The
Goose, Britwell Salome.
Tel: 01491 612304. From the outside you wonder what
to expect (very unassuming small looking pub) but inside
it is beautifully laid out with complimentary colours
and soft furnishings. The food is quite pricey but very
very good. Staff are lovely and friendly and unassuming.
The
Highwayman - Exlade Street
Woodcote.
June 2005 - Under new management - the premises
have been completely refitted and remodelled. Gone is
the conservatory to be replaced with an even lighter and
airy space - with a view onto a vibrant salmon pink garden.
Far too many 'art works' on the wall - cartoony scribbles,
crammed on every available space - not at all suitable
for the sophisticated old building. Very noisy - sounds
seems to accumulate and reverberate. The waitresses need
some training - they come up and say 'have you done?'
Oh Dear! Food is still a limited menu and much the same
as before - the King Prawns around £10.00 for five
were really delicious - but pricey. The fish (haddock)
melted in your mouth but the chips could do with some
work. The sausage and mash was good and the sticky toffee
pudding excellent - although I wasn't too keen on the
vanilla creme with brandy snaps (only got one brandy snap
and that was a bit soggy).
The
Greyhound - Sonning Common tel: 0118 9722227 Gallowstree Lane, Rotherfield Peppard,
Oxfordshire, RG9 5HT
A
Pub/Restaurant just reopened under the ownership of Antony
Worral Thompson (May 2005) (web
site). Clearly some teething problems.
No-one to meet and greet - and a sort of glazed, panicked
look on the faces of the staff - who were dashing around
- but we did go on a hot Friday night and it was packed! Nicely arranged restaurant in an old building - oak beams,
old fashioned pictures (Dog's head on military body) and
tall black leather chairs - wood tables. Doesn't take
itself too seriously and makes you feel relaxed. First
thing we were told was there was a shortage of menus (er
crikey!) - so we had to share - which irritated the men
in our group.
It
must be 'de rigeur' at the moment to have bread with no
plates - both this restaurant and the Hinds Head - Bray
- just plonk the bread straight onto the table (weird!) Took
over half an hour to get aperitifs - when they came -
no ice! (Remember it was the first hot day of the year!)
When we complained about the wait and no ice - many apologies
and then rather too much waiter/maitre d' attention for
the rest of the evening. (We were asked four times if
'everything was all right') - very irritating when you've
got a mouthful of food!
BUT
this restaurant will be very good - when Antony has got
his staff better trained - so much activity for so very
little results. The food is very good standard English
fayre - Antony's got it right for this corner of the market.
No fuss food but great ingredients and excellent cooking.
Lovely fresh starters which - for once - did tease your
taste buds for more. I had avocado and jumbo prawns -
delicious. For the main course, my partner had a beefburger
- which he said was the best he'd tasted - and as an officiado
of beef burgers - that's praise indeed! I had beef stroganof
- the meat melted in your mouth and there wasn't a plethera
of thick (or thin) sauce - but just enough. Good English
pub Fayre you will recognise and enjoy. Will eventually
be a contender for the Hind's Head - Bray. We ate there
the next night. It is reviewed below.
