Address: 25 Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berks RG40 2AY

Telephone: 0118 9874237

Website: N/A

Date of visit: 31 October 2011

Costs: Less than £20 for starter, main course with rice or bread

Wines and beer: Cobra, Bangala and Kingfisher, wines available

Likes and dislikes: Dishes were very mild, otherwise fine

Cuisine: Indian (Bangladeshi)

Special note: Takeaway: free delivery (within 3 miles) for orders over £15. 10% discount for collection

Summary:

This is a small restaurant off one of the main street in Wokingham. There are car parks off Denmark Road.

I went with my friend M after a couple of pints at the Crispin – several decent real ales including guests.

M has been coming to the Taj Mahal for nearly 30 years so this place is well established.

I started with meat samosa (££2.75) whilst M had jhinga (prawn) puri  (£3.25). I was very pleased to note that the side salad that came with the samosa was very fresh – not leaves with brown tinge at the edge which you get in certain Indian’s. We also had 2 papadoms (0.60 each) which were served with the usual chutney, sweet yoghurt, onions and pickle on the side.

M then ordered (Gulshani chicken – a Taj speciality – £6.75). It looked and tasted to me like chicken tikka in a Jalfraizee sauce. I had the chicken dupiazza ((£5.25). To accompany the meal, we had a nan ((£1.95), pilau rice (££2.25) and sag paneer (£3.25). Everything was fine – perhaps less chilli than I like. The rice was slightly orange in colour instead of the yellow that I am used to.

The meal was washed down with a pint of Kingfisher and a bottle of Bangala – pity that all these beers are now brewed under licence in the UK. I swear that Kingfisher used to have a hint of Cardamoms which is now missing.

The restaurant had pristine white table cloths and the service was excellent.  The total bill came to less than £39 (excluding service).

E

PS I was also very pleased to see a few Bangladeshi dishes on the menu as well as the usual items.

Address: 6 Rose Street, Wokingham, RG40 1XU

Telephone number: 0118 9788205

Website: www.ruchetta.com

Date of visit: 10 June 2010

Approximate cost per head: Set lunch £15.95 for 2 courses, expect to pay £20 plus for 2 courses from the a la carte menu

Comments on wine list/beer: Peroni on tap. Excellent Italian wine list at reasonable prices. Try also the grappa.

Cuisine: Italian

Likes and dislikes: The table cloth, the bread, the wine, the food etc……….No dislikes!

Special feature : 5% discount on cash payment on £50 or more!

Summary:

My friend M recommended this place as the “top” Italian in Wokingham.

Ruchetta (Italian for rocket) is in The Good Food Guide. It is sited in a terrace house round the corner from Waitrose. They have a sister restaurant – also the same name – in Peppard Common RG9 5UJ.

The place is divided into several rooms.

They do a set lunch – see web site – which I thought looked pretty good. So, I ordered from it.

I started with kidneys with mushroom on toast – is this Italian? The resulting dish was an excellent combination of several mushrooms sautéed in a brown sauce with a pair of kidneys that are still pink served on brown multi-seeded bread.

Next I had the fritto misto. This turned out to be squid and prawns with a rocket salad on tomatoes. The only complaint is that they could have added some white fish to the fritto misto. But, this is the set lunch.

I washed all this down with a carafe of Sangiovese – 325ml @ £10.85.

This place has many plus points besides the food and excellent service. To start with,  good linen – table cloth and napkin and then a free basket of bread – brown and white – served with a sun dried tomato mixture, butter and olives.

Well, this was certainly as good an Italian as far as I can remember at a very reasonable price. I wonder what the other branch is like?

E

Location: 16 Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2BB

Web site: www.rossini-restaurant.com

Telephone number: 0118 979 5796

Date of visit: 21/7/10

Approx. cost per head: £15

Comments on wine list/beer: An average wine list and good range of beers.

Media link:

Review:

Situated in the heart of Wokingham, with parking nearby, Rossini is infinitely nicer and more welcoming when inside, than when facing the somewhat tired and uninspiring exterior. It’s relatively small so always advisable to book.

It is a very friendly and traditional, family-run restaurant offering rustic, tasty Italian food. It provides a more intimate and authentic experience than other Italians in the town and the local area. The food is simple but effective and my no means disappointing. Main dishes range from around £9 to over £30, catering for all budgets and tastes. Both the pasta options and the meat dishes are excellent. The sweet trolley is also rