The restaurant at the Bingham Hotel in Richmond is stunning, much like the hotel itself, it’s unsurprising it’s a popular location for weddings. The Georgian townhouse it inhabits is Grade II listed and overlooks the Thames. There’s also lovely terrace, perfect for balmy summer evenings.
The food is pretty good too. Shane Cooper has worked at several Michelin starred venues before, including Putney Bridge, The Vineyard in Stockcross and Juniper in Altrincham, and he was awarded a star at the Bingham in 2010. The menu is faithfully British, expect things like oxtail and bone marrow, beef fillet, and grouse.
The Bingham
Restaurant in Richmond
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Opening Times
| Monday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Tuesday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Wednesday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Thursday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Friday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Saturday |
Open 07:00 - Closes 22:00 |
| Sunday |
Open 08:00 - Closes 16:30 |
The Bingham Picture Gallery
All In London Review
Incredible views, stunning food and festive cheer
So my friend’s birthday recently gave me an excuse to book a table. Parking is tricky as it’s on the main road between busy Richmond and Petersham.
The entrance has a reception desk and you have the choice of going right into a cosy bar (which was tastefully adorned with sparkly Christmas decorations over a large fire place) or left into a small but elegantly decorated restaurant.
We were delighted to have been allocated a table for two by the tall windows. From here we could see the fairy lights on the outside terrace and the view down to the river was incredible. There were brightly lit boats floating down the river. It was quite magical.
The restaurant also had some discrete Christmas decorations but it was clear that the underlying décor was elegant and tasteful. The lighting was low and romantic – and there were a fair few couples on celebration evenings as well as some small groups.
The wine waiter arrived with a large bucket of champagnes and sparkling wines. As we were celebrating we both had a glass of the rose champagne (£14 a glass).
We briefly considered the tasting menu but doubted our ability to eat that much food. While we pondered the menu they presented us with warm sourdough bread with home-made butter. Delicious. Shortly after ordering we were presented with amuse bouche – a lighter than air chicken liver parfait with puffed grains to provide a crunchy texture.
My companion choose the salmon with spiced lentils and cauliflower purée to start (£9). Beautifully presented with the skin formed into a sail on top. My duck egg and duck bacon concoction came in a rich broth with a selection of firm mushrooms. The taste transported me to the Far East.
We both choose the beef fillet for our main course (£34) – this had a wonderfully meaty oxtail ragu on the top and was accompanied by a charred onion and watercress purée. The beef melted in our mouths. The sides (£5 each) of creamy mashed potato and broccoli with a yoghurt dressing were perfect.
My companion’s deconstructed tiramisu (£9) was a surprise but she deemed it excellent. Although my pear and pear custard mille feulle (£8) was sublime.
At the end of the meal they presented my friend with Petits Fours on a plate with “Happy Birthday” written in chocolate sauce. She was delighted.
I had had a glass of house wine and the total bill came to £169.75 which included service. Whilst that isn’t cheap, I thought that for the occasion it was reasonable.
It really was a perfect meal. The lovely ambience, the river views, the tasteful festive decorations, the friendly and attentive staff and the stunning food. I’m looking forward to future celebrations so I can return.
Reviewed by KimT
Published on Dec 23, 2016
phenomenal value set lunch in a stunning setting
My mood changed though with the immediate and warm welcome that we received sans the formality that you might expect at a place of this class. Alongside the warm welcome which greeted us was a lingering (though not over-bearing) smell of paint; evidence of the restaurant’s very recent and extensive refurbishment which we had the privilege of enjoying the benefit of.
The newly spruced up decor was something I would describe as modern, retro-chic; an oxymoron I’d agree, but accurate nevertheless! The newly laid wooden floor was beautiful and made for great acoustics; with a lively buzz filling what began as a quite empty space. Even when the two adjoining dining rooms filled up later on during our meal, the sound level wasn’t overbearing. I also really appreciated the well-judged spacing between the tables. No doubt a few more covers could have been squeezed in, and in other establishments they would have made use of this opportunity, but you felt a real sense of enjoying personal space rather than being crammed in. As it was, we had a perfect table by the French windows and overlooking the river.
I began my selection from the lunchtime set menu (after a most delicious glass of champagne), with ‘Pumpkin Risotto, sherry jelly, trompette de la mort, hazelnut’ whilst my companion had the Truffled Cabbage Soup, poached duck egg, chestnuts and bacon. Both sounded like real winter-warmers on paper, though in reality the risotto was beautifully light; the pumpkin pieces were slightly al dente which gave the risotto a much greater contrast in textures than I’d expected. There was a subtle and delicious hint of hazelnut shining through the dish, which arguably made the addition of a near invisible and tasteless sherry jelly on top rather superfluous.
