Address: 220 South Oak Way, Lime Square, Green Park, Reading RG2 6UP

Telephone number: 0118 987 3702

Website: www.lsq2.co.uk

Date of visit: 7 May 2011

Approximate cost per head:  Up to £10 for a breakfast dish.

Comments on wine list/beer: Bottle beers. Peroni at £3.65 a bottle. Wine list is OK but nothing special and although an average bottle is around £25, it is still with around 300% mark up plus.

Previous Reviews: 22nd of May 2010 and 6th March 2011

Cuisine: Normal breakfast items

Opening times: weekdays only. They will also open up when there is a rugby or football match on at the Madjeski Stadium.

Summary:

On the last day of the Championship season (playoffs to come), I came with my friend M for breakfast at 11am as the game kicks off at 12.45. Unlike the Green Park branch, the LSQ2 in the Oracle serves breakfast every day.

There were only 3 tables occupied (the car park was full – it is free for diners). Apparently there is a sitting at 3pm for a late lunch.

The breakfast menu has the usual egg benedict etc. M and I both had the English breakfast £9.95 which came with fried bread, a large field mushroom, sausage, bacon, 2 fried eggs and baked beans. It was very enjoyable. We also downed nearly £30 worths of Peroni with our breakfast.

I have to admit that this is the first time I have had a drinks bill larger than the food bill when wine has not been involved. We must have been quite thirsty as it had been raining and I had my wet weather Rohans trousers on which made me sweat quite a bit.

E

May 2011

Address: 9, The Riverside, Oracle, Reading RG1 2AG

Telephone number: 0118 959 1180

Website: www.cote-restaurants.co.uk

Date of visit: 3 May 2011

Approximate cost per head: From £10

Comments on wine list/beer: French beer under £4 for abottle, wine list with wines under £20 to over £50.

Cuisine: French

Likes and Dislikes: Good food at very reasonable price. I hate being asked: “Is everything all right?” several times – especially when I have a mouthful.

Summary:

This the third chain to join the French Brasserie market. The others are Chez Gerrard and Café Rouge. My fried C informed me sometime ago that she had heard that Cote is very good. I have never eaten in Chez Gerrard so I can’t comment. However Café Rouge is as its name implied, just a cafe.

Cote (Reading) opened in mid April. I gave it a few weeks to bed-in before my first visit.

The restaurant is sited next door to LSQ2 – probably the other really good restaurant sited on Riverside. It didn’t look much on the outside but thy can easily accommodate over a hundred diners inside. Outside on the pavement, they have the round coffee tables that you see outside cafes in France.

The menu is very extensive and they offer a very good deal for lunch – 2 courses for £9.95. An extra £2 supplement if you have steak frites.

I opted for the lunch menu with steak frites. As I starter, I had puy lentils with lardon and croutons. It was earthy and I particularly liked the crunchy texture that the croutons provided.

Next, the steak frites with a side order of French beans (£2.95). The beans were excellent – crunchy and just cooked. The French fries were served in a cone and without doubt, it is right up there with the best triple cooked chips. The steak was a fairly big piece of minute steak that was cooked well done as it was very thin. It was saved by the char grilled taste and the meat was well beaten before it was cooked.

Onto  the booze. I had a Meteor Bier (£3.70). When I last went on a cross channel booze cruise a few years ago, Meteor was the cheapest bier that you can buy in a supermarket. It was about €3 for 10 bottles. I also had a glass of Château Croix (Bordeaux) at £4.95 for 125 ml. So, this is how they make their money.

The restaurant was not very full on a Tuesday lunch time and everyone including the manager kept coming round to ask me if everything was all right even when I am chewing. Restaurants and pubs over do this more and more.

You might have guessed my two pet hates in restaurants are: over salted fries and people asking about the food – if I want to complain, I will.

E

Address: St Mary’s Church House, Chain Street, Reading RG1 2HX

Telephone number: 0118 9391365

Website: www.bills-website.co.uk

Date of visit: 23 March 2011

Approximate cost per head: Around £10 for a main course. Special offers up to 7pm. Breakfast menu served up to 12 noon.

Comments on wine list/beer: Their own beer and a very simple wine list with most bottles under £20

Cuisine: Cafe/wine bar?

