Out and about on the Bank Holiday weekend

They say that “staycations” are all the rage so on the Bank Holiday weekend I waved goodbye to my many mates who were off to more exotic (i.e. warmer) locations and promised myself some fun times out to break up the monotony of typical Bank Holiday weather and back breaking work in the garden.

Friday night I stayed close to my West London roots by trying out “The Victoria” gastropub run by a minor TV celebrity chef in East Sheen. I have to say I was very pleasantly surprised. Whilst it is a little tricky to find (and probably impossible to do by public transport) this really is set to be one of my new favourites.

It’s a lovely bar – modern décor but somehow maintaining a traditional charm. Open and spacious yet welcoming. The restaurant is housed in a fantastic airy conservatory that would meet the needs of romantic couples, groups on a night out and families. And the garden is really one of the nicest I have found – lots of tables and chairs surrounded by plants and ornamental rocks and a tucked away but accessible children’s play area. And the food is comparable to some of the best restaurants in central London. Yes, really.

After a day fighting my way back from shopping in Kingston in the dual traffic terrors caused by Hampton Court Rick Wakeman concert on one side and the annual Army and Navy rugby match at Twickenham on the other I was tempted to curl up and watch “Britain’s got talent”. However, spurred on by my man of the moment I did a fast bath and change of clothes and took the Piccadilly line into town. After some faffing about on the tubes (why does Transport for London think it is OK to completely mess up the tube system every weekend?) I emerged blinking at Marble Arch to find that my quest to get to Taman Gang for a 730pm reservation had been achieved. With minutes to spare.

I loved this place. It immediately reminded me of the many happy times I spent years ago at China Whites. It was like stepping into a Far Eastern health spa - dark wood, delicate tea lights and orchids everywhere. I was enveloped in all things exotic yet extremely envious of the willowy and beautifully turned out hostess who led us into the depths of this bar/night club-cum-restaurant. After a glass of champagne to get the evening off on the right track I spent some time remembering fondly when I was like one of the many thin and gorgeous girls excitedly chatting to their friends at the start of a good (and no doubt rather long) night out.

White wine washed down a meal comprising prawn dumplings, soft shell crab tempura, wok king prawns, sizzling beef and jasmine rice that was beautifully presented in oriental dishes in a Far Eastern dimly lit paradise. Alas I did not trust myself to hang around long enough to see this fabulous place transform into the successful nightclub that it is alleged to have become so I ventured home gracefully leaving the young folks to do their thing.

A slow start on Sunday while I assessed the extremely unpredictable weather from the comfort of my bed and a large mug of coffee. Then became all alert as my best mate picked me up to whisk me away to a riverside pub lunch with her mother who was down from the North for the weekend (it seems that I was not the only one doing gardening this weekend!). There’s something comforting about a relaxed Sunday lunch by The Thames at a pub that is so familiar to you that it feels like an extension to your home. Maybe I take the joys of The London Apprentice for granted? A traditional British pub, steeped in history with plain and simple (but wholesome and tasty) English food to counteract all that haute cuisine and international fare from the start of the weekend. And then a leisurely cigarette on a marvellous waterside deck whilst contemplating what to do with the remains of a sunny Sunday.

Then like many Brits come Monday – and with an inbuilt distaste for Bank Holiday traffic and a non-functioning public transport system - I was keen to stay a bit nearer to home. So after some close encounters with a pressure washer and my patio, and some therapeutic planting of hanging baskets, I fired up the barbeque for the first of the season.

(Full reviews of all three venues will appear soon in the restaurant and bar sections of the AIL site).