At a time when getting a dinner reservation can feel like trying to secure Glastonbury tickets, Ruth’s – Putney’s most talked about new restaurant – is saving half its tables for walk-ins. “One of the unfortunate consequences of Covid is that bookings are such a thing now,” says co-founder Callum Ross. “We want to be a reliable neighbourhood restaurant. So, if you live down the road and there are no bookings available, it’s cool, you can just walk in anyway.”
Ruth’s is a petite 40-seat “British bistro” split in two. Out back is a cosseting, candle-lit burgundy cave seating those who’ve pre-booked, while the wood-panelled and bare-plaster-clad front has a cluster of tables and stools at a stainless-steel bar for the spontaneous.
Ross and his business partner, chef Ed Baillieu, met in New Zealand, where they immediately became close friends. “We’re as chalk and cheese as you can get, but we work so well together,” says Baillieu, who worked at Sidart, Depot, Pasture, Apero and Hotel Ponsonby in Auckland before returning to London to launch Public House Group’s The Hero as executive chef. Meanwhile, Ross, who’s originally from New Zealand, worked at Lilian in Auckland and Ho Lee Fook in Hong Kong, before becoming general manager at The Camberwell Arms, then Forza Wine at the National Theatre.
At first, the pair weren’t sure if this patch of south-west London was the right spot for their first joint venture. “I was like, is Putney ready?” says Putney native Baillieu. “We’ve never had anything in Putney. Nowhere that was very good.” However, once they saw the space – formerly a bright blue rowing-themed restaurant – they were sold. “It had a lovely feel to it,” Ballieu continues. “I told my mum about it and she was like, ‘Darling, do you know the last time I was there I gave birth to you two days later?’ Lots of things started adding up.”
Ruth’s takes its name from Ballieu’s grandmother, whose handwriting was used for the signage, and the restaurant is loaded with sentimental value, from family wedding china used to serve coffee to personal cookbooks lining the bar’s shelves.
Ballieu, whose cooking won The Hero a Michelin Bib Gourmand, is dedicated to using majority British ingredients. “There’s a huge difference between simple and basic. We do simple food, and we execute it perfectly,” he says. So far, the concise, daily-changing menu has included bavette steak from Aurox served with pickled onion rings in tempura batter (“best bavette I’ve ever had,” said a customer on his way out); fried pickled mussels with curry mayo; and grilled brill caught the same day in St Ives. “It’s great by itself,” Baillieu says. “But, I make lobster sauce quite a lot, and if you put that on something, it usually tastes delicious.”
The desserts shouldn’t be overlooked. “The lemon tart will probably never come off [the menu],” says Baillieu, whose recipe was inspired by a stand-out version by Tomos Parry he ate at Kitty Fisher’s (where he also worked) years ago. “It’s just pastry and lemon curd, but to make it exceptional takes a chef’s whole skill.” There’s also a pressed, brûléed bread-and-butter pudding. “We just elevate things a little bit if we can.”
The duo is keen to show that well executed doesn’t have to mean expensive. On the petite cocktail list, there’s a G&T for £4, £8 Negronis and half pints on tap for £3. “We still make 70 per cent [profit] on the gin and tonic … if we can do it, we should,” Ross says. “It just makes people feel more relaxed.”
The wine list is organised by body rather than price, running from lighter styles at the top to fuller wines further down. “Wine can be really confusing for a lot of people,” Ross says. “You never want to make people feel uncomfortable.”
Less than two weeks after opening, Ross and Baillieu say they are already seeing return customers. Though, for now, the focus remains on getting the basics right. “We’re just trying to do good food, good drink, good service, and make it look good,” Baillieu says. “If we do those four things well, that makes us happy.”
Ruth’s
94 Lower Richmond Road, SW15 1LL
02046308385
Hours:
Tue & Wed 5pm–midnight
Thu to Sat midday–midnight
Sun midday–7pm
