The Dysart at Petersham

135 Petersham Rd

Richmond

TW10 7AA

BY NEAL MARTIN | SEPTEMBER 13, 2024

The Food:

Parmesan shortbread with truffle emulsion

Crispy langoustine, fresh mint, capers and ginger mayonnaise

Razor clam tartar

“Chaud froid” hen’s egg, Pedro Ximénes and maple syrup

Sourdough focaccia

Charred sea bream, radish ginger and champagne

Ox tail risotto, aged rice, bone marrow and pickled chili

Cornish turbot, courgettes, shellfish bisque and garden herbs

Creedy Carver Farm duck, miso glazed aubergine, English yuzu with duck neck sauce

Neal’s Yard cheeses

Yorkshire rhubarb, strawberry and lime crème fraiche sorbet

Tiramisu

Petit fours

The Wines:

2007 Egly-Ouriet Brut Vintage	95
2018 Kistler Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard	96
1975 Biondi Santi - Tenuta Il Greppo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	NR
2012 Biondi Santi - Tenuta Il Greppo Brunello di Montalcino Riserva	93
2015 Macdonald Cabernet Sauvignon	95
1989 Yquem	97

Richmond. It’s in the name. Gotta be rich to live there. Richmond lies on London’s fringe, where the capital and countryside merge. In fact, it was transferred from the county of Surrey to London as recently as 1965. The River Thames winds through its heart. Synchronized rowers scythe across its surface as tourists look on, lounging in riverside cafés drinking over-priced lukewarm lattes. Arts & Crafts housing, each abode a showcase for local artisans in the late 19th century, make Richmond easy on the eye, a magnet for bankers, celebs and Ted Lasso, who, lest we forget, could only afford a flat. Despite its affluence, what Richmond has forgotten to add is a decent place to eat. Apart from Petersham Nurseries, it succumbs mainly to restaurant chains and others that could do better but don’t really need to.

The Dysart exterior

Time to put that right. In June, I joined friends at The Dysart, one of those restaurants that I had never been. I caught the train from Waterloo Station. Instead of Terry meeting Julie, my train was packed with racegoers en route to Ascot in various states of inebriation and attire. A few mangled Windsor knots and one or two ladies’ fascinators were already attempting to flee before it got messy. On this glorious June morning, I decided to walk along the Thames, a riverside walk that took around 30 minutes. Yes, the restaurant is a little out of the way, but it is definitely worth traipsing because it delivers everything you expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, but without pretension or excess.

The Dysart is housed in an aforementioned Arts and Crafts building, discretely hidden from the main thoroughfare by a large hedge, leafy gardens at the rear. The building was constructed in 1904 and was renovated after years of serving as a local pub. It is spacious. Not homely per se, but it foments a cozy, suburban ambiance. Head chef is Kenneth Culhane, who won a Roux scholarship in 2010. Managing Director Barney Taylor oversees service. The restaurant offers 3 and 4-course menus, but we chose the tasting menu, average for London prices at £135 per head. Given the quality, I would thoroughly recommend the tasting menu because the number of exquisite dishes makes this excellent value for money.

Parmesan shortbread with truffle emulsion

My Parmesan shortbread biscuit came with fennel and truffle emulsion. The emulsion was in lieu of grapefruit mousse; the alternative rustled up in the kitchen without fuss in a flash. This morsel of deliciousness immediately alerted my tastebuds they were in for a treat, so buckle up.

Razor clam tartar

The langoustine, deep-fried à la tempura, fresh mint, capers and ginger mayonnaise were outstanding, some of the best I’ve eaten recently. Crucially, the tempura coating was gossamer thin. Having almost overdosed on tempura in Japan, I dare say that this would not look out of place in Tokyo’s choicest restaurants. This was followed by an additional dish: razor clam tartar served in their shells, Orkney scallops and African blue basil with a Vietnamese dressing made with shallots and lime. It was an early highlight. I am not the biggest fan of clams, but these were exceptionally fresh and flavorsome, the dressing lending a well-judged spicy twist.

The “Chaud froid” hen’s egg came in a shot glass with three layers at different temperatures. (I learned from my co-diner and epicurean that this was inspired by chef Alain Passard.) It was composed of Pedro Ximénes, cooled cream mixed with maple syrup and then the hen’s egg on top. This was technically impressive, and the umami of the different temperatures presented an unusual sensation.  

Charred sea bream, radish ginger and champagne

After a perfectly moist sourdough focaccia, the charred sea bream, daikon, ginger, kaffir lime and champagne vinegar was another dish that excelled, the sauce complementing the bream with aplomb, the ginger adding a slight Asian spiciness. The ox tail risotto came with what is described as “aged rice”, this one matured for seven years. It came with bone marrow and pickled chili. One of the richer dishes, the chili lent a touch of fire without overwhelming the sanguineous ox tail flavor.

Ox tail risotto, aged rice, bone marrow and pickled chili

The Cornish turbot came with locally grown courgettes, a dehydrated courgette flower, shellfish bisque and herbs grown in the back garden. The turbot was from the top drawer, moist and meaty, and the bisque was not excessively strong, so it partnered the ‘poisson’ perfectly.

Cornish turbot, courgettes, shellfish bisque and garden herbs

We had a choice of main courses. Instead of lamb, I chose the Creedy Carver Farm duck with miso-glazed aubergine. I wanted to see how it compared to the one that often appears on the menu at home. This definitely passed muster, though I am legally obliged to state that nothing can compete with the one from my own kitchen. It came with English yuzu marmalade and duck neck sauce. The duck was perfectly pink and, again, married effortlessly with the yuzu.

