PUB REVIEW: The Lass O’ Richmond Hill, Richmond Park
I’ve tried to get in to this cavernous pub beside the grandest of the Royal Parks a few times now but because it’s beside the grandest of the Royal Parks it’s always RAMMED. All these no-booking policies these days have dulled my senses - I must have forgotten it is actually still possible to book a table in London in 2012.
However I thought ahead this time and on a wet Saturday afternoon we arrived (with 2 kids in tow) and were shown to a particularly lovely table in the rear dining area. It’s a classy joint - wood panelling, nice carpets, a real cosy feel. Far posher than your average Young’s pub. It’s what you’d call ‘kid friendly’ - but that doesn’t mean the little blighters run the place, it just means they are respectfully catered for.
We ordered drinks and tap water (they had Twickenham Brewery Naked Ladies on - an excellent hoppy brew in great nick). I think the waiter may have had a heavy night the evening before as he missed everyone’s glass leaving us with a bit of a soggy table. Other than that, service was friendly and efficient.
Now, the Lass really bigs up its beef. The menu proclaims that they dry-age their meat on the premises, the meat comes from Macken Brothers butchers down the road in Chiswick and they’ve apparently won Great Britain’s Best Steak Pub 2011 from some nameless organisation. It better be good with such big talk…
Fortunately I was impressed. I went for ribeye and it was very good. Nice smokey char and undeniably good quality meat. They lose a point for overcooking it a bit though (I asked for medium rare and got medium. Why do so many places screw this up?) Chips were decent enough, blue cheese salad was delicious but the warm peppercorn sauce was great. It was more like a fine, rich pepper gravy. I downed the rest like a shot at the end. Don’t judge me, I’m Northern.
Unfortunately they messed up one of my dining companions battered cod; it was completely overcooked and very dry. Boo.
This considered I would recommend the Lass O’ Richmond hill. It’s in a top location, (you can be in Richmond Park in 2 mins), it’s a nice place to spend a few hours and they know how to cook a decent steak. OK, they ain’t going to be worrying the Hawksmoor anytime soon but they can cook up some good quality meat. It’s not cheap for a pub but the quality is there (and what do you expect in this location? Every third car is a Porsche). It’s a shame about the inconstancies in the kitchen but I’ve come to expect this from pub dining in this country unfortunately. Don’t try the fish. As Weezer said in the iconic ‘Buddy Holly’ video, the fish is ‘not so good, Al’.
6.5/10
The Lass O’ Richmond Hill
8 Queens Rd
Richmond
TW10 6JJ
020 8940 1306
http://www.lassorichmondhill.co.uk/
