This new venture within the Lodge Hotel is attempting to raise Putney’s culinary profile – and the owners have got is just about right. Inside, there’s a bar with decent cocktails, plus a
casual-smart café-style space and a clubby, 12-seater ‘library’ with shelves of books, vintage sports photos and a Renaissance-style cherub amidst the chandeliers. Chef Ricardo Soares knows his
onions and is making some bold statements, blending his Portuguese/Mozambique heritage with well-learnt classic technique to create something out of the ordinary – witness a delicate cucumber
consommé accompanied by a fabulously rich pig’s head terrine. Otherwise, simpler dishes are the real winners – from loin and slow-cooked leg of cabrito (goat kid) with fried sprouts and crunchy
cavolo nero to a dreamy dessert of white chocolate mousse, brownies and ice cream, interleaved with chocolate thins. Prices are kind, service is fine and the modest global wine list is worth a
punt.