The Nutbourne Restaurant is an all-day brasserie and grill based on Ransome’s Dock in the heart of Battersea. Run by the Gladwin brothers, who are also behind restaurants The Shed in Notting Hill and Rabbit on King’s Road, we knew we were in for a treat.
The restaurant is named after the Gladwin family farm and vineyard in West Sussex and the menu features a selection of the farm’s award-winning wine, as well as fresh produce. This is supplemented by seasonal, sustainable produce from local suppliers or foraged in the wilds.
As soon as we arrived the restaurant felt warm and welcoming. It features live greenery, botanical prints and an embroidered vegetable installation hanging from the ceiling! We started with a glass of the Gladwins’ Nutty sparkling wine, grown on their farm in West Sussex. Crisp and refreshing, we’d drink it in place of Prosecco any day!
We were invited to sample the Christmas set menu, a three-course meal with nibbles to start. This is a Christmas menu with a difference, there’s no turkey in sight! The nibbles – tempura parsley stalks with aioli, and hake rillettes – were light and fresh, a sign of things to come.
From a choice of four starters, we opted to share the hand-dived scallops, mushroom marmite, lemon potato puffs and Grouse with plum jam, cheddar crumb and nasturtium. The scallops were perfectly cooked and served with their roe intact, something we always wish restaurants did. The mushroom marmite wasn’t a love it or hate it affair, everyone loved it! The grouse was served on a hot salt rock so cooked right in front of your eyes, adding to the fun of the evening.
The mains included a beetroot yoghurt pork steak, monkfish cheeks and oak smoked cauliflower steak but we plumped for a Sussex beef steak with mushroom duxelle, and roasted partridge, onions and jerusalem artichoke. The beef steak was fat, juicy and perfectly cooked – all you could ever want in a steak in our opinion! Two breasts and two legs of partridge were presented, allowing you to taste the different flavours on offer from this in-season bird. A selection of sides for the table to share included brussel sprouts, apple, cheddar, granola and wild mushroom ragu with celeriac.
For dessert, a mince pie jammy dodger took the place of a traditional mince pie. Not being a fan of mince pies ourselves, this was the ideal alternative – crumbly biscuit with a spiced jam filling. We can also recommend the sticky toffee pudding served with butterscotch sauce and clotted cream. It was an indulgent finish to a great British feast!