Late Review: 7th February 2011 by Dave Lamont 

Summary:

Bills is sited in the St Mary’s Church House. The Church House was used as a tourist information centre until a couple of years ago. Bill’s  also has a patio that overlooks the grave yard of Minster Church of St Mary’s – it is actually quite pleasant as the graves were all from centuries ago.

Chain Street is the narrow lane between County Casuals and Heelas that takes you down to The Oracle.

The menu here is very similar to what you expect in a pub – sandwiches, lasagne etc. The concept is that it is an all day dining café and wine bar. They also sell various strange products to go such as pink French lemonade.

I was a breakfast guest but it was nearer to 12 than 11 so we ordered a bottle of 2010 Rhone wine – classified on the wine list as La Garenne, syrah (£16.95). The wine was non tannic so it probably went straight from a stainless steel vat into a bottle – no oak. May be it was one of those wines made by the Flying Aussies – yes, there is a team of Aussie wine makers that flies around Europe helping to make wine.

We had the bubble and squeak mustard mash, fried eggs and ham covered in Hollandaise Sauce (£7.50). The bubble and squeak turned out to be more mash potato than anything. There were slivers of green in it but I couldn’t taste it. I suspect that it is colcannon or champ. Bubble and squeak should be fried! Well, the combination tasted all right. 

Looking around, a couple had the squid rings – looks very decent and another couple had sandwiches and chips.

I found the place quite interesting and I shall be back to give it the full treatment soon.

E

Address: 220 South Oak Way, Lime Square, Green Park, Reading RG2 6UP

Telephone number: 0118 987 3702

Website: www.lsq2.co.uk

Date of visit: 5 February 2011

Approximate cost per head: Around £20 for 2 courses

Comments on wine list/beer: Bottle beers. Peroni at £3.65 a bottle. Wine list is OK but nothing special and although an average bottle is around £25, it is still with around 300% mark up plus.

Previous Reviews: 22nd and 15th of May 2010.

Cuisine: Modern British with several SE Asian dishes.

Opening times: weekdays only. They will also open up when there is a rugby or football match on at the Madjeski Stadium.

Summary:

LSQ2 is a great place for a pre match meal at the Madjeski Stadium. Although there is a hotel attached to the stadium, food at LSQ2 is far better. Parking is also free for the duration of the match. The restaurant is sited next to an artificial running pond/lake. During the summer, they have tables out at the front.

I went with my friend M and we started off with 2 bottles of  Peroni. We then had a bottle of 2007 Chianti Reserva (£26.50) which in my view was far too young and therefore a bit on the acid side – I didn’t sent it back because there is nothing wrong with the wine. It was just too young for my taste.

We then ordered ox cheek spring rolls and Thai fish cakes. M said that his fishcakes were all right and it was nice presented. 3 fish cakes were served on a rectangular white plate with a zig zag  line of sweet chilli sauce and a small leafy salad.

I had the ox cheek spring rolls which was “one” spring roll cut at an angle into 2 halves. This was served in a pool of thick white sauce – or was it mash potato with added ingredients? I didn’t think that it worked as the interior of the spring roll was too wet. This in turn made the spring roll slightly soggy. It tasted all right.

For main courses, M had the lamb cooked 2 ways (£14.95) with mashed potatoes (£3). I had the fish (Pollock) with triple cooked chips (£10.95). The lamb cooked two ways was interesting. It was roast lamb with 2 large raviolis which contained minced lamb spiced up. M thought that it was an interesting concept and he enjoyed it.

The fish and chips were a piece of battered fish sitting on mushy peas with a bowl of chips and a tub of home made tartar sauce. Now, the chips were “real” triple cooked chips with fissure and it was crunchy not an imitation. However, the chips could have been cooked longer at 190 degrees C to make it crunchier. My mother-in-law would have approved it as she felt that “real” triple cooked chips were too hard. The fish could have been larger but overall no complaints.

Coffee was £4 a cup.

Allow me to let you into a secret. The LSQ2 by the Oracle in Reading offers the ox cheek spring rolls and the Pollock and chips for £9.95 six days a week in its lunch time menu. I paid a total of £16.45 at LSQ2 Green Park.

