Richmond revival continues apace

OVER a recent lunch with a notable citizen of Richmond, conversation fell to how the dining out scene in the town has changed.

A little more than five years ago options for an evening meal were severely limited.

There were the town’s many pubs, a couple of Indians, the King’s Head Hotel, the fish and chip restaurant in the Market Place and that was about it. The Frenchgate Hotel might have been open then but that tends to be for special occasions.

And there was that cosy little Italian above the dry cleaners which was OK but unexceptional.

Then along came Seasons at the wonderful Station, Le Rustique reminded us what a really good French bistro could be and last summer La Piazza 2 opened in what was a car showroom in Dundas Street.

La Piazza 2 is closely related to the aforementioned cosy little Italian in the Market Place (it is run by the same family) but is very different in style. In other towns La Piazza 2 might be regarded as a bit old hat but here it is almost cutting edge contemporary.

A big open plan dining area features picture windows opening onto a terrace and Dundas Street beyond.

There are views into the steamy kitchen, a swish looking bar (a cocktail bar is to come shortly), a stonetiled floor, banquette seating, red mock-croc wallpaper – all very modern and quite unlike anything else in Richmond town centre.

It seems to be finding favour. On a wet January Tuesday night it was packed. We suspect that if we hadn’t booked we might have been turned away. The atmosphere was buzzing.

Sitting by one of the big picture windows, we felt a bit on the chilly side but everyone else seemed to be warm enough.

The menu majors on pastas and pizzas with a few grills and salads. It’s long, a little predictable perhaps, certainly a typographical nightmare, and presented on a very unhandy A3-sized card.

Perhaps we made a mistake in avoiding the obvious Italian standards. Looking at how other diners were putting away the good-looking pizza and pasta dishes, they might have been the better bets.

Sylvia’s minestrone soup (£3.95) was, of course, an Italian standard and it promised good things to come. It was thick, but not chunky, well seasoned and a hearty bowlful, accompanied with fresh bread and, unfortunately, piddly packet butter.

My vegetarian anti-pasti (£5.95) looked spectacular.

A soup bowl full of marinated courgettes, aubergines, artichoke hearts and salad was let down only by some overly chewy sun-dried tomatoes, bullet-like olives and a rather too-sharp vinaigrette.

It was a huge helping which I struggled to finish.

Sylvia thought her lamb shank (£11.95) was quite good initially but she soon grew tired of it. The lamb was overwhelmed by a strong tomato and rosemary sauce and the more meat she pulled from the bone the more sinewy it became.

Mutton dressed as lamb?

The vegetables served with it were better, particularly the carrots which Sylvia thought the best-flavoured she had tasted in a long time.

My calf’s liver (£10.95) was grilled and served on a bed of mashed potato with a white wine-based reduction.

The liver – three quite substantial slices – was very tender, still ever-so-slightly pink in parts and it nestled into the bed of very smooth buttery mash. The sauce was rich and just the right side of gloopy. The dish also came with the same mixed vegetables that had accompanied Sylvia’s lamb.

A general theme was emerging of food served in a large quantities but lacking finesse. We half-heartedly looked at the dessert menu and noted the tiramisu, the sticky toffee pudding and other favourites while realising we did not have a hope of tackling any.

We asked for the bill (£36.70 including two soft drinks) which, principally because of the busy trade the restaurant was doing, took some time to arrive, and then took some time to pay as well. Service generally was acceptable if a little perfunctory at times.

But it is easy to see why La Piazza 2 is doing well. It has a great atmosphere and we suspect the pizzas and pastas will be the best options.

There are more eating out developments in the town.

The original La Piazza in Trinity Church Square is due to reopen next weekend featuring seafood and a more specialist a la carte menu, and the Frenchgate Café has re-opened with two former Seasons’ staff at the helm.

Reports would be welcome.