106-108 Kew Road,
Richmond,
London,
TW9 2PQ
(020) 8948 8008
The ViewLondon Review
This remarkable little Richmond restaurant serves up some pretty good food, but it’s the décor and atmosphere that keeps the punters coming back in droves.
The Venue
Located halfway down Kew Road, Rock and Rose has the look of a little girl’s bedroom. If that little girl had suddenly discovered punk and was a dab hand at interior design. It really is quite a stunning venue, with everything from heavily customised chandeliers, slashed Union flags, oversized plants, mismatched furniture and leopard print service tables to Cecil Beaton wallpaper, Empire chairs, gothic roses and straw taxidermy all thrown together. But thrown together in a way that - miraculously - works. There’s so much in it that it feels intimate, even when you’re sitting at the long bar that holds fort to the right, overlooking a main restaurant area that boasts one of the most comfortable sofas in the capital. Further to the venue’s rear lies a decadent little private dining room, followed by a conservatory area that looks like the plum spot come summertime.
The Atmosphere
It’s Richmond, so it’s yummy mummy and the well-to-do central - which is obviously no bad thing – and everyone seems in good spirits, helped by some perfectly pitched music, the free flowing tipples and the easy conversation that flows from having quite so many things to look at. Staff are knowledgeable, and friendly in that Antipodean way, and do a sterling job of offering suggestions and generally aiding what’s a very pleasant, informal atmosphere. Just be careful not to get so relaxed that you end up sinking into that sofa and refusing to leave.
The Food
The Rock and Rose fare boasts an international flavour, so expect enough choice to keep even the most partisan national happy. It’s priced in line with the area, so whilst it’s not cheap it certainly isn’t prohibitive, with a very tasty chilli salt squid starter coming in at £6.95. It’s tempurad perfectly, with just about enough kick (aided by some chopped chilli), but the sweet chilli dipping sauce might be a little too sweet for some. The Rock and Rose ribs (£6.95) are impressively glazed, fall of the bone with ease and are every bit as messy and delicious as they should be.
Mains are good too, with a monkfish, tiger prawn and coconut curry (£15.95) served on a wooden board with a heavy earthenware cooking pot keeping everything warm. It’s well-balanced, creamy and spicy, with fish that’s cooked perfectly. The accompanying coriander rice isn’t particularly fragrant, but it certainly does the job. The miso cod fillet (£15.95) is again, cooked impeccably, with soft, flaking fish benefiting from a liberal dose of miso saltiness, with the accompanying asparagus, pak choi, spring onion and sesame seeds being familiar, and reliable, bedfellows.
Desserts are sickly sweet and very generous, with The Ultimate Banoffee Pie (£5.95) looking every bit as ostentatiously delicious as its moniker, but the Rock pecan pie (£5.95) is certainly worth a try. Served with a light and airy Armagnac ice cream, it’s a decadent little dish of richness that’s sweet, but not sweet enough to stop you finishing it off with a flick of your wrist, before eyeing the sofa.
Drinks
Cocktails are superb, so it’s probably a good idea to soak up some atmosphere at the bar before you sit down to eat. And if you do, make sure you try the Rock and Rose Martini (£8.50), for it is very good indeed. Vanilla infused vodka, fresh passion fruit and sugar are carefully (read, slowly) mixed together and served with a little segment of passion fruit and a shot of Champagne on the side. It’s sweet (there’s a theme here), superbly balanced and downright delicious.
A great wine list offers plenty of options by the glass, from a very reasonable £3.95 for the house up to £8.95 for a Gobillard Champagne. If you do fancy settling down for a bottle, and it seems many do, then the house white, a crisp, fresh and fruity Trebbiano Garganega at £14.95 is pretty good value, but if you do want to spend more then there’s plenty of scope to do so, with an excellent Gavi di Gavi at £30.95, a Sancerre at £34.95 or a Chablis at £42.50. Reds follow the same trend, with a Tempranillo coming in at £14.95, a good Shiraz Viognier at £23.75 and Valpolicella at £54.95. Proseccos and Champagnes don’t have to break the bank, ranging from £27.50 up to just shy of the hundred pound mark.
The Last Word
Glamorous, chic and just a tiny bit mad, Rock and Rose is a great little place that Richmond locals are lucky to call their own. As if they didn’t already have enough to crow about.
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