Kings Almost Fit For One (from Darlington and Stockton Times)

WE thought it was a good idea to book Easter Sunday lunch at the King's Head, Richmond, on account of the recent reopening of its refurbished restaurant.

Now called King's, the upstairs market place-facing dining room has been given a thorough overhaul with modern décor and furnishings, including some rather startling see-through Perspex chairs.

These transparent chairs were the main talking point at the re-opening night, along with some very good canapés. Sylvia had a rather disturbing thought about what the view might be like of someone seated on one of these chairs from below. It was enough to put me off my smoked salmon and cream cheese nibble.

Liking what we had seen at the reopening, we booked lunch. The helpful receptionist asked if we wanted to eat upstairs, which we assumed meant in the restaurant.

But "upstairs" on Easter Sunday meant in the hotel's ballroom. The doors to the restaurant remained shut, tables impeccably set, the perspex chairs silent witness to the new splendour.

Faded splendour is the best description of the ballroom. It looks as if it hasn't been touched for at least 20 years, which doesn't matter when the lights are low and the sprung dance floor is being put to the use it was intended for, but in the cold light of a bright Easter Sunday it looks decidedly drab.

It may well be next on the hotel management's list for refurbishment, but in the meantime it is a rather sad dining room alternative for use on those occasions - like Easter Sunday - when King's isn't big enough.

The general ambience wasn't helped by the terribly creased covers used to camouflage the utilitarian nature of the conference-style chairs.

Three courses were £14.95, which included a glass of house wine and coffee, mints and a small Easter egg.

The four starters included no surprises: pate, roasted red pepper and tomato soup, garlic mushrooms and prawn cocktail. Sylvia thought the prawns OK but they were served in a ridiculously tall glass which was a bit awkward for someone vertically challenged.

My garlic mushrooms were really quite good, served in a creamy white sauce on toasted ciabatta bread.

From a choice of three roasts - beef, lamb and pork - poached salmon and a veggie option, we had gone for pork and lamb, the lamb from the Earl of Devonshire's Bolton Abbey estate no less.

Both came with Yorkshire puddings, notable mainly for their size (enormous) and their texture (crisped cardboard).

It was all perfectly acceptable without being memorable, as was my rice pudding, which came with a fruit coulis-type topping.

Disappointed with not being able to sample King's, we returned on the following Thursday evening. The refurbishment has been done well and they do a very good deal on Thursdays with what they call a Delight menu - three courses for £13.95. I selected from this while Sylvia went a la carte.

Generally speaking, the standard of cooking was far higher than on the Sunday. I could find no fault with my ham hock terrine starter, roast fillet of cod main course (with an excellent minted pea puree) and cherry and almond tart. In fact, I'd go so far to say this strangely-titled menu with its choice of four starters, four mains and five desserts for £13.95 offers one of the best value meals around. It was only let down by some less than fresh bread.

Sylvia's main course of sea bass fillets with tiger prawns (£16.50) was similarly well prepared and presented but her starter of confit of duck (£5.95) was disappointingly tough and chewy.

Service on both occasions was by no means poor, but let's just say it was somewhat perfunctory, a little too matter-of-fact, a mite too takeit- or-leave-it. In King's we had to ask to see a wine list and then also had to prompt staff to provide an ice bucket. An occasional smile wouldn't go amiss, either.

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