Bingham Riverhouse | A Richmond Institution, Refreshed
The Bingham Riverhouse is one of those destinations that would be worth going to even if it were in Zone 12.
Thankfully, it won’t make your Oyster card spontaneously combust, as it’s just a stone’s throw from Richmond tube. In fact, it’s basically local to a large number of the people reading this, sat right by one of the loveliest & leafiest stretches of the Thames. Last year they secured the talents of a new head chef, and the reception’s been outstanding – so we’ve arranged a Perk there for Nudge Members (and up to three guests), who are getting 50% off the food bill and a round of complimentary welcome cocktails, from Monday – Saturday, between 16th January – 28th February.
The place itself has been an institution for decades; a status it earned initially as a bed & breakfast in the eighties, then as Richmond’s first boutique hotel in 2006 and now a stunning institution acting as a hotel, members club annnnd restaurant & bar. The venue itself is a huge, stately Georgian townhouse (in fact, it was originally built as two houses back in 1740) whose impressive height allows most of its rooms to overlook both the river and the venue’s own pristine garden which rolls out onto Richmond Riverside.
RIVERHOUSE RESTAURANT & BAR
Step inside and you’ll notice a beautiful smell of sandalwood wafting around the lobby which does a very good job of helping you slow down and feel at home. Head to the right and you’ll enter the grand Drawing Room Bar with baby pink walls adorned with colourful modern art and shelf after shelf of spirits. Not to mention a statement fireplace that’s decked out with an insane amount of dried foliage and draping plants. It’s both cosy and chic at the same time – i.e. the perfect combo for having drink after drink.
You’ll find the restaurant in the adjacent room to the bar. When you first enter, you’ll be greeted by floor-to-ceiling bookshelves filled with Penguin Classics and two long banqueting tables for large groups. Walking through that, you’ll come to the real heart of the space which on the whole feels quintessentially English with dark teal walls, picturesque views of the Thames, bentwood cane chairs, and low-lit table lamps.
Taking charge of the food here is award-winning South African chef, Vanessa Marx who’s set out to create a seasonally changing menu that has something for everyone. It’s mostly made up of Modern European dishes like baked diver caught scallops with samphire, preserved lemons drizzled in garlic butter to start; wild garlic and nettle gnocchi or slow-cooked wildboar ‘bourguignon’ with pancetta and mushroom barley risotto for mains.
Though, from time-to-time, she’s also injects the menu with some South African flare, such as the Bierbrood bread (bread made with beer instead of yeast) and a caramelised whipped butter. You’ll also definitely want to end on the sweet orange & almond cake with lemon coconut sherbet and raspberries, but be warned, your tastebuds will go into shock by the tart-sweetness of the sherbet.
THE ROOMS
If you find yourself so over-encumbered with food, you’re unable to cope with the ride home (likely) you can always check-in to one of the rooms sitting above you, assuming you’re not already staying there (also likely). Each of the 14 rooms is named after a classical poet in tribute to the hotel’s own history as a literary hub, receiving notable guest like W.B Yeats and Michael Field (who, it should be noted was not actually a man, or indeed an individual full stop – he was the pen name of female poets Katherine Bradley and Edith Cooper).
Stepping into any of the rooms, you’ll find a stylish wood-framed bed topped with an organic, handmade mattress topped with a goose & duck feather duvet that forms their centre. And surrounding those are flat screens, iPod docks, marble power showers, reclaimed ’50s furnishings, and – more often than not – a beautiful copper bathtub, too.
BHUTI
Stepping a few doors down from the hotel, you’ll find three garden rooms which host a number of curated wellness classes led by bhuti. The company was founded by Sama Trinder, daughter to the Bingham’s owner Ruth; a seemingly formidable Kenyan woman who came across to the UK to train as a nurse back in the ’60s, before eventually working her way into banking, then hospitality.
While the gardens rooms can be hired for private functions, bhuti transform the space into a twinkly, serene studio to offer yoga, meditation, pilates and fitness classes for both hotel guest and Joe Public. Best of all, they’ve also decked out the garden with an idyllic igloo (yes, you heard that right) for yoga and aromatherapy workshops.
Which isn’t too shabby at all.
NOTE: Bingham Riverhouse is open now. You can book a room or a table at the Bingham Riverhouse website.
PERK: Nudge Members (+3), are getting 50% off the food bill (a la carte & afternoon tea) and a round of complimentary welcome cocktails, from Monday – Saturday, between 16th January to 28th February. Find out more under the ‘50% Off’ banner above. Not a Nudge Member yet? Sign up for a free 7 day trial.
Bingham Riverhouse | 61-63 Petersham Rd, TW10 6UT
While you’re in the area… swing by one of the best pubs in Richmond