New restaurants often cause mystery, because you have no idea what to expect before you've even seen the menu.

One thing Richmond is not short of is restaurants and, on July 15, my cousin and I tried one of Richmond’s newest additions: Cocotte on Hill Street.

Long story short: I walked in lowkey sceptical and left 110 per cent satisfied.

We sought solace from the heavy rain inside and received a warm welcome from the staff before being introduced to the inviting interior.

We were taken to our circular booth, handed menus and given a few minutes to make our starter choices.

The extensive menu offers plenty of mouth-watering choices, and for our starters, and we enjoyed the crispy pesto halloumi and crisp chicken tenders.

(Image: Ezekiel Bertrand)

Since sharing is caring and starters are for sharing, both went incredibly well together, and they came with Cocotte’s special tomato sauce.

The manager Amani told us that their tomato sauce was “like ketchup, but better,” – and she wasn’t lying.

The tomato sauce was sweet, fresh, homemade and to die for.

Not just the tomato sauce, though.

As a great sauce enthusiast, I was eager to try Cocotte’s sauces and I was far from disappointed, from the signature Cocotte mustard to the garlic mayo.

On to our main courses where the menu features rotisserie chicken and salads but we both felt like having burgers.

When reading the menu, you almost feel full just imagining what you’ll feel like after having your burger.

I ordered the Crispy Chicken Burger: panko parmesan breaded chicken thigh, Monterey Jack cheese, pickled red cabbage, gherkin, and Alabama sauce (not a clue what that is).

One word: delicious.

(Image: Ezekiel Bertrand)

It really was one of the greatest burgers I’ve ever had, from the soft bun to the juicy fillings.

My parents ordered the Bacon Cheeseburger which had beef, bacon, cheese, onions and house sauce.

He assured me it was delicious, and you could easily tell from his facial reaction after that first bite.

And, naturally, there’s always room for dessert.

These desserts were some of the best I’ve ever tried; we had a chocolate hazelnut tart and the Mont Blanc, which is chestnut cream with vanilla ice cream, almonds and Chantilly cream.

(Image: Ezekiel Bertrand)

(Image: Ezekiel Bertrand)

We went to Cocotte on a Monday, and it was an amazing start to the week.

Overall, Cocotte provided a fantastic experience, and I can safely predict that this restaurant will become a community favourite.

I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to try this restaurant that latest addition to its great culinary scene.

Special thanks to the manager and our waitress Amani for being kind, knowledgeable, welcoming, and making us laugh with her infectious personality.