A Capital tour de force
The Inn at Kew Gardens
Sandycombe Road, Kew, Surrey
Capital Pub Company has done it again. Its formula to "find a run-down old boozer in an impressive period building and invest about a million quid" has paid off at the Inn at Kew Gardens.
Brown signposts direct customers to the pub, just as they would guide visitors to a tourist attraction such as the Royal Botanical Gardens over the road.
The Inn at Kew Gardens is a grand 150-year-old Victorian building. Three floors above the bar and restaurant are 19 en-suite bedrooms (£120 for a double or £80 for a single, including breakfast). Following its acquisition in September 2004, the Inn at Kew Gardens, (formerly the Kew Gardens Hotel) was renovated by Capital Pub Company owner David Bruce and his team.
Gone is the dingy old-boozer-with-pool-table look, replaced with oak floorboards and flagstones, exposed brick and colourful rugs. A spiral staircase woven with dried hops has also been installed, leading to a sofa-filled mezzanine floor that can be hired for private parties.
Below the mezzanine, in the restaurant area, a hearty warm salad of wood pigeon and celeriac (£5.50) was washed down with a pint of local brewery Twickenham Ales' Advantage Ale.
The Inn Salad of asparagus, mozzarella, quail eggs and pancetta (£5.95), was well-received, accompanying a glass of the house white, Grenache/Sauvignon, La Comtesse from Vin de Pays d'Oc, 2004 (£3.10).
Our main courses could not have been better. A 12oz hunk of peppered rib steak, cooked to perfection with mushroom butter and served with chips (£15.50) left little room for side orders of rocket salad with balsamic vinegar and parmesan (£3.50) and buttered sugar snaps (£2.50). A pan-fried monkfish with peperonata (£12.95) was soft and flavoursome and served on a bed of spinach.
The menu changes daily and everything is cooked in-house from locally-sourced ingredients. We also enjoyed a cheese board with home-made grape chutney and walnut bread (£5.75) and a chocolate-chip muffin with banana and coffee ice cream (£4.95).
William Grobel
PubChef rating (out of 10)
Ambience 10, Value for money 8
Flavour factor 9, Overall impression 9
Beers: San Miguel, Budweiser Budvar, Kronenbourg, Foster's, Guinness, Green King IPA, Marston's Pedigree, Advantage Ale, Adnams Regatta. CIDER: Magners.
Main courses: £7.50 to £15.50.
Wines on list: 14 whites (five by the glass), 17 reds (five by the glass), one rosé (by the glass), two Champagnes and one Cremant, available by the glass.
Another thing: the pub has wireless internet connection.
Menu innovation: Share Platters: fish platter, brown bread and saffron aioli (£7.50) and charcuterie with toast, chutney and garnishes (£6.95).
Most interesting dish: Seared tuna with a sesame crust and a Thai vegetable salad (£5.75).
Décor: Traditional pub look with contemporary touches.
House wine: Grenache/Sauvignon, La Comtesse, Vin de Pays d'Oc 2004, France
(£12 bottle, £3.10/£4.10 glass); Pinot Grigio, Rocca, Veneto, 2004, Italy (£15 bottle, £3.30/£5.10 glass); Chardonnay, Viu Manent, Colchagua Valley, 2005, Chile (£12 bottle, £3.10/£4.10 glass); Sauvignon Blanc, Villard Expression, 2005, Chile (£15 bottle, £3.80/£5.10 glass).
Welcome: A "hello" from the barman who took us on a tour around the restaurant.
Service: Impeccable - just the right amount of attention and space. Because of a 15-minute delay - that, actually, we didn't even notice - before our pudding, due to catering for the party above us, we were offered a complimentary drink.
Product knowledge: Our waiter, the assistant manager, explained the meatiness and dark colour of the wood pigeon: dark meat equals wild, light equals caged.
Toilets: Clean, reasonably spacious and maintaining the pub's colour scheme of crimson with olive accents.
Return visit: Can't wait, although I might have to until the summer months to enjoy al fresco eating in the delightful garden.
