Category: Brasserie
The first sunny day of the year made us venture out to Richmond. After some Pimms at the river side,we ended up at FishWorks for dinner –a branch of a small chain of fish restaurants/ fish mongers/ cookery schools (fish &seafood) which looked rather attractive with loads of fresh fish being displayed at the fishmonger part attached to the restaurant. Even better they had a table for us outside.
Outside might have not been the best idea as the waiters ignored us over wide stretches of the evening. When they finally got to us they were very friendly though,so it might have been a problem of under-staffing and bad management more than anything else.
Wine is sold not only by the bottle and the glass but also by a 500ml carafe with I really liked. On the downside,the wine that we had ordered was lukewarm and so was the tap water. We asked for ice cubes –they did not have any (???) but only crushed ice which immediately dissolved and was not of very much help.
We ordered bread with aioli and salsa verde (1.50) –three kinds of bread (focaccia,ciabatta and some brown bread) were good. The sauces I didn’t particularly care for (nothing better than a good olive oil) but thumbs up for doing something different.
As N and I both a broke we shared a starter. The grilled sardines from the specials board (7) were mainly dry and bland,I had those much cheaper and,more importantly,better at Zucca.
For the main we ordered sea bass with rosemary off the bone (13) and tuna steak (10) which I wanted rare. Annoyingly,the tuna came very well done ( I mean VERY there was not even the slightest hint of pink in the middle). At this moment I started doubting the value of their cooking school…In their favour –the waiter took the fish back with an apology and 5 minutes later returned with a delicious and very rare tuna steak. The sea bass also was very nicely cooked (already at their first attempt!) and moist,shame one couldn’t taste the rosemary at all. The dishes are served without any sides which makes the dinner immediately more expensive. We ordered the fennel salad with chili (2.50)- not much chili but nice flavour and went well with the fish.
Pricewise I have to say we ordered some of the cheapest dishes on the menu (as I said,broke 
) but you can really splash out here e.g. with a seafood platter for 2 for 60 quid. If you add on the sides it gets really expensive and I wonder if the fish –even though nice –is worth the money.
And very annoyingly I found out later that they are on toptable for 50% off food! I think with this offer it’s a really good deal,without the offer to expensive for what is offered.
- Food:6.5/10
- Service: 4/10 (Service charge included)
- Ambiance: 6/10
- Value for money:6/10
- Chances of returning:with the toptable offer
- Verdict:If you are happy to overlook all the little things that are not quite right you can eat some decent fish there.
This is the first time I’ve seen your blog and I love the traffic light system! No messing around
And yes,always check Toptable for 50% off 
.-= catty´s last blog ..summer in London:I love you. Please stay. =-.
Thanks Catty
yes it really hurts when you know you could have saved some money with toptable…even if it’s a small amount but it’s a matter of principle!
I ate at the branch (when it was there) in Chiswick,and was very disappointed with the food.
Richmond in Summer is great fun though,especially drinks by the river watching the river rise and cars getting stranded. Great fun.
.-= Dave´s last blog ..Sunday Roast @ The Island Queen =-.