E

Name of market or shop: Fielders Farm Shop & Pangbourne

Location: Wickcroft Farm, Pangbourne Road, Theale, Reading RG7 5AE

Public transport/parking: on A 340, plenty of parking

Web site: www.fieldersfarmshop.co.uk

Telephone number: 0118 9304064

Date of visit: 23 February 2011

Review:

Newly opened, so I thought I would drop by and see what it has to offer.  I am a teacher, so I am always looking out for little local foodie experiences during my holiday and  half term breaks.  All signage and publicity makes it sound that they are doing what any self respecting farm shop should do – offer good local produce. 95% of the food seemed to be shrink wrapped and labelled so much that it was impossible even to gauge the quality. The fresh meat section was full of Royal Farms, Windsor produce – is this local?  The West Berkshire countryside is dotted with local producers, yet little is on display or it seems available.  The two staff members were nice enough, smiled and said hello, but little engagement with the few customers I was in there with.  They were were doing neither soft or hard sell, are they missing an opportunity?  The boards had suggestions for lunch purchases, yet few were on display at 11am.  Lovely looking pies from PieMinister – is that local?  Not really, Bristol and good product but could they not look closer to home? Vegetables all nice and neat but looking a little too neat and a little old, nothing noteably local either.  Meringue nests on ‘clearance’ looked a bit dusty and the ubiquitious savoury crackers in abundance, also a bit dusty. My children have a phrase:same old same old.  Of course it is hard, the deli and food shop game is hard and you have to have a USP and also, they really have to try a little harder.  I went on to Pangbourne, which for a little town has a couple of decent food shops, a fruit and veg shop, a butcher shop which is efficient and friendly and not a bit precious, it offers good local and non local produce and it will prepare whatever you wish.  There is a good deli there, good range of cheese and meats, and engaging and interested staff who seem to really care and certainly know their stuff and how to serve the stuff – meats are carefully sliced.  They offer tastings, and I am sure Fielders may have too, but they didn’t offer. The ubiquitious savoury biscuits sourced from Devon and Europe there too, but less dusty.  One of my fellow customers in the cheese shop, it is called Gray’s, was an elderly man who was buying tiny portions of many different cheeses and they were being just charming to him – they cared that he was getting what he wanted.  So what is the trick, treat your customers well, and be interested in serving them with a friendly and efficient air.  And if you say you offer local stuff, then do offer it.

Jane Bennett

Address: 21 Prospect Street, Caversham , Reading RG4 8JG

Telephone number: 0118 9462115

Website: http://www.binatandoori.com/

Date of visit: 19 February 2011

Approximate cost per head: Approx £20

Comments on wine list/beer: Various Indian larger and wines charged at reasonable rates. The problem is that all the famous Indian lagers are now brewed in the UK. For example, Kingfisher used to have a slight cardamom taste, you can’t detect it anymore.

Cuisine: Indian

Summary:

There was a whole crowd of us. Bina used to be a top 50 Curry House in the UK. It then (many years ago) had to be refurbished after problems with the Health Inspectors. I used to go regularly; they did the best Indian breads in Reading. In fact, I am not even sure that it is now managed by the same people a decade ago when it was in its prime.

The other Tandoori House of note is the Standard Tandoori, also in Caversgam. The Dala Lama is a regular customer when he is visiting this part of the world.

Back to Bina. The room is very modern with blue lighting and a lot of modern paintings on the wall. There is a sort of waterfall at the end of the dining room before you reach the “facilities”.

We had a round table and popadums were served within 5 minutes with all the usual condiments. Then we shared the mixed starter – £4.75 per person. There were several pieces of tandoori meats, prawn wrapped in pastry and a couple of other wraps that I cannot work out as to what was in it. In the menu they were described as patties – it was some form of minced lamb with vegetables and pulses in a wrap similar to won ton skins and the whole thing was deep fried.

