Food and Drink

Ransome's Dock

Above: Ransome's Dock

A review of Ransome’s Dock could write itself in celebrity quotes – not only did our interview with eminent sommelier Gearoid Devaney mention the restaurant’s enviable wine list, but as I sat having a preprandial at Ransome’s cosy bar, in walked Ross Kemp. Such celebrity endorsement is usual reserved for Chez Bruce in south London – but then, there are several similarities between Ransome’s owner and chef Martin Lam, and Bruce himself, not least that both men took the gigantic risk of moving south of the river when few others would. Sixteen years on and Ransome’s Dock is still located in the same premises and attracting the same clients. So what is it about the place that inspires such loyalty? It’s certainly intimate, with just 30 or so covers in a one room venue – a format which lends itself the sort of informality where staff chat with patrons, tables talk amongst themselves and a lone diner would not feel like it was Valentine’s Day. The menu is equally accessible offering a thoughtful range of seasonal fish, game and meats, and littered with local stockists, like a Neal’s Yard Goat’s curd with broad beans, pea shoots and mint, Battersea Brewery ale behind the bar and Union Hand-Roasted coffee in the grinder.

It’s difficult to know what to expect from a husband and wife team who have been cooking in the same kitchen every day for sixteen years – to still be talking to each other would be an achievement for most of us let alone seamlessly combining to create culinary magic. From my first taste of the rich and bold beef consume ravioli starter it was clear that Martin and Vanessa had lost none of their passion for food. The duck on lentils which followed came recommended by the waitress and it didn’t disappoint – just the right side of rare and so fresh it could have come from the park next door.

And what of the much-lauded wine list? Well, as expected, it did not disappoint with a varied and thoughtful array which reflects Martin’s contacts with the producers and interest in emerging regions and grapes.

As I made to leave, I finally found the right moment to collar Mr Kemp for his views: "I come here all the time," he replied in genuine delight. "The wine list is out of this world and the food never disappoints."

You get the feeling when you dine at Ransome’s Dock that this is the sort of answer you’ll get from every table.