For Home Counties restaurants, west isn’t always the best. Surrey has its fair share of gastro greats too, says Catherine Whyte
Top restaurants Surrey
Oft have I heard it said that Surrey’s complement of good restaurants is significantly inferior to that of the M4 corridor.
There is – without a doubt – a hefty dollop of truth in this. Yet a glance at the recently published annual proclamations of the Michelin Guide, Waitrose Good Food Guide and the like should serve as a reminder that Surrey and South-West London are not totally bereft of gastronomic flair.
Michael Wignall at The Latymer – in the pretty Pennyhill Park Hotel at Bagshot (training HQ for England’s rugby team) – leads the charge, once again retaining his two Michelin stars.
Meanwhile The Glasshouse, Kew, and Drake’s in Ripley, near Woking, both reap the rewards of consistent commitment to quality, preserving their single stars.
The Waitrose publication is brimful of accolades for local haunts. Rising star The Dysart Petersham, near Richmond, is eulogised in the ‘Eating Undercover’ section: the anonymous judge names chef Kenneth Culhane’s soy and mirin-marinated scallop sushi with truffle mayonnaise as one of the top five culinary highlights of 2014. It was, he says, “the best single bite of food I ate this year”.
However, it was Stovell’s in Chobham – the rustic but thrillingly inventive independent – that stole the show, landing top spot in the South-East regional category.
So, before you allow yourselves to be dazzled by London’s bright lights, remember: many a star burns brightly in the southwestern suburbs and down Surrey’s leafy lanes.
PLUS: New arrival
Turtle Bay Guildford
Turtle Bay: An epicurean blast of colour will explode onto Guildford’s streets later this month when Caribbean chain Turtle Bay docks in North Street.
Expect street food-inspired dishes such as Trini Doubles (bara roti, chickpeas, cucumber chutney with coconut shavings), along with mains such as Escovitch Fish (whole bream, tomato sauce, Scotch bonnet, vegetables with rice ’n’ peas cooked on a Jerk Pit BBQ) and Blue Mountain Curry Goat.
With its unashamedly loud and funky décor and reggae on the sound system, this new foodie destination promises to be oodles of fun.
Turtle Bay opens on November 14, 1 North Street, Guildford; turtlebay.co.uk
