We're at a christening on Sunday, in Waltham St Lawrence. Service starts at 10, so I've booked a room at the Coppid Beech in Bracknell for the night before... Yes, yes, I know. But it's a known quantity (albeit based on experience from a few years back now) and it's good value...
It does however leave the small matter of where to eat on Saturday night... It's been a while since I've been there, but I imagine Bracknell is well serviced by Nandos, Frankie and Benny's (sp) Pizza Express etc etc but was rather hoping for something non-chain. Doesn't need to be Michelin starred gourmet dining either. Decent pub grub is fine - we fly back into the Uk on Friday after a week away. Happy to drive to villages in the surrounding area - I seem to recall Shurlock Row had a pretty decent one? But realise we have a few members familiar with the area so thought I'd ask here :)
Thanks!
|
The Bell at Waltham St Lawrence is highly recommendable. Lovely pub, lovely food. Doubt you'd be disappoint.
thebellwalthamstlawrence.co.uk/
|
Thanks! Had a very pleasant pint of 'swift one' and delicious roast beef there a couple of weeks ago! And it was very good :)
I suspect we might end up there after the service anyway :)
|
Ah, OK. Let's see then. Would you go as far as Shiplake?
www.plowdenarmsshiplake.co.uk/
Also close by there is The Crown at Playhatch:
www.thecrown.co.uk/
Or Coppa Club at The Great House, by Sonning Bridge:
www.coppaclub.co.uk/
All should do you handsomely.
|
Oh, and I forgot The Bull in Sonning. George Clooney's local (yes, he does pop in for a pint occasionally - apparently has no airs and graces).
www.bullinnsonning.co.uk/
|
I've been to a few restaurants around Wokingham but I'm sure there's plenty I don't know about. If you want expensive this place is wonderful www.ruchetta.com/ and on many strong recommendation we went here for a Christmas meal but were a bit disappointed www.theroyaloakpaleystreet.com/menu
What used to be The Plough is now a Loch Fyne (well, has been for years now) - www.lochfyneseafoodandgrill.co.uk/locations/wokingham and is a 10 min walk from the Coppid Beech.
Plenty of Indians in Wokingham, my favourite on a Saturday night would be the Sultan Balti (aka Sultan Palace, sultanpalace.co.uk/ ) closely folowed by Baranda www.baranda.co.uk/.
I was also going to recommend www.theteakhouse.info/ but I see they are closed for renovation this month.
Had a quite nice Italian at www.rossini-restaurant.com/ once but Italian isn't my preference. Of course you have the chains like Prezzo, Nando and Pizza Express, and for Chines style www.szechuan-inn.co.uk/would be my first choice but I've not been there since they lost a lot of their staff due to an immigration raid, maybe a year ago!!
I don't go Shurlock Row way any more but I recall there used to be a decent pub there but I think it closed a few years back. Could be wrong though.
Final thought - www.greenmanhurst.co.uk/ at Hurst does a good pub meal.
Last edited by: smokie on Thu 4 Feb 16 at 15:00
|
Thanks both - some of those take me back to when I worked round there!! In particular Rossinis was a regular lunch time haunt while working at Xerox, who had a site on Molly Millar's lane for a while. Likewise the Green man at Hurst was a lunch option too :).
Pleased they're still going... Food for thought (pun not really intended...) and very helpful!
Thanks again :)
|
Do report back, wherever you choose. Always good to hear if things are good/not so good.
Hope you have a lovely weekend.
|
Home now, so reporting back! Turned out to be a nice dry, bright (if chilly) day for a christening. And the church had effective heating, which is a bonus!
We ended up cancelling the reservation at the Coppid Beech when it became apparent eating was going to involve a drive somewhere, and based on the recommendations above ended up staying and eating at The Bull in Sonning, a Fuller's Inn.
In summary, we thought the food was very good, the wine list short but well balanced and a nice feel to the restaurant and bar. A nice place to eat. We both had scallops to start with, which were beautifully cooked. I followed them with a tasty and well (as in the skill...) cooked porterhouse steak; Andy had sausage and mash which was also very flavoursome. We shared a cheeseboard; the cheeses were served in very good condition - the runny goats cheese was a particular highlight!
It let itself down on the rooms, not because they were bad, but because they pitch themselves as 'boutique' and 'stylish'. And they don't live up to that; characterful would be a better description I think. But it's a proper old building, low dark beams, wonky floors, crooked staircases. All in good condition, but the pitch makes them out to be something they're not. On the other hand, it was 'only' £95 for the room and breakfast, which for a Saturday night in that area didn't seem like a bad price. It was £27 more than the Coppid Beech though...
Breakfast was probably the biggest let down, not so much for the quality which was par for the course, but the service which was poor. Billed as being served between 8 and 10, when we went down at 8:15 nothing was set up and there were no staff to be seen. Our toast never did materialise before we decided we really did need to make a move...
Disappointingly George Clooney was not around, though he was there the weekend before last, with Brad Pitt, if the waiter is to be believed...
I'd certainly eat there again (dinner came to £60ish, with three glasses of wine, a pint of Pride and a Diet Coke another £30ish), and I'd be happy enough to stay there too, giving them the benefit of the doubt on the service front... Just don't expect boutique :)
|
Sounds like a pleasant outing though. I too am chary of "character" aka "old" hotels. Rooms often pong a bit of damp despite being on the dearer side of a bit dear. Plumbing can be variable too. And why, one tends to ponder, do they inevitably and invariably have a faint but pervading whiff of cabbage at all times?
;-)
|
|
Yes, I know what you mean... The room we had was absolutely fine, but was in no way boutique, or particularly stylish really... And the plumbing *was* a bit temperamental!!
|
|
Good stuff Peter, glad you enjoyed the tucker.
|
Where to eat - Bracknell/Wokingham - Alanovich
