Petersham Nurseries

Dropped in on the Petersham Nursery Cafe halfway through a good walk. Its a lovely location, but while the cake was scrumptious, the sandwiches were ridiculously overpriced. £7.50 for a rather average foccacia sandwich with a little ham, tomato and lettuce in the middle.

As other reviewers have commented the overpricing makes it seem as though the owners are rather taking advantage.
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5 Overall rating
Food 6 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 2
Monday, March 21, 2011

We had been before and really enjoyed the lunch. But on this occasion, we went to the Petersham Nurseries Café Summer which they have at certain times of the year with 4 other friends and we were hugely disappointed. We were seated and asked if we'd like a Prosecco to begin with (as that was included in the £85 pp 4 course set menu, food only….!) and that was the first and last time we had any interaction with the staff. It seemed from that point forward, the only time we could get anyones attention was when they were travelling to and from the kitchen. Getting their attention to order wine and not least some water for the table was becoming frustrating by this time.

The entrée came out which I can only describe as the most boring and bland entrée I think I've seen, especially for this money. Strips of a root vegetable with a blob of hollandaise sauce – that was it.

The main, a Bouillabaisse which presented and seasoned well but again a small serving really and the fish wasn't great and absolutely full of bones.

Cheese; a slice of blue and we had to ask for some bread.

Dessert was a tart that came out in various portion sizes on the 6 plates for our table. One plate had 2 thin slices which they must have thought were just too thin to try and serve individually so they pushed them together on the plate which then made it rather obviously larger than the other servings at our table! Where's Gordon Ramsay when you need him?? Again having to grab one of the service staff walking past our table to order a dessert wine was incredibly frustrating.

And finally, almost 3 hours later, we had to ask for the bill as our taxi was now waiting outside (parking is very difficult and not at all encouraged). We told the waiter that we were not paying the "optional service" charge. He never asked why, offered any apology or had the slightest interest as to why. So we told him anyway - that we had almost no service whatsoever and were largely disappointed overall.

To top it all off when we asked for my wife’s coat the lady kindly held it for my wife to put on but said absolutely nothing in the process nor as we walked out the door! We left completely frustrated, still hungry, disappointed and a feeling of being "ripped off" for this £85 per person 4 course set menu, particularly as we had said to our friends how much we enjoyed it the last time we went for lunch.
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Michael
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 0
Sunday, November 07, 2010

5 November 2010 and Petersham Nurseries proved to be an extremely disappointing experience.

We travelled 50 miles expecting a lot more including, as so much is made of it upon their website, being able view the gardens of Petersham House which, as we subsequently discovered, is actually only open for 2 days in the year! OK, so we should have doubled checked first or explored the website small print further, but it was still a huge disappointment.

Petersham Nurseries are not "shabby chic", as we heard someone describe the place, but far more "derelict dump" which, admittedly, does have a certain charm.

However, with both food and goods over-priced, we would say that whilst it may be fine for locals wanting a coffee in a curious environment, it is most certainly not a destination for anyone who has to travel any distance.

Petersham Nurseries scored a big, fat ZERO!
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Robert Warner
0 Overall rating
Food 0 | Service 0 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Saturday, November 06, 2010

A wonderful setting for a summer lunch, but a hugely disappointing experience. We waited over an hour for our main course, and when the food finally came it was not great food. It was ok (even good in parts) but no way worth the price. A great shame, as the place is idyllic and unusual.
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Jenny Wilson
5 Overall rating
Food 4 | Service 4 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 2
Thursday, August 12, 2010

As the others say, great venue - particularly in the summer - and good food, but it is just massively over-priced. Mains in the mid-to-high £20s that should really be £15-19. So long as you go aware of, and not bothered by, that 'issue', then you will probably enjoy it. We went for a birthday celebration on a sunny day, and we all enjoyed it - but it did feel a little like we had been ripped-off...
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7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 5
Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Went today for lunch. Starters OK. Mains good. Puddings absolutely sensational, off the hook legendary wicked.

The setting is nice and the service was good.

The prices - of the food, not the wine - are extraordinarily audacious. My lamb main course was £26. I don't mind paying a lot for divine food - the puddings for example justified their £7 price tag - but I am sort of confused about how and why they charge so much for the starters and mains. You sort of think, because of the setting, that maybe it's all super seasonal/organic/local/eco/ethical, but in point of fact I don't think it is. (They certainly keep very quiet about it if that is the case). which means that the starters and mains are about 50% more expensive than they should be. I didn't mind on this occasion because it was a treat for my girlfriend, but there's no question that the people running this place are having a laugh.

Overall, it's a very nice place to go, but if you're price-sensitive, stick to coffee and cake!
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Bob
7 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 3
Saturday, October 10, 2009