Last Updated on February 7, 2024
Sunday Sojourn at Hawthorn Restaurant
I can’t think of a better place to go for a walk on a sunny Sunday than Kew Gardens. A pre or post-prandial stop at Hawthorn makes for an even better experience and they’ve now started serving the kind of Sunday lunch that dreams are made of. If you haven’t visited yet, Hawthorn is the charming restaurant in Kew on the site that used to be The Glasshouse. When we first visited it had only just reopened, though Chef Patron Joshua Hunter had links to the previous owner through La Trompette, where he worked before. A Leith’s trained professional, Hunter has worked in some of our favourite restaurants – Kitchen W8 and Murano for example. We loved our first visit and were keen to try the new Sunday lunch menu in this intimate and perfectly formed venue. A single room, decorated with a stunning metallic feature wall, massive teak wood floor, and white linen tablecloths, this place has the feeling of quality. The glasses are paper-thin crystal, the silverware heavy and there are fresh flowers on the table,
While champagne is always tempting the house aperitif beckoned. The forced Yorkshire rhubarb Floradora was appropriately seasonal with a base of rhubarb puree blended with Sambuca and Cointreau and all topped up with High Weald brut rose. The result was a soft, creamy, slightly aniseed-flavoured drink with just a little fizz from the sparkling wine.
While we were checking the Sunday lunch menu, a tiny amuse-bouche arrived from the kitchen. Light as a feather tapioca crackers were topped with a fragrant, creamy pumpkin mousse.
I have a friend who claims you can always tell a good restaurant by the quality of the bread and butter served. If that’s the case then Hawthorn wins top marks for delicious, crusty sourdough and (our favourite) little brioche loaves stuffed with onion together with a neat quenelle of butter. Both of us had vowed to skip the bread – both of us failed! We both opted for relatively light starters – much as the braised oxtail ragout with hand-rolled cavatelli or the terrine of confit duck leg sounded delicious, we wanted to make sure the main course didn’t suffer. We ordered a bottle of Domaine Perraud, Bourgogne Aligote, 2022 to drink – a medium-bodied burgundy that my companion who prefers white wine could enjoy with her beef but that would also work with the chicken and bass. Hawthorn has an excellent wine list and there’s help on hand if you want support with pairing.
My companion’s warm salad of crispy Jerusalem artichokes with grilled sprouting broccoli, hazelnut and miso hummus, and pickled mushrooms was a dainty plate with earthy umami notes and an excellent prequel to the beef she’d ordered for her main course.
The wild Cornish bass crudo that I’d picked comprised fine slices of very fresh seabass with a light and fragrant dressing, slices of Keraji mandarin, puntarella and chicory leaves and little mouthfuls of smoked cod’s roe mousse. Refreshing and light and an explosion of flavour in the mouth.
One of us had to try the beef – Roast 28 Day Aged Hereford Beef Rib and Rump Cap – and my companion, who likes her beef well done, ordered just that. It came with all the trimmings; Yorkshire pudding, beef fat roast potatoes, crushed swede and carrot, red wine gravy and a horseradish cream.
And a delicious pot of truffled cauliflower cheese which I kept dipping into! For a traditionalist, this was spot on – a very healthy portion and the kind of plate my father would have loved.
My Roast French Poussin was a meticulously plated celebration of food. The leg had been carefully prepared into a little shortcrust pie while the breast came with a rich sticky jus. There was baked celeriac cooked just so, with a little colour, Delica squash, cavolo nero and trompette mushrooms. Elegant and refined, this was a dish I could see on the a la carte evening menu as easily as served at lunchtime.
We probably should have shared one dessert between two – but justified ordering two on the basis that it would result in a better review, though it might have had something to do with a craving for Sandeman Tawny Port for me and Espresso Martini for my companion. On that basis, I had the Valrhona milk chocolate delice with salted caramel ganache, hazelnut crunch and banana ice cream. Beautifully balanced this is a dish that could so easily have been overly sweet – and yet wasn’t! The hazelnut added just the right amount of textural interest and the salted caramel ganache was to die for.
My companion ordered the Tiramisu which was paired with an espresso martini. With a deliciously light mascarpone cream and plenty of amaretto, this was a good pairing with the espresso martini.
Joshua then appeared from the kitchen with an extra pud. Well, who could refuse a forced rhubarb crumble souffle with stem ginger ice cream? It turned out to be our favourite of the trio with the crunchy crumble mixture giving it just the right amount of depth and with the stem ginger ice cream balancing the acidity of the rhubarb.
Sunday lunch at Hawthorn is a fine affair. I’d suggest going for your walk around Kew Gardens before you eat – simply because you won’t want to rush such delicious food!
Hawthorn is open for lunch and dinner Wednesday – Saturday (12.00 – 14:15 & 18:00 – 21:45) and for Sunday lunch from 12.00 to 4.30 pm – Sunday Lunch is £60 for three courses or £70 for four (with an additional cheese course)
Hawthorn
14 Station Parade,
Kew,
TW9 3PZ
Email: [email protected]
Find out more about Kew Gardens here and see our earlier review of Hawthorn
