Heddon Street Kitchen, 3–9 Heddon St, London W1B 4BE

Heddon Street Kitchen, 3–9 Heddon St, London W1B 4BE
www.gordonramsayrestaurants.com/heddon-street-kitchen/
04/07/2015

She said: I’d been wanting to go here since the opening was trailed but he had decided he didn’t like Ramsay so I was surprised when we walked in for a pre-theatre dinner on my birthday – especially after a slap-up birthday lunch. I’m pleased to report – he was wrong and admitted he was wrong to be anti-Ramsay. Having replaced a previously unforgettable noisy drinking/dinng spot in the foodie Heddon Street, Ramsay’s space is an open, smart but relaxed dining room with cosy banquette seating. The menu offers a good range of options but with limited time we went straight to mains. My fish was succulent and delicious and I wasn’t about to pass up the chance to have a second desert on my birthday so ordered the chocolate tartlet which was just amazing. There was a lovely gesture when staff brought out a second chocolate tartlet with a candle and birthday greeting for me; I’m not sure why they hadn’t just done this with the first tart and even for me another round of pudding wasn’t going to succeed in staying down if I were to try to hoover it up so staff obliged with a doggie bag which he clung to for me during a less satisfying West End ‘comedy’. Heddon Street, very much like Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen in St Paul’s, is a great spot for great food at expected prices for an eatery of this calibre and somewhere I will definitely go back to. Yum.

He said: She'd wanted to try this Ramsay joint for a really long time so, on a special day, I chose to display my legendary thoughtfulness, park my irrational antipathy for Ramsay, and treat her to a surprise visit. But I was definitely more surprised than she was: I actually liked this one, despite starting from a very low base of expectations. I suppose that in previous expeditions, foraging through Ramsay's vast food empire, I'd liked the food well enough, but found the portions stingy and the vibe generally too wannabe sophisticated. Two words you'd never use to define the English character are 'miserly' or 'aspirational', so I never really clicked with the Ramsay thing. But Heddon Street knocks out good portions of really good, interesting British food that's not over-elaborate, in a sexy (is that British?!) and cool but comfortable setting, at a fair price - what more do you want?! The location is also very convenient, being tucked away in a little oasis of calm just off Regent Street. Heddon Street may not be the flashiest Ramsay gaff, but it's definitely my favourite. By the way the cocktails are excellent and under a tenner, so this is a good all-rounder!

Petersham Nurseries, Petersham Rd, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AB

Petersham Nurseries, Petersham Rd, Richmond, Surrey TW10 7AB

www.petershamnurseries.com/

04/07/2015

She said: We were going to be in Richmond so sought out a good place to have my actual birthday with him. Petersham showed up on a google map and when I clicked it looked interesting. It’s not one that’s ever been on my radar but turns out it’s a (secret) gem. I really can’t express just what a paradise this was in almost every way. You wander down a little country lane past a film-set church and enter an actual nursery with lovely garden-related things for sale. At the centre of the nursery you enter a garden paradise in which a stunning dining room sits. The gods were smiling on us as the weather was just perfect and we spent a couple of hours convinced we were in a beautiful Tuscan villa courtyard enjoying the locally produced, freshest of ingredients. Though the menu is small, you will find something amazing for each course at Petersham. My ravioli and his peach salad (which I ‘helped’ him with were delicious; my fish main was heavenly; but my chocolate dessert was one of the best I can remember ever having – just amazig. Our candied rose petal prosecco was expcetional and I just didn’t want the experience to end. It’s not the cheapest of places at just over £60 a head for 3-courses including coffee and a cocktail but believe me, if you’re going to splash out anywhere – it must be here. And don’t worry – if the sun is not shining, there is a lovely glass covered dining space which is just as magical, though nothing will feel more like a diner’s paradise than if you can go on a sunny day. 11 out of 10 for this one. Heaven.

He said: Petersham Nurseries is one of those places that's so good, so much better than the average gastro scam, that you end up in a foodie moral quandary: to keep the secret to yourself or to proselytise? In this case you really don't need to worry about it; judging by how far in advance we had to book the cat bolted that bag a long time ago. The beau monde of Richmond has clutched this fine spot to its fair bosom, and quite rightly: Petersham is wonderful in every way. Getting there was for us, on our little put-put moped, quite an epic, but so worth it. You get a real thrill of discovery turning off the main road, parking up next to a beautiful little church, and walking down a gravel track parallel to the Thames just visible in the distance. And on a fine summer's day, sitting at one of the outdoors tables, with dappling sunlight poking through the trelice of vines there are very few places in London that can rival Petersham for the sheer sense of place. After such an auspicious start I was actually worried that it might all come crashing down. But the food was fantastic: British but cooked with an Italian spirit: with  simplicity and showcasing few, great ingredients, many grown on the spot, without drowning them needlessly in heavy sauces, or showy technique.  I can't wait to go back, even in bad weather when, instead, you sit in the greenhouse. There's no doubt that when this year ends Petersham will be very high up my list of favourites for 2015 - quite likely at the very top. Go!