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A stylish contemporary pub in the leafy London suburb of Richmond, One Kew Road serves modern British fare with a Mediterranean touch. Stunning surroundings, stylish interiors and a great location, just a short walk from Kew Gardens, make it just the sort of approachable place that's equally popular with locals and first-time visitors.
 
Spread over two floors, the ground floor is a sleek bar area with welcoming sofas, quirkily rustic benches complete with faux fur throws and hessian cushions. Upstairs you'll find a slightly more formal restaurant which offers a wide ranging, seasonally changing menu where delicious British classics nestle alongside continental favourites such as pizzas, pasta and salads. A sharing plate of hummus, roasted vegetables, fregola, tzatziki, feta, spinach, ricotta pâté and flatbreads is ideal for convivial dining. If you prefer individual starters, try smoked salmon with pomegranate molasses, fennel and micro herb salad.

The aforementioned pasta and pizza selection adds a breezy Mediterranean touch to the à la carte and you can choose from linguini with tiger prawns, crab and chorizo; orzo risotto with courgette, peas, feta, mint and pangrattato and stone baked pizzas with topping of forest mushrooms with mozzarella, spinach, raisins and truffle oil. A char grilled chicken salad with courgette, fennel, apple, asparagus, hazelnut and balsamic dressing could, similarly, do the trick.

 One Kew Road's mains selection is as substantial as it is diverse, ranging from salmon and caper fishcakes; duck confit with honey and chilli to rib eye steak with rocket, horseradish and smoked salt frites. The great British Sunday roast is an institution in itself, having evolved for a century or more. Sumptuous is the word that comes to mind to describe delectable classics of roast rib of beef with Yorkshire pudding and gravy or English loin of pork with crackling, caramelised apple sauce and sage stuffing, all on offer at One Kew Road.

The smart and well-lit bar with stylish seating and impressive décor lends itself to an entertaining evening. Customers can order an aperitif; Martini Blush or Vodka and Mediterranean tonic, to get into the mood and relax. Expertly maintained cask ales, bottled beers and a fine selection of Mediterranean whites and reds complement the food perfectly. Digestifs such as The King's Dram and Johnnie Walker Gold, frozen and sprinkled with the finest Columbian chocolate, are perfect to round off the evening.

Open Mondays to Saturdays from 8am onwards, One Kew Road serves a good breakfast too. Begin the day, heartily, with a full English breakfast or other choices such as best back bacon sandwich on bloomer or granary bread. Afternoon tea with fruit scones, clotted cream and strawberry jam, muffins and crumpets adds a decadent touch to your day.

Looking for a similar experience at a different venue? One Kew Road's sister pubs ? The Albany in Thames Ditton and The Harts Boatyard in Surbiton, promise an equally enjoyable experience too.

More information can be found on their Website.

 A comfortable setting invites guests to relax and unwind with a traditional British menu at The Lass O' Richmond Hill on Queen's Road. The restaurant's customised picnic hampers to enjoy in nearby Richmond Park are just perfect for that sunny day. 

The regularly changing menu uses the best fresh, seasonal British ingredients and begins with tasty starters of potted pork with apple sauce and cider jelly, Devon crab with tomato salsa and Melba toast and crispy quail with Stilton sauce. Main courses include lamb rump with potato fondant and mint cream, Gressingham duck breast with braised chicory and orange, and Young's beer battered fish and hand cut chips with minty mushy peas follow. There's also choice of fillet or rib-eye steak served with hand cut chips and a creamy peppercorn sauce as well as a barbecue menu in fine weather. After a satisfying main course, dessert of layered chocolate pie with toasted hazelnut custard or warm almond galette with vanilla ice cream is but icing on the cake.

The wine list offers a range of expertly chosen whites and rich reds as well as a selection of fine ales including Young's Bitter, Well's Waggle Dance and Sambrook's Junction.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Given the restaurants and hotels of London and a yearning to get away from the centre of town on most occasions, I would have to look a long way before finding a more thoroughly desirable place to be than The Bingham, at Richmond.

Ideal for easy access to some of London's most visited attractions, and Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace and Twickenham Rugby come immediately to mind, this boutique restaurant and hotel really does have it all.

The Bingham's highly acclaimed executive chef, Shay Cooper, is the man who sees to it that these expectations are amply met, starting with an à la carte that explores the very best in British and regional dishes. Watercress risotto or summer vegetable salad pave the way for saddle of venison or lemon sole served with samphire, chickpea gnocchi, red pepper and shrimp ceviche. A tiramisu dessert lives well up to its promise. A tasting menu of six courses weaves deftly through the various à la carte options to give a meal of infinite skill and pleasure respectively.

