Restaurant at The Petersham

As Restaurant at The Petersham becomes grander, its atmosphere grows stuffier & its service only seems to get slower. The smart hotel dining spot is nevertheless busy, with customers drawn by the twin temptations of the modern British cooking & an idyllic setting above the river, with cows grazing in the water meadow as if in a Constable painting. The lunch menu is a set-price affair littered with greedy supplements while dinner runs a full a la carte as well. You might start with a combo of perfectly cooked scallops & smoked eel, a horseradish & cream sauce binding the flavours together, & follow with slow-roast spiced duck set against a startling but brilliant beetroot puree. The wine list is ponderous & pricey, but the individual servings of Champagne set things going with a sparkle.