Petersham Nurseries Café - Richmond

I know people rave about this place and It has a Michelin Green Star, however my family and I were so disappointed. I have only just now had an opportunity to post a review. It was my daughters 16th Birthday and she especially wanted to come and experience the food and ambience. For a set £90 per head for 3 course before drinks, there was no other options to have less food. The appetizers listed were so common place and uninspired. Melon with prosciutto and bruschetta with tomatoes??? My partner and I don’t eat bacon so we were given a small piece of the melon with a basil leaf instead. Three of us had the linguine with chili crab and one had the Scottish griolles on bruschetta. The crab linguine was like eating pasta swimming in lemon dish water. It was overly lemony and you couldn’t taste the crab at all. The mushrooms on toast were soggy and again nothing special. For mains the girls fared better, one had the lamb and the other the beef which was reasonable. I had the plaice and my partner had the sea bream. Unfortunately both dishes were absolutely tasteless. I would say that I have a discerning palate and can appreciate the more subtle flavors of these two fish dishes but I’m afraid I had to basically force myself to finish the fish so that I wouldn’t waste the £30 it cost to have this dish in front of me. The potato side we ordered was overly salted so was jarring against the flavourless fish. Two of the desserts were the only discernible dishes that were remotely passable from the menu we experienced this evening. The strawberry cheesecake and the peach frangipane tart which were nice enough but for £30 for each dessert I was expecting something special. one of my daughters ordered the tiramisu, which was a deconstructed version of the dessert and it was a hopeless effort that came with a side of very strong expresso which they didn’t explain at all. So unbeknownst to my daughter she poured most of it over the dessert and the end result was inedible. The atmosphere wasn’t that great, the staff were attentive in a slightly haughty way but I wish they would have explained the dishes a little more. All in all I will not be back and I will give an honest opinion to anyone that asks me about our visit to the restaurant, this is one of the worst meal I have had all year.

What a lovely venue and absolutely terrific personal service. Daniela was tremendous, a great host. We’ll definitely be back.

The food incredible and the service outstanding. The setting (nursery) incredible! Ask for our server Freya…she’s delightful!

I had a wonderful experience at the teahouse, and I must say that the manager, Daniela, was exceptionally welcoming and attentive. Her warm hospitality made our visit even more enjoyable. We enjoyed a delightful selection of cakes, and the atmosphere was cozy and inviting. We'll definitely be returning to this teahouse, thanks in large part to Daniela's exceptional service.

We went to the teahouse today for breakfast and everything was outstanding. Daniela the manager was so attentive and looked after us very well. Cakes and coffes were truly amazing. Thank you so much to the whole team for making this morning so memorable. We will definitely return. Recommend this place to everyone.