Address: 1 Forbury Square, Reading, RG 13BB

Telephone number: 0118 957 4044

Website: www.Forburys.com 

Date of visit:  20 February 2010

Approximate cost per head: set meal (Lunch: £11.95 for 2 courses, £15.95 for 3 courses. Evening: £21 for 3 courses – not available after 7.15 on sat) a la carte about £40 for 3 courses.

Comments on wine list/beer: Really comprehensive and up market list. Good Sommelier (take his recommendations) be prepared to pay £50 plus for a reasonable bottle.

Summary:

This restaurant is now well established as probably the premier place to eat within central Reading. The other place being the Forbury Hotel – not related..

The restaurant is housed in a modern building that also housed the Reading Branch of IOD. The room is modern with tables well spaced apart. The walls are decorated by posters of the label of famous wines. They have a private room – a long table that can sit 20+. During the warmer days, they have outside tables.

Parking is available under the building but entrance is via Albert Square from Kings Road.

The evening we went, we started with a 1999 Rioja Blanco (Vina Gravonia) which was slightly brown in colour because of the age and still tasted very fresh and full of citrus. We then had a bottle of 2000 St Estephe – Le Tour de Pez (£65). Apparently, this is a new wine and is not on the list on the web site. This wine turned out to be an excellent wine and is without doubt the best red wine (less than £100) I had in a restaurant for many years. Forbury’s is famous for its wine list and has won many awards.

There was a choice of bread – white or walnut. The walnut was good but our first serving of it was cold. The second serving was warm. We were given a freebie of cream of orange and carrot soup. The orange taste was light and it worked well.

To start with, some of us had the scallops which were cooked just right – you get 3 scallops served on a black slate with a green pea puree as sauce and a few deep fried black pudding. The others had confit of salmon. This was cooked at probably around 40C as the texture was the same as smoked salmon. I had a taste of the salmon which was like a “rich” smoke salmon without the smoke. The starters were priced at £12 plus.

For main course, we had the chateaubriand with chips (for 2) at £63, venison stew, brill and pig’s trotters, all priced at under £20. By the way, if you like your veg, you will need to side orders in this restaurant.

The brill was pronounced as slightly on the dry side and was one small piece of fish served with small cuts of potatoes, spinach and celery – very nuevo cuisine.

The chateaubriand  (medium) was pronounced as a triumph in both the state of the steak and the chips. One of the diners asked for broccoli instead of peas with her steak and they forgot that – it arrived half way through her meal.

The venison and the pig’s trotters were both served with a heavily reduced sauce. The venison was cooked more rare than pink. The trotter (de-boned) has been on their menu ever since the restaurant came into being. However, it has gone through different transformations. This version with mash potato and mushroom was the best version yet.

For desert, we had the chocolate fondant and the lemon soufflé. All deserts are priced at around £10. All proclaimed that the desert was the best dish yet – I didn’t try any as I am not into deserts.

In all we paid just over £400 (incl service) for 5 and everyone had a good time. Service was excellent without being intrusive. This place has maintained its high standard for many years.

The owner remembered me – although I have not been for at least 2 years. This is probably because when I worked in Reading, I took my whole department  (around 150 people) down there for their Xmas dinner and we rang up a bar bill in excess of £5000 (thank god, the business paid). I have to admit that I was in shock for the next month.

Eddie

PS Guardian/Observer did a review on this place:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/may/01/forburys-reading-restaurant-review

Location: Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire, RG4 6TN

Web site: www.thefrenchhorn.co.uk

Telephone number: 01189692204

Date of visit: 14 October 2009

Approx. cost per head: £50

Comments on wine list/beer: Very extensive and expensive wine list. Expect to pay around £100 for a decent bottle.
Review:

This is one of the great restaurants in the UK. Thats my view (and also Michael Winner’s). It has everything, decent food, great views, excellent service and a top wine list.

What’s the downside? Its on the expensive side and they can’t do “crispy” chips. However, there is no extras in gratuity and side orders

 The cooking can only be described as “old school” grill room style haute cuisine. Most guides describe this place as English or French. Its a bit of both.

I have been coming here for over 20 years and amazingly, the menu stays about the same – except the price.

The top two dishes on the a la carte menu for many “old timers” are grilled (or pan fried) dover sole and roast duck – done over a spit in the bar and finished off in the oven. By the way, they serve vegetables as part of the course so there is no side orders. The duck is considered by many foreign visitors (my guests) as the best they have ever eaten. Everything is on the generous side so starve yourself before you go.

For starters, you can have foie gras, smoke salmon, asparagus, crab salad, soup de jour etc.

My usual starter is asparagus followed by the grilled dover sole but for a change, I tried the seafood ravioli (starter) on the winter menu – it was more like a lasagne, very cheesy and rich.
They also have an evening menu (£25+) and a lunch menu (£15+).On Sundays and bank holidays, its a set lunch (3 courses) at £45.

The place is frequented by regulars with a few visiting business men/women. Service is included in the price  so, you can go for that bottle of wine and not pay another 12.5% handling charge.

Car park is across the road from the hotel. However, take a taxi, get a non drinker to drive or stay overnight in the hotel.

Eddie@bottlesandcooks.com