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Review: David Munro
MANY years ago, when we were very young, Oh! Best Beloved, there
was a nice fish restaurant, called The Captain's Table,
with little tables and red and white chequered table cloths, which
overlooked Richmond station, and supplied fish and chips at reasonable
prices to old age pensioners for their lunch.
Then the lease expired and The Captain's Table was no more and
developers came and occupied the site and pulled it to pieces
until all memory of it was expunged from the face of the earth.
But do not be sad Best Beloved, for in its place there arose
a new restaurant, with lovely pine tables and chrome fittings
and a big neon sign which read REZ'S, which all the people
who came out of Richmond station could see and marvel at.
And the people went there and ate and REZ's was not found wanting.
So I put aside my memories of the old captain and his table
and ventured forth there one day for lunch and I must tell you,
Best Beloved, that I, who went to scoff, stayed to cheer!
The menu seems very much in line with most bars and restaurants,
or bistros, or what you will, but where Rez's is different is
in the standard of cooking.
I had duck breast with sesame and noodles, which, at £10.50,
was one of the more expensive items and it was pink and tender
with a flavour you do not often get in places where it is twice
the price.
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There is a foi gras on brioche with roasted peaches, which my
sister tried, and declared to be ten out of ten on her rating
good starters.
The rack of lamb, which I had at a subsequent visit, was four
reasonable cutlets, again pink and tender, with a pleasant flavour
imparted by the honey and mustard crust.
For those not so carnivorous, as we were, there is a leek and
smoked haddock fishcake, with poached egg, and a lemon and chive
hollandaise sauce, which had the appropriate flavour and consistency
which took it out of the realms of nursery fare and set it alongside
similar delicacies you would expect to find at Sheekeys or other
up-market fish restaurants.
The whole bill of fare is deceptively simple, but each dish is
prepared with that little extra something that lifts it from the
ordinary to the delicious.
There is a limited wine list, from which I only tried the house
wines, both the red and the white were excellent and not expensive.
In fact, when I went to dinner, I found there was a happy hour
and when I ordered one glass, I got two for the price of one,
which can't be bad.
And so Oh! Best Beloved this not just a restaurant, it is one
that is just so good - and long may it remain Just So.
Rez's Bar and Restaurant, 31-33 Kew Road, Richmond, Surrey,
TW9 2NQ. Tel: 020 8332 6222
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