Address: 5 Prospect Street, Caversham, Reading RG4b 8JB

Telephone number: 01189463400

Website: http://www.myalacarte.co.uk/

Date of visit: 21 July 2010

Approximate cost per head: Set meal £10.50 for one course, £13.50 for 2 and £16.95 for b3 courses . Available : Mon – Sun for lunch and Mon-Wed for dinner and also Thur-Sat before 7pm. Check out the Website if you are not clear.

Comments on wine list/beer: Reasonably prices wines. Several good ones at under £20. Beer is from Loddon Brewery

Summary:

My friend A took me there as we have not met up for a long time.

Apparently, the winner of The Apprentice’s (2008) brother runs it – a bit of useless information.

As soon as we sat down, we were offered tap water – none of this sparkling or still nonsense. I was also quite impressed by the set meal which is available most of the time and it changes daily.

We ordered goat cheese salad and duck gizzard salad followed by chicken oysters with sauté new potatoes and courgette.

Let’s start with the salad, they were pretty substantial. My gizzard salad had heart, liver and kidneys in it. All very tasty but it was all cooked well done – not pink. But then this is Reading and the tastes are much more conservative.

The main course was in fact a chicken thigh with the back (oysters) attached and not morsels of chicken oyster meat. The potatoes and courgettes were more a la plancha than sautéed. It came with a thin gravy.

The meal was accompanied by a bottle of Rioja Red crianza 2005 @ £18.50.

My overall conclusion was that it was a good meal and a little gem.

By the way, the menu also offered pork scratching for £2.50 or bread. I have never ever come across this as a separate menu item anywhere in the world.  

E