A price fixe luncheon shows The Bingham is capable of combining value with quality, and on Sundays both menu and price make this a serious venue for family parties and leisurely Sabbath breakaways, possibly followed by their Afternoon Tea for the mega indulgent, a luxurious event that manages to escape the excesses of London prices whilst more than equalling the variety and sheer fun of this old English custom.

Visiting Twickers for the rugby? What better way to start than with a hearty lunch at The Bingham, well suited to supporters of both gender and concluding with a pre-match livener.

In keeping with its philosophy the wine list's light shines strongly on the 'boutique' winemakers and fine champagnes, and an inviting selection of wines are available by the glass and carafe. Wine Courses handled by that feisty and dynamic expert in such matters, Angela Reddin, are not unknown at The Bingham.

Fifteen bedrooms embody tranquillity and sensuous style, with bespoke art deco inspired furniture, sumptuous furnishings and state of the art comforts. The number of rooms ensures that the personal touch is retained and guests are known by name rather than room numbers.

As far as room facilities are concerned all the facilities that you would associate with a top quality hotel are there. The River and Superior River Design Rooms enjoy restful river views, with Whirlpool baths and two rooms have antique four-poster beds. In-room beauty treatments, same-day laundry, room service and complimentary newspapers assist in encouraging thoughts to turn with enthusiasm towards a lifestyle of convenience and freedom from everyday worries.

To ensure that these luxuries are enjoyed to the full, the Bingham offers a range of experiences such as The Bingham Lazy Sunday, the Bingham Theatre Experience, Sunday at the Polo or the Wimbledon Experience. Such activities generally require involvement on the part of a restaurant of impeccable charm and performance somewhere along the line. Bingham is listed in the prestigious Michelin Guide and awarded 3 AA Rosettes in 2010, underline its presence at The Bingham.

In an attempt to do the decent thing and give the whole balanced picture, one seeks for some area of perhaps slightly less than excellence at The Bingham. Don't waste your time, or if you do notify this correspondent and I will prepare my hat for eating, though it may be a chocolate one.

Their polished Website tells you lots, lots more, as well as keeping you up to date with this sophisticated but homely hideaway by the river in Richmond.

Matsuba restaurant on Red Lion Street offers a mix of contemporary and classic Japanese cuisine alongside sushi and sashimi in an intimate and elegant setting. This Japanese restaurant has grown rapidly within the neighbourhood of Richmond, since its opening over seven years ago.

A stone's throw from the Odeon Cinema and the Richmond Filmhouse, the restaurant is the perfect place to enjoy a quick meal before or after a film. Other attractions such as the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew, Richmond Park and Richmond Theatre are all just a short walk away.

Meaning 'leaf of the pine tree' in Japanese, Matsuba's stylish contemporary interiors feature dark wood and subtle light panels running along the length of the room, with vintage Japanese parasols adding an authentic ethnic touch. Friendly service from smartly turned out waiters is most welcome.

The kitchen offers authentic Japanese dishes with a slight modern twist and a touch of Far East Korean cuisine. Specialities here include dobin mushi, a clear soup traditionally served in a small clay tea pot, scallops seared in butter and the classic Korean dish, bibim bap served in a stone pot bowl.

You could begin with ebi tempura, tuna sashimi, crab and avocado sushi, cod's roe nigiri, Florida maki or California roll, all freshly prepared and flavourful. Then follow with such dishes as grilled squid with asparagus, gyoza meat dumplings, deep fried courgette discs served with tsuyu sauce, spicy Korean seafood broth, teriyaki duck with rice or Kobe beef served with rice and miso soup. Guests can also expect to find a range of set dinners, lunch boxes, speciality sushi and sashimi, and assorted party platter sushi sets. The Matsuba Special Bento Box is filled with mixed tempura, sushi and sashimi, teriyaki chicken, appetiser, pickles, salad rice, miso soup and fruit.

The extensive drinks list includes a wide variety of champagnes and carefully chosen wines to pair with oriental dishes and sushi. Speciality Japanese beers, rice wine sake, Korean soju and soft drinks are also available.

The restaurant also offers takeaway, office lunch, private and corporate catering. With excellent public transport links, Richmond Tube and Rail Station is just a short walk, the venue is also exclusively available for hire for all private and corporate special events.

