When it comes to dining out in Kingston, we’re spoiled for choice. TripAdvisor has 310 listings for restaurants within the borough and naturally, with that amount of places comes a range of quality.
I set out on a mission to find the best and worst restaurants in the Kingston area to see how different they really are. Let’s start with the bad…
The Gazebo Pub and Riverside Dining
TripAdvisor rating 2.9/ Google rating 3.9
When I visited The Gazebo I found it to be basically empty, except Rob, the manager. Rob was friendly and very knowledgeable about the beers.
They have plenty of outdoor seating, where a few drinkers were lingering but I chose to sit inside. It was cosy but sadly lacked any atmosphere. As I sat sipping my (£7.40!) pint in silence, the only other people who came in just wanted to use the loo.
They offer most of the pub classics. I ordered a small portion of sausages and mash (£15.50) which consisted of two sausages, mash, onion gravy and onion rings. Without any music, I felt a bit awkward as I ate in the pub area and the quality of the food didn’t make up for it. The sausages had a decent flavour but were chewy, the mash was grainy and a little stodgy, the onion rings were undercooked, but the batter was tasty. If I had to sum it up, I would describe it as boring – which is somehow almost as bad as being inedible. On the positive side, it was a good sized serving and arrived quickly – although I was the only one eating so that was expected.
Overall, I found it to be overpriced, especially for a chain-owned place, and overwhelmingly average. It might be a good place to include in a pub crawl along the river, however, as many of the reviews mention, the food is not worth a try.
Ambiance: ★★
Service: ★★★★
Food: ★★★
Overall rating: ★★★
It’s not bad in the sense that you’ll get sick, but I wouldn’t recommend to a friend.
Now, for the good…
The French Table
TripAdvisor rating 4.8/ Google rating 4.9
When you enter The French Table, you are enveloped in a warm air of sophistication. Despite being small it didn’t feel too crowded or loud.
I put on the booking that it was mine and my boyfriend’s anniversary and when we arrived, our menus said ‘Happy Anniversary’ at the top and there was heart confetti on the table, which was a nice touch.
While ordering, we were offered a choice of four types of fresh bread, all of which were delicious, free of charge and got the approval of my French boyfriend.
I had a roasted loin of venison with a blue cheese puree for my main and a white chocolate and chestnut cheesecake for dessert (£58 together).
My boyfriend had the set menu which consisted of mixed meat terrine, followed by pan-friend salmon with seasonal vegetables, and poire belle helene (poached pears and ice cream) to finish. If I described every element of the meal, we would be here all day but to put it simply, everything was divine. The dishes were well balanced and full of flavour.
We paid a total of £146.25 for a starter, two mains, two desserts and a bottle of wine. Obviously, it’s on the expensive side but it’s worth it for the service and calibre of the food.
Ambiance: ★★★★
Service: ★★★★★
Food: ★★★★★
My rating: ★★★★★
The vibes of The French Table are immaculate. With the set menu (£39 for three courses) and lunch prices (£40 for two courses) you can get a five star meal at a semi-affordable rate. It’s a fabulous place to treat yourself to a fancy meal, no matter the occasion.
Of course, when looking at the two restaurants together, The Gazebo pales in comparison. However when taking it alone, it’s definitely no ‘Kitchen Nightmares’, just the average pub grub.
Overall, it’s pretty good that the worst restaurant Kingston has to offer is simply average. With places serving any cuisine you might be craving, why not go and try them for yourself? For now, The French Table will remain in the top spot until I try them all… Two down, 308 to go.