William Sitwell reviews Starling, Esher: ‘A spick and span menu that's a pleasure to navigate'

There are, in my experience, three types of starling. The first is the
Turned out his name was Christopher Starling and when he wasn't tweeting he wrote, endlessly and left-handed, his wrist arching awkwardly over the page as the words came out feverishly, almost machine-like, buzzing and whirring across the paper. He's now called Boris and is a prolific author. Then there's a restaurant in Esher, a new and rather wonderful Starling.
This one has popped up at the end of Esher high street. The traffic swells and surges down the main thoroughfare of the drab
It's a clever location, close to
At the helm is Nick Beardshaw, who was the chef and restaurateur at
Great British Menu
in 2023. Indeed his menu features a couple of 'as seen on TV' dishes. Among the starters is 'A Moon Shaped Pool', and 'Balloon Girl' is one of three desserts. These clunky names typify the plates served on the programme, needing a heavy tome of explanation and looking inedible, so I ducked them as I do the TV when I hear that plodding, swamp-like music.
Otherwise the menu is spick and span and a pleasure to navigate. Its spirit matches the decor, a nicely conventional layout of open kitchen, with a bar offering two seats for walk-ins, and some 40 covers with sensible padded chairs, a sweeping, dark blue banquette and, along one wall, a long, panelled mural of birds above the clouds.
Starlings, I suppose, mid-migrate.
With the graceful heart start of a
This was a wonderful start and the joy soothed my pal Simon who was telling me about the photography studio on wheels he had commissioned. 'Oh, like a shepherd's hut,' I said. 'It is not a shepherd's hut. It's a photographer's studio,' he said. 'But it looks like a shepherd's hut,' I said. 'No, it doesn't,' he replied. 'It looks like a photographer's studio.'
My starter of pig's head was crisp and delicious but nothing to his quite glorious, rich and tasty pressed game. I decree that all terrines be like this – a celebration of rich, seasonal game and not one bit like dog food, which they so often are.
Mains were equally fab: on-point cooked pork and quite the most perfect piece of cod. Puds were a conventional and excellent crème brûlée, and chocolate ice cream covered in hazelnuts and tempered with a drizzle of olive oil.
For a fine bite and great service in Surrey, Starling is your nicely feathered nest.

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