Address: Galllowstree Road, Sonning Common, RG9 5HT. Note: some pub guide puts the pub in Rotherfield Peppard rather than Sonning Common.
Telephone number: 01189722227
Website: N/A
Date of visit: 29 February 2010
Approximate cost per head: From £10
Comments on wine list/beer: Bombadier or Black Sheep, extensive wine list at usual mark up.
Summary:
This is celebrity chef AWT’s pub.
The view from the outside suggests that it an old, slightly run down building – huge puddles in the car park.
On the inside, the pub is divided into two areas, a bar side and a large restaurant in a converted barn with high ceiling. It’s obvious that people come here to eat as the beer is not the attraction.
I sat in the bar side and noticed that there were crumbs on the table – not a good sign as I was first one in through the door at noon.
They operate a set meal and an a la carte. The black boards just tell you that the set meal is different every day but set formula e.g. roast on a Sunday ….They have a 8 for 8 policy which mean that you can have one course from the set menu at £8 (lunch till 8pm), £10 for 2 courses and £12 for 3 courses.
I opted for the steak tartar on the a la carte menu. You can have this as a starter with melba toast or as a main course with chips (£12.95). I had a pint of black sheep (£3) with it.
The steak came on a plate with a smallish side salad and a bowl of frites cut into aluminates sprinkled with coarse salt. Luckily it was not too salty.
Now, the steak tartar is probably the best I have eaten for a very long time. It was coarsely chopped up instead of minced. They used green peppercorns instead of capers and it was seasoned right. I did not have “food” poisoning the next day which is also good as steak tartar can be very dodgy as it is based on raw meat with raw egg.
I will have to go back and test out the other dishes as he is famous for his “grilled meat” dishes.
Eddie
PS (14 July 2010)
2 Responses
February 28th, 2010 at 11:19
A very disappointing experience. I ordered mushrooms on toast as a starter and my first mouthful was horrible – when I looked at the toast it was burnt black. When I told the waiter he was horrified and said he would show the chef and take it off the bill. He asked me to choose a replacement starter but I did not bother as the other members of my party were obviously part way through their starters and also I needed to just drink some water to get rid of the horrible taste. Two of the party had prawn cocktails – one because her first choice starter was unavailable and she was not told prior to our order being taken – and both found it less than average mainly consisting of lettuce. The main courses were fine although one of the party had a 10oz ribeye steak which he said was not memorable. We were sueprised when the bill arrived to find the 3 glasses of wine we had drunk were £7 each and the small cups of cappucino were £3 each without even a mint to accompany them. The staff were the only saving grace and we will definitely not return
May 5th, 2010 at 18:15
A great place to eat! Meals are now priced well and the food has always been excellent. Sunday lunch is great value for a fantastic traditional meal…accompanying veg have been different each time we have been, beautifully cooked and not too much(though not small!) so there is plenty of room for a delicious pudding! Beer choice isn’t huge but is good, wine excellent. Staff are attentive and friendly. A favourite!
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