The sweep of manicured lawn rolling down to the river, a hammock swinging from a branch, a lone swan floating past, the surface of the river rippling as a group of rowers slice through the water in the twilight. Only in Richmond could dining be this tranquil and picturesque.

The Venue
Inside the Bingham Hotel Restaurant the serenity continues. Tables are arranged around the edges of the long narrow room that makes the most of window after window that stretch floor to ceiling framed by original shutters and filtering the light through sheer voile whilst still showcasing those views. During the summer and autumn months, dining also takes place outside on the heated, covered balcony, the contemporary furniture contrasting beautifully with the soft candlelight and picture postcard perfect setting.

However, the Bingham Hotel Restaurant makes it clear from the outset that the priority is on the food. If you’re dining in the far end of the room you’ll have a good view of a counter dedicated entirely to British and European cheese. As for the decor, it hails from the more is more school of thought. Colours are a muted palette of moss green, cappuccino and rich creams but detail is everywhere from the lavishly embroidered curtains to the textured green table tops veined to look like blades of grass.

The Atmosphere
Break each element of the decor down and there’s no escaping the fact that the design is a bit stuffy but mixed together they manage to create a cosy intimacy that allows you to relax into your meal and prevents it feeling too twee, the restaurant world equivalent of comfy mum jeans dressed up with a sexy top. Diners are animated about the food, seeking advice from the waiting staff about the dishes they recommend as the sommelier flits from table to table dispensing advice that’s always greeted with a warm murmur of approval once the bottle has been opened. Most tables consist of couples as the views are suited to romantic dining although there’s always the odd larger table of suits.

The Food
The locally sourced British dishes are just as memorable as the restaurant’s riverside setting. Afternoon tea and generously sized breakfasts are popular but it’s the frequently changing a la carte menu that really allows the Head Chef, Shay Cooper, to showcase his talents. Roast quail (£10.50) is tender and crispy skinned, the flavour of the bird enhanced with the rich sweetness of the caramelised foie gras that accompanies it. The glazed pork belly (£9) is also an unusual dish – the succulent slices of pork are served alongside plump monkfish cheeks and braised vegetables that add sweetness whilst the kick of passion fruit mustard is an unexpected twist that lifts the dish from bland to beautific.

For main course, the squab pigeon (£24) is served medium rare and is buttery tender. The richness of the bird is balanced with a delicious fig and beetroot tart and a swirl of coffee sauce. The rump of lamb (£19) is cooked with just as much care. The meat flakes under your fork, the fennel is satisfyingly vinegary and the lamb sweetbreads and cauliflower and goat’s cheese puree add depth and creaminess to the dish.

The multitude of flavours in each dish continues in the desserts which is in fact where such a mixture of ingredients works best. The Bingham trifle (£6.50) is a signature dish and justifiably so thanks to the inspired combination of delicately flavoured muscat jelly, mandarin sorbet and orange blossom madelines. However, if you’re a cheese fan then the Bingham Restaurant is the place to loosen your belt and indulge. The restaurant has its own dedicated cheese counter that’s well stocked with British and European cheeses that are matured at the restaurant until perfectly ripe. As with the rest of the menu, local suppliers are used wherever possible, in this case Teddington Cheese whose speciality is cheese produced on small farms using traditional methods. At £8 for a large plate of cheese complete with piles of biscuits and grapes, even if you have to have dessert, it’s worth ordering a plate to share.

The Drink
Most diners opt for a pre-dinner drink in the separate bar and as the Bingham is a boutique hotel there are plenty of guests to lend a cosmopolitan air that you often struggle to find in a neighbourhood restaurant and bar. The double height ceiling glimmers with silver leaf and light from the floor to ceiling doors floods into the room and reflects off the vast mirrors and colossal chandelier. Bars such as this one are made for cocktails, fine wine and late night bourbon but it’s best to keep pre-dinner cocktails light. The Vanilla Sunset (£7) is a refreshingly smooth blend of creamy vanilla vodka sliced through with a squeeze of lime and sprinkling of sugar. Also worth sampling is the Bingham (£7.50) which blends vodka and elderflower syrup with a spritz of soda water.

If you arrive too late to enjoy a pre-dinner cocktail in the bar then you can still enjoy one as an aperitif. The Wild Flower (£10) is a Champagne cocktail with an hibiscus flower that unfurls prettily in the base of the glass and adds a hint of warm raspberry to the Champagne and the Bellinis (£10) are beautifully made too. More unusually, there are a couple of reasonable priced sherries on the aperitif menu too – Sherry Palomino Fino (£5.50) and Sherry Amontillado (£6). As for the wine list, the sommelier certainly knows their stuff and in fact some diners appear to be having food to accompany their wine rather than the other way round - always a good sign. The dedication that the Bingham Restaurant has to wine becomes even more evident when you order and the wine arrives decanted from the bottle into specially created carafes that are more like works of art than pouring vessels.

The wine list flits around the world but concentrates mainly on French and Italian wine. For white, opt for a Chablis that start at £30 for a carafe of Emile Petit, Jean Marc Brocard and rise to £105 for a carafe of Grand Cru Les Blanchots, Domaine Billaud-Simon. As for the reds, the Chiantis are particularly good and again start at £30 for a carafe of Tuscan Chianti Classico, Isole e Olena, rising to £210 for another red of Tuscan origin – Chianti Riserva Cantine Leonardo. Dessert wines start at £20 a carafe for the French Monbazzilac, Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure 2005 and peak at £58 a carafe for a 2000 version from the same vineyard.

The Last Word
One of the main reasons to eat out is to enjoy far better food than you could ever cook for yourself at home, try new dishes and combinations of ingredients and accompany it with superb wine and cocktails. And then of course, there’s the surroundings to take into consideration. It’s the views that lift dining at the Bingham Restaurant from a very good experience to an unforgettable one. That said, the decor inside the restaurant may be a little fussy for diners who prefer sleek, contemporary design but if that’s the case don’t let it put you off – simply book a balcony table instead.

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