Creedy Carver Farm duck, miso glazed aubergine, English yuzu with duck neck sauce

Out came an assortment of Neal’s Yard cheeses. You can’t go wrong with my namesake fromagerie. This selection included Stichelton, Cornish Kern, Rollright, Brefu Bach, Brightwell Ash and Gubbeen. Since the quality of cheese correlates to the absurdity of its name, you will have already deduced that each and every one was marvelous, perhaps the Brightwell was my personal favorite.

Neal’s Yard cheeses

Instead of a grapefruit pre-dessert, Chef conjured Yorkshire rhubarb, strawberry, hibiscus, sweet Woodruff cream, lime and crème fraiche sorbet. It was just fabulous, light and not too heavy, so there was just enough emptiness inside my tummy for what followed…

Yorkshire rhubarb, strawberry and lime crème fraiche sorbet

We finished with tiramisu, but tiramisu in a different league to anything I’ve eaten before. This was a work of art! Chef used mascarpone sabayon with a lady finger sponge that had been soaked in Difference Coffee (see below), a Venezuelan chocolate ganache (72% cocoa), hazelnut liquor jelly and a chocolate and almond tuile. Wow. If I list my top individual dishes of 2024 then this will be in there. We finished with a fine selection of Petit fours.

The wine list contains a good selection available in 125ml, 175ml and 250ml measures. On this occasion, we had arranged B.Y.O. in advance.

Tiramisu

In a change to the normal schedule, I must relate the pre-, not post-prandial coffee. No, don’t switch off. This was no ordinary coffee, which is why it was served first. One of our diners is the founder of the “Difference Coffee Company,” which sources the world’s most sought-after coffee beans that are only available via auction. It mirrors top-end Burgundy, which means that this coffee was the equivalent of Romanée-Conti. These coffee beans won the “Best of Panama” Competition in 2023. Only 25kg was produced for the entire world, and each kilo sells for…wait for it… $10,005 per kilo. Therefore, each of our small cups was worth around £250. I’m no coffee expert, but I was taken with the floral nose with desiccated orange. We were also served two more coffees at the end of the meal, both available at a much more wallet-friendly price, between £5.50 and £10.50 for single shots. I was smitten by the Jamaican Blue Mountain from Wallenford Estate, a single plot in St. John’s Peak. There was also a Yellow Catuai variety from Hacienda Copey that, unusually, uses naturally fermented coffee beans. There was some similitude to a “vinous coffee,” but frankly, it was not my style, as fascinating as it was. Though doubtless, it will be popular in Parisian bistros.

These artisan coffees are becoming increasingly popular amongst high-end restaurants' private clients, a parallel world with clear crossovers with wine in terms of lieu-dit, fermentation, description, scoring and princely sums people are willing to pay.

Now, onto the fermented grape juice. We began with the 2007 Brut Vintage from Egly-Ouriet. Without entering the cause célèbre about price hikes, this bottle did explain why it enjoys such a fanatical following. At 17 years of age, it has evolved into a quite entrancing bouquet, a little yeasty, with hints of lemon sherbet and Japanese yuzu, all delivered with captivating delineation. The palate is beautifully balanced with a lively spine of acidity, a twist of sour lemon and Clementine and just a trace of viscosity towards the finish. It is drinking perfectly now, and if you can afford it, then lucky you.

The white came from California, the 2018 Chardonnay Vine Hill Vineyard from Kistler. A refreshingly light bouquet at first, it required a few minutes to charge its batteries, and then it was off. Lemon verbena, melted butter, white peaches and vanilla pod on the exquisitely defined nose. The palate is very harmonious and smooth, with deftly integrated oak, touches of kaffir lime and wild honey on the finish. This was exquisite; Russian River Chardonnay at its best.

Unfortunately, Biondi Santi’s 1975 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva was D.O.A. We had a backup, the 2012 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva. This is still relatively youthful, a potent bouquet with Morello cherries, Clementines and cloves, developing more tertiary, almost leathery scents with aeration. The palate is well-balanced, with a keen line of acidity and a gentle grip in the mouth, finishing vivacious and slightly piquant. I would afford this another two or three years in bottle. We returned to the West Coast with the 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon from MacDonald, the first time I had tasted a wine from this producer since little makes its way to this side of the Atlantic. It has a powerful nose and a pretty Médoc-like personality, though with time, it develops an opulence that shifted me to California. Fine delineation, but backward and stubborn at the moment. The palate is tannic on the entry, though it thankfully dovetails into a more elegant and poised finish with just the right amount of sapidity. It is still unevolved, and I would give it another couple of years.

To finish, back on “home turf” with the 1989 Yquem. It is a vintage I have drunk many times in recent years: quince, apricots, honey and saffron burst forth on the nose with brilliant delineation. The palate is a little tauter than in previous bottles, with marmalade and quince to the fore and an energetic, poised, intense finish that lingers in the mouth. It's not the best bottle I’ve had, but it's not far off!

I was extremely impressed by every course at the Dysart. This is Michelin-approved fine dining, as it ought to be. The expertise of the Chef and his team shone through in practically every dish to such a degree that only distance from central London can explain why this restaurant is not more lauded. Those visiting the capital should put Richmond on their itinerary because it is a pretty place to visit, to relax in its countless well-heeled local pubs or just soak in the atmosphere that can be a relief from the hectic city. Now, there is a destination restaurant for epicures or, indeed, racegoers returning from Ascot with their winnings in their pockets and, hopefully, faculties intact.  

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