When you enter a chain restaurant there is always a sense of déjà vu, yet with the twelve outlets of Giraffe, this may not really be true. Russel and Juliette Joffe and Andrew Jacobs' philosophy behind this group of restaurants is sustaining the driving force of healthy, happy eating, while retaining the difference each location brings. This includes minor variations in the menu too, and explains why the restaurant does not like to be called a chain, but prefers being referred to as a herd. The origin of its quaint name too, is interesting. The giraffe has the largest heart in the animal kingdom, and with its magnificent height is able to perceive things differently. These two features of being different and large hearted sum up the restaurant's proclamation of 'love, eat, live'.

Giraffe offers world food and adds an unusual twist to some familiar dishes. Their breakfast menu has stacked pancakes with bananas and blueberries, warm waffles, ranch styles tostadas and healthy veggie options. Some great starters are a mezze plate with warm naans that offer the best of many cuisines - grilled halloumi, hummus, tzatiki, ratatouille and falafel.  Japanese king fried prawns are a hit, while another bright spot on the menu, is the colourful sunshine antipasti bruschetta, a clever combination of artichokes, mozzarella, cherry tomatoes, olives, roasted peppers, red onion and rocket on pesto foccacia. If this long list of ingredients is intriguing, just wait until your palate takes over.

The house's special salad, cheekily called 'more than love', is colourful and has crunchy appeal. The Thai chicken and vermicelli noodle version is an equally enticing starter. For mains, there are plenty of options like roasted corn and chilli bran burritos, tangy turkey enchiladas and the much loved sweet potatoes, asparagus, green beans and broccoli served with organic brown basmati rice. One can also settle for a good old burger and wash it down with interesting smoothies. They also offer world wines and unusual cocktails with catchy names like Bombay flower and pomegranate caipirinha.

The dessert section comprises of not just fruit based healthy desserts, but brilliant stars like Swiss mountain chocolate cheesecake, banana waffle split and rocky road ice cream sundaes, which transport the diner to a state of bliss. The friendly staff, who are carefully hired for their sunny disposition, and children's activities help make these restaurants a very special, happy and healthy treat indeed.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

With quality food, friendly staff, quick service and excellent value for money, Nando's is a great place to eat. Don't expect identikit, pre-fab restaurant interiors which are usually a staple of the larger chains; each restaurant is tailored to its local surroundings and customers, offering up a unique restaurant experience to go with the equally unique taste of legendary, Portuguese, Peri-Peri chicken.

Your peri-peri chicken, when the chips are down so to speak, is a fresh A grade chicken that has never seen the inside of a freezer, but having made the supreme sacrifice is butterfly-cut, marinated for 24 hours in a secret brew called - you've guessed - peri-peri, and is then cooked to your choice over an open flame.

There are, of course, many variations on this broad theme, numerous plays on words such as Nando's experi-perience, peri-peri good reasons why you should eat at a Nando's' and all one hopes is that for their sake chicken never goes out of fashion. New Nando's are opening all the time, peri-peri quickly in fact, the spicy bastes become hotter and more daring, and the full platter offers a whole chicken, large chips or spicy rice and Nando's salad or coleslaw.

Since chickens are vegetarian it seems logical you can order veggie or bean burgers and patties, and still feel the heat from the peppers. All in all, Nando's is hotly recommended for those occasions when you have a large following of permanently hungry children, or adults even, to keep happy - the only thing taken really seriously is the quality of those peri-peri good chickens.

Nando's is a place for bright people who love to laugh and love to eat, and is guaranteed to spice up your taste buds. Their fun approach to life means that when you visit Nando's you can fully relax without the airs and graces associated with more starchy dining out.

For the location of your nearest Nando's restaurant and a host of details about menus, parties and drinks, a click on their Website will reveal a Pandora's box of information.

It is not an easy task to maintain impeccable standards and uniformity of taste across a chain of over eight hundred outlets, yet that is just the distinction that The Gondola Group has achieved. Their restaurants, with the brand names of Zizzi, ASK and Pizza Express, serve authentic Italian food at reasonable prices, in a warm and friendly ambience. The chain continues to grow, with the group opening around twenty-five new outlets each year.

Another talent that the group has is converting listed buildings and in which to house their restaurants. This has helped the group maintain standards, but allows each location to keep its innate charm. Done up in light colours, with wooden floors and gleaming cutlery, Zizzi boasts of a bustling open kitchen which churns out freshly prepared, tasty fare.

