option) 1 tablespoon of 'roasted' sesame oil (can use sesame oil as option) Dice the tuna into cubes and place into a chilled bowl Add the chilli flakes, ginger and spring onion Add soy sauce, honey and oils into a bowl and give a good mix. Combine into the tuna and mix. Keep it well chilled while you make the avocado (over a bowl of ice is ideal).  You can of course

There are a few gastro pubs that are higher up on my list to visit, ie. Dysart Arms in Petersham and The White Horse in Richmond but on this particularly sunny day I ended up at The Aleksander, located right smack on one of the busiest roads in East Twickenham, opposite Marble Hill Park. This is a very popular place for folk with young families (places I try to avoid, just kidding, no really I do). We sat in a sunny spot right next to the road, this turned out to be a mistake as there was a constant barraging of noisy buses throughout our lunch, doh. Nevermind, it was sunny and comfy. The staff here are really friendly, and mostly the food was ok, decently fine if you want a craft beer and a decent pizza. So yeah, there is a general consensus that the pizzas are pretty good at Aleksander, and that they are.  Anchovies on crostini Goat cheese with (elusive) walnut & beetroot I started with a goat cheese, beetroot & walnut salad. It was fresh and the qual