Old Favourites

Saturday, February 26th , 2022

The Dysart has been a long term favourite of mine ever since it opened in an old pub in leafy Petersham, not far from Richmond. The chef running the kitchen had recently won the Roux Scholarship, the front of house manager/owner was charming and the dining room had a pleasing rustic feel, with stone floors and a big fireplace. It took ages for Michelin to notice it, but they finally gave it the star it had deserved since the outset. The kitchen is on fine form, and we enjoyed a particularly fine piece of fish cookery in the form of turbot with verjus (pictured). There was unusually good lamb, classy canapes and the signature charred bream with champagne sauce and Asian broth. If you haven’t been to Dysart then you are missing out.

Another old favourite is l’Amorosa in Ravenscourt Park, which has been shut since the pandemic shutdown but has just begun, tentatively, to reopen. Chef Andy Needham earned a Michelin star for his Italian cooking at Zafferano for many years but now cooks simpler yet no less enjoyable food here in this local setting. Like all London restaurants, getting kitchen staff is a struggle, so at present l'Amorosa is only opening on certain days e.g. Valentines Day and a recent weekend. This visit was for a friend's birthday party where he had hired the whole place, so it would be inappropriate to write a review. Despite the numbers being catered for, though, the food was lovely: saffron risotto was silky, pasta ragu had deep flavour and almond tart was excellent. Hopefully it will not be long before l'Amorosa fully awakens from its long pandemic slumber.