Like all good Italian restaurants, the extensive carte offers four distinct sections of antipasti, salads, mains, including pasta, pizza and risottos, a meat and fish menu which changes seasonally and a vast and exciting dessert menu. The restaurant's special antipasti platter has mixed Italian meats with buffalo milk mozzarella, marinated sun-dried tomatoes, mixed olives and red onion focaccia bread. Garlic mozzarella pizza bread and caramelised balsamic onions too, set the tone for a hearty meal.

The calzones or folded pizzas are a treat and come with salads. The carne piccante calzone has marinated chicken, meatballs, Bolognese sauce, mushrooms, chillies, tomato and mozzarella while the clarissa version, has aubergine, and red pepper caponata, olives, goats' cheese, rocket, pine nuts, tomato and mozzarella. The pasta and risotto sections arouse plenty of interest, with the farfalle alla Genovese combined with marinated roasted artichoke hearts, Santos tomatoes, and pine nuts in a delicious creamy pesto sauce or the light risotto with tiger prawns, oak-roasted salmon, calamari, courgettes and baby spinach in a rich creamy base with lemon and chilli.

The pizzas are not far behind either, with funghi topped with field mushrooms, fresh tarragon, mozzarella and tomato while the popular Sophia has marinated chicken, pepperoni, over-roasted sausage, tomato, mozzarella, finished with green chilli and fresh rosemary.

The extensive wine list offers a range of red, white, sparkling and rose wines in addition to beer and spirits while the dessert menu is attractive too, with a range of tempting fare from the homemade tiramisu to the torta cioccolata with its thick hazelnut chocolate base served with vanilla mascarpone. A really hot and tasty cup of coffee, tea or chocolate rounds the meal off well.

The fact that the restaurant hires their employees very selectively is evident in the friendly, cheerful and capable manner with which the staff treat diners, lending each outlet the personalised feel of a family run restaurant.

More information can be found on their Website.

Strada describes itself as 'a group of stylish, contemporary Italian restaurants, serving good quality, simple and freshly prepared dishes'. The statement sums up what this group of around seventy restaurants offers to people looking for good Italian food. The first outlet opened in Battersea in 1999 and their clientele has been increasing steadily ever since.

Though Strada has grown into a fair sized group, each outlet retains the feel of being a local neighbourhood Italian restaurant. The menu includes pastas, risottos, salads, and fish dishes, but they are best known for their quality pizzas.

They present authentic Italian dishes in contemporary surroundings and aim to use only the freshest and finest ingredients, such as Luganica sausages, Parma ham and buffalo mozzarella, imported from Italy to provide exactly the kind of rustic, traditional dishes one would expect to find travelling around its regions.

A meal could kick off with zuppa vongole e fregola, a traditional clam soup with Sardinian fregola pasta grains, wine, chilli and parsley, served with bread, or the delicious sautéed king prawns with garlic, white wine, chilli, and lemon butter served with your choice of bread.

Move on to their creamy risotto verdure, freshly grilled asparagus, broad beans, peas, spring onions, zucchini, green beans, white wine and mint, finished with baby spinach leaves. Or you could opt for the healthier, tagliolini nero granchio, black cuttlefish ink pasta with crab, courgette, red and yellow peppers, spring onion, and a hint of chilli and parsley. A real treat for the taste buds comes in the form of the bistecca manzo, a 10oz rosemary-marinated char-grilled, rib-eye steak with fries and fresh rocket.

A range of pizzas, all spun by hand, is an integral feature of each restaurant. They include the rossa, with spicy southern Italian salami, roasted red peppers, chilli, caramelised onion, garlic, fresh oregano, tomato and mozzarella. Nor are vegetarians are overlooked, and can be found tucking into dishes such as fiorentina, made of spinach cooked with garlic, nutmeg and black pepper with mozzarella, parmesan, tomato and an egg.

For those wanting to satisfy their sweet tooth, there is torroncino affogato, an iced nougat semi freddo with a shot of espresso to pour over, or a classic Italian tiramisu and, as you might expect coffee to round off the meal.

A wine list consisting of purely regional Italian wines, beers and liqueurs, all carefully chosen to complement the menu comes as no surprise and in addition, every table receives a complimentary bottle of purified water.

For further details including their latest news, menus and deals, and to find a Strada nearest to you, their Website certainly warrants a visit.

Pembroke's features three distinct dining areas, including the classic comfort of an impressive library and a raised section, where sun streams through a Victorian-style skylight.

Menus available: comprehensive A La Carte and three course fixed price Table d'hote, lunchtimes through the week and a large hot and cold buffet presents a wide choice of dishes.

There is a live band to dance to on Saturday nights. Sundays, the traditional lunchtime carvery is a real family occasion.