We the had  Murgh (Chicken)  Korma (£6.95), Chicken Madras (£6.75), Chicken Mulini (£7.95) Ghost (lamb) Kata Masala (£8.50) Nawabi king prawns (£12.95), Pilau rice (£2.75 per person), Nans (£2.50 each), Palak (Spinach) bajee, Aloo (potato) gobi, Mushroom bajee – all at £3.95. The first thing I will say all the dishes tasted different. This is not one of those restaurants that have a master sauce and then add chilli and tomato to differentiate the dishes. However, all the curries are slightly on the “sweet” side especially the Korma and the Madras – it this to suit the British Palate? The Madras was also more medium than hot. I recalled a Madras in an Indian Restaurant (demolished – it is now a dual carriageway) that I simply couldn’t eat. I had to take it home and add several cans of baked beans into it before I can eat it.

We went on a Saturday night and the place was full. However, the service was very good as we asked for drinks on a regular basis. After dinner, all the women in the party were presented with a red rose and to cap it all, they offered us a free birthday cake as they overheard that it was the birthday of one of us. They saw the cards and presents and worked it out. Well they did ask me if it was a birthday or some other celebration.

By the way, they do an all you can eat buffet on a Sunday for under £8.

I think the place is still pretty good!

E

PS you can park in the Waitrose car park down the road.

Address: 2-4 London Street, Reading RG1 4SE

Telephone number: 01189 505036

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

Date of visit: 6 February 2011

Approximate cost per head: £20 plus in the evening

Comments on wine list/beer: Medium size list at around 300% markup. They also offer a 50 year old and a 100 year old cognac at £50 and £100 a glass

Cuisine: bit of everything – Med, French, British.

Summary:

This is a popular place on the edge of The Oracle shopping centre. It used to be a newsagent 20 years ago. It is essentially 2 buildings, one old and one new. The main restaurant downstairs has lots of windows which offer plenty of natural lights.

The Place is owned by Paul Clerehugh. He also owned the Crooked Billet in Stoke Row. The menus are slightly different.

On the night we (5) went, the downstairs restaurant was full but the upstairs part empty.

The menu here is quite strange and the food in my view is very fusion. I had the onion and Jerusalem Artichoke tart with mushroom, pumpkins, butternut squash and beurre blanc (£12.50) Others had the Moroccan lamb (£18.90), seabass (£17.95)  and duck (£18.95). One of us had the starter of beetroot cured salmon which was proclaimed as good. I was informed by the manager that they cured their own salmon and it was not bought in.

Re the main course, everyone remarked how good their main courses were. However I was not that impressed. On the whole, the dishes came with too many bits and I am not sure that there is synergy between the bits. My own tart was a bit smallish but it came with  loads of pumpkin and very little sauce. I ended up with a load of pumpkin that I did not eat. I had a side order of chips which was very good.

The desserts of lemon tart (£5.70), chocolate fondant (£6.70) and cookies (£6.20) were also well received.

For drinks we had a couple bottles of 2009 Pinotage (£21). I don’t like Pinotage because it has a mineral taste and the wine we had was a bit young. It was also one of those modern wine that has never seen an oak barrel – it was just alcoholic fruit juice with a mineral taste.

The saving grace for me was that I was a guest and someone else paid. I have been to The London Street Brassiere before and enjoyed the food.

E

Location: 58 Headley Road, Woodley, Reading, RG5 4JE

Web site: www.redrosewoodley.com

Telephone number: 0118 9440908

Date of visit: 29/1/2011

Approx. cost per head: £15

Comments on wine list/beer: An ample wine list and 3-4 beers available by the bottle.

Media link:

Review:

Having heard good things about the Red Rose we decided to try it out for a birthday meal. I’m going to start with the food, as it was by far the best part of the evening.

Alongside the usual preamble, between us we managed to try the Red Rose’s king prawn bhuna and the chicken and vegetable birianis with sides of matar paneer and aloo, and saffron fish tikka. All of which were delicious – particularly the substantial biriani dishes. Mains are averagely priced for the area, at between £8-13, with starters coming in around £4. Desserts, priced around £4, followed and were satisfactory but not overly inviting when they arrived on the table.

A small number of spaces are available in the car park to the rear, with additional on and off-road parking also nearby. The restaruant itself is welcoming and nicely turned out, with a modern feel.

For me, the final ingedient during any meal is always good service. Sadly, on this occasion the service can only be desribed as forgetful, disorganised and abrubpt. Cutlery was not replaced automatically between courses, waiters did not return to take further orders to to provide the bill without being prompted several times and watching the staff dashing around in a panicked fashion didn’t make for the most relaxing atmosphere.

