The thought of having dinner in a vegetarian restaurant is about as exciting to me as sugar-free chocolate, a waste of my jaw movement and a waste of calories however….last night my beautiful niece-to-be turned 18 and, being a vegetarian, held her birthday dinner at Riverside Vegetarian in Kingston. Only a stones throw from Jamie’s Italian, where they serve juicy hamburgers!
The restaurant is situated on the Thames and is quite deceptive from the front entrance, split over 2 floors the restaurant, though small, would easily accommodate 100 diners at any one time.
Our party was of 10 and our table in the downstairs part of the restaurant. The menu, I believe remains constant throughout the year with both printed copies and a massive chalkboard displaying the options available.
Starters (start) at £4.95 for the Wheat-free Pancake with Hummus to £6.40 for the Mushroom, Sage & Olive Pate with crudities. I however, went for the Organic Potato Balls with Chili Sauce ££6.25) which were huge and very tasty. I am not one for eating deep-fried food however the consistency was matched well with the potato filling and I really enjoyed them.
There is an abundance of choice for your mains. I am not partial to anything that includes the words Tofu, Aubergine or Courgette so I was limited on my options. In the end I went for the Fettuccine Stir-Fry with peanut sauce £8.95) which, whilst not particularity a large serving, was very tasty and to be honest I didn’t really miss the chicken I would usually pair with it.
All in all, our party of 10 spent £300.00 with a few beers and bottles of wine so £30.00 per head. We saw 3 staff whilst we were there who were all very patient with our noisy party and very friendly.
I would most definitely recommend The Riverside Vegetaria to Vegetarians or those looking to try something a little different!
Probably not ideal on a third date though as eating that many vegetables may not be good for igniting a bit of third date romance!
Event Consult 