The cabbage soup, I was told had delicious and well-cooked flavours individually and was certainly beautiful to look at; a stunning green more akin to pea soup. As a whole though, it didn’t quite work. The soup was thick, the slow-cooked egg runny and the combination of the two textures seemed uncomfortable on the palate which detracted from the seasonal flavours.
For me, it would have been interesting to hear more about why the sommelier had decided on the particular wine pairings with each dish. It took me to specifically ask about the background to get this information, at which point it was clear that thought and knowledge had gone into the choice. This was a very minor point though and the choices he’d made were delicious and well-judged.
We chose our main courses; sea bream fillet, with sauteed squid and bitter orange vinaigrette for my companion and mushroom gnocchi for me. The fish was described as “perfectly cooked”. It was beautifully summery (good job it was a mild winter’s day!) with delicious citrus flavour (there was a request for more of the vinaigrette as it was gone by the time it had been fully appreciated!).
My gnocchi I found a little on the heavy side, but I think my view was slightly tainted by an incredible and uniquely light gnocchi that I’d experienced elsewhere a couple of weeks previously. The flavours here were all good, but there was no one flavour that packed a real punch.
The desserts were a real triumph; the ‘Bitter Chocolate Tart mandarin sorbet, passion fruit jelly, orange chantilly’ was indeed bitter, but at a perfectly judged level which didn’t make you wince as you tasted it as can so often be the case. It was rich and moist and beautifully bitter-sweet. The torte Chantilly and the sorbet were light and fresh providing really well-judged balance to the richness of the torte. The best chocolate torte I can remember!
We also felt obliged to try the other dessert option on the set menu! The ‘Passion Fruit Curd citrus salad, blood orange sorbet, meringue’ was also stunning; light, packed with flavour and with a real plate of contrasting but complimenting flavours and textures. The intensity of the passion fruit was balanced by the gentle bitterness of the grapefruit in the citrus salad.
To sum up, the French windows and beautiful balcony overlooking the river are (particularly in the summer when you’ll have to fight for a view!) worth coming for in themselves. But when you add to this high-class cooking, warm and efficient service and the phenomenal value of this set menu; £16 for two courses or £19.50 for three, it’s a fantastic place to come. It really lifted my mood and I would absolutely recommend it.
As an aside, please note that there is no hotel car park! There are some allocated spaces across the road (but you need to book ahead for these and there are time restrictions) and otherwise you will need to find the local NCP or metered parking which are a few minutes’ walk away.
Reviewed by All In London
Published on Jan 23, 2012
In The News
The Bingham launches London’s first ever Rosé Bar
The Rose Bar will be the perfect place to enjoy a summer apéritif
The All In One Ultimate Restaurant List Interview: Shay Cooper
London’s Top 100 Restaurants 2013
All In London talks to Shay Cooper
We take a behind the scenes look at The Bingham.
Best For
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The restaurant of the Bingham hotel has a charming terrace that overlooks the river, specifically the narrow, leafy bit that runs through Richmond. Chef Shay Cooper’s flair for combining British ingredients with lighter European flavours earned them a Michelin star in 2010.
London's best restaurants on the river
Soak up the view
The modern British menu at The Bingham (a “restaurant with rooms” as they bill themselves) earned them a Michelin star in 2010. House in a Grade II listed Georgian townhouse, the restaurant overlooks the river, and there is a terrace with equally great views perfect for drinks on sunny evenings.
User Reviews
Belinda
from Hersham
from Hersham
Jul 15, 2014
The Bingham is set in a beautiful location (admittedly a bit of a trek from Richmond Station) overlooking the river and is just so classic and elegant in all respects. The food is delicious, staff really efficient and friendly and on a summer's day in particular you'd struggle to do better than the Bingham's terrace.
Gavin
from London
from London
Jan 14, 2013
Had a superb lunch here. Food was fantastic, the accolades are well deserved. The staff were very friendly and kept things moving nicely without 'over serving'.
The dining rooms is well decorated and the views over the river are fantastic.
It's not cheap but then it's not hugely expensive when you consider the quality of the food and the setting.
I'd definitely go again.
Name: Gavin
Location: London
The dining rooms is well decorated and the views over the river are fantastic.
It's not cheap but then it's not hugely expensive when you consider the quality of the food and the setting.
I'd definitely go again.
Name: Gavin
Location: London
Sooz
Jul 15, 2011
Beautiful setting overlooking the river and green fields, especially from the balcony at the back of the hotel where you can sit and sip cocktails as the sun goes down! The Bingham is stunning; elegant, clean, friendly and serving top quality food and drink. The only downside is the price!
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