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Service spy: The Victoria,
London SW14
Talk of the gastronomic revolution is all very well, but
it hasn’t made many inroads into the nation’s
parks. Many is the family outing that’s been spoilt
by stewed tea and curling sandwiches and, alas, that was
all we could find in Richmond Park, southwest London, on
Bank Holiday Monday. So we took ourselves and our hired
bikes out of Sheen Gate and a few minutes later were settling
in at The Victoria, like the park itself, a little bit of
rus in urbe amid the streets of East Sheen. It has all you
would expect of a smart gastropub — the Farrow &
Ball paint-job, a bright conservatory, a carefully sourced
menu of British classics and a celebrity chef’s name
above the door. But there the similarities end.
First, children are positively encouraged and can play
on the slide and climbing frame at the end of the large
paved garden, or delve into the baskets of books scattered
around the pub. Secondly, Paul Merrett has not used his
TV fame to escape from the kitchen. He is still there most
days, and it really shows — everything is made from
scratch, from excellent bread to a rich, meaty chicken-liver
parfait and red-onion jam (£6.50).
Our younger two chose from a children’s menu designed
by Merrett’s 12-year-old daughter (fish and chips,
for £5.50, came with proper veg too — hallelujah!)
while our eldest had tamarind fish curry with mint and mango
yoghurt (£14.50). Expensive, but a world away from
the catering company rubbish that you will often be fobbed
off with.
For the grown-ups, grilled fillet of sea trout with English
asparagus (£13.50) and 21-day aged Devon ribeye with
the, nowadays de rigueur, thrice-cooked chips (£17.50).
Having filled the children with ice cream (£3.50)
and ourselves with mint, ginger and mango sorbet (£5),
we took the precaution of buying some fudgy brownies and
home-made nut truffles from the bar for the short cycle
ride back. Perfect.
On the whole, The Victoria is tasteful, understated and
confident. There are ethics underpinning this too. Food
is mainly sourced from accredited schemes and fresh from
the producer - fish from Falmouth, mussels from the Norfolk
coast. The homemade bread is fresh and moist and with a
blush of cinnamon, and as we began the waddle home, we stumbled
upon The Priory clinic, a sign that everything in this area,
from weekend boltholes to The Victoria itself, offer a little
retreat from central London’s throng.
See the Times Online website for the full review at: http://www.timesonline.co.uk
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