As I say, I’ve always heard good things about the Red Rose so I’m tempted not to judge them on what was perhaps a bad evening. But I’d perhaps venture along on a quieter evening next time to compare things.

Dave Lamont

Location: SZt Mary’s Church House, Chain Street, Reading, RG1 2HX

Web site: www.bills-website.co.uk

Telephone number: 0118 939 1365

Date of visit: 27/11/2010

Approx. cost per head: £16

Comments on wine list/beer: A good wine list, organic of course.

Media link:

Review:

Reading is often criticised for lacking restaurants with a spark of individuality and offer that little something different – often cited as paling in comparison to the likes of London or Brighton. Well, thanks to a little help from both Bill’s arrived in the town late last year. Founded on Brighton, restaurants now also exist in nearby Lewes and London’s Covent Garden.
We opted for Bill’s for an evening meal after hearing plenty from friend and colleagues -the local buzz and word of mouth was unmissable.

Located in the former Tourist Information Office, the space has been transformed into a quirky venue that’s a produce store, cafe and restaurant all in one. And it works well. Bill’s manta centres on organic and fresh produce – some of which is sold in store, whilst the rest is cooked and served up in a wide range of delicious dishes. As you’re sitting inside you’d be forgiven for forgetting that you’re sitting a 2 minute walk from Reading’s Broad Street or The Oracle shopping centre. You could easily be relaxing close to Brighton’s seafront or enjoying the bustle of Covent Garden. There’s plenty to look at whilst you wait – whether it’s the array of produce on sale – literally around you – or the action going on in the kitchen for all to see.

So, to our food… We went for a homemade soup and chorizo to start, both were lovely. Starters average around £5. For mains we chose the rosemary and garlic chicken and the butternut squash risotto. Amusingly it’s the first time I’ve heard my partner admit that a risotto tops her own and the chicken was succulent and flavoursome. There’s a good wine list, organic of course. and an inviting mix of fresh fruit milkshakes and smoothies.

Whilst we enjoyed dinner at Bill’s I know it’s incredibly popular for afternoon lunch or a chat over coffee and a cake. Having a quick browse for reviews online Bill’s restaurants have been cited for ‘one of the best breakfasts in the UK’ in The Guardian and as ‘an institution’ by the Telegraph. We’ll be back soon, and again and again after that.

Dave Lamont

Location: 15 Gunn Street, Reading, RG1 2JR

Web site: www.gurkhasquaretandoori.com

Telephone number: 0118 958 0540

Date of visit: 28/12/10

Approx. cost per head: £14

Comments on wine list/beer: A reasonable low-end wine list and good selectio of beers.

Media link:

Review:

Formerly the Raj, I’d often wondered by this Oracle-side restaurant but never ventured inside. However, last month I visited for a friend’s birthday; they’d booked a table for 10. My initial reaction when inside was that whilst the outside had recently had a slight overhaul to coincide with the restaurant’s renaming the inside desperately needed some life injected back into it. 

We sat down at a table to the rear, in what felt more like a dingy pub’s function room than an Indian restaurant in the centre of Reading. Still, the food was yet to come.
Starters are averagely priced at around £3.50, with mains ranging between £8-£15. The wine list is a little low-end but there’s the usual choice of beers etc.  Food wise, for me personally, the low –point was a side dish of saag panir I couldn’t even half finish because it was more reminiscent of eating those  polystyrene balls you often find when opening a parcel than one of my favourite Indian dishes. I was almost as disappointed when the mains arrived – my rice (the most basic staple of Indian cooking) was dry and hard. At the end of the meal, chatting away, it was clear that about half of the table were also disappointed with their meal, with the other satisfied but not overly excited. A few people also commented on the somewhat slap-dash service, not really acceptable when you’re a table of 10 on a quiet evening just after Christmas. So to the good news…the highlight of the evening (and thanks to the Ghurka for this) was the surprise arrival of a birthday cake made by a friend. The Restaurant served this without question and were very amenable.  If you want a nice Indian meal then Reading and the surrounding area is spoilt for choice. I’d probably venture elsewhere.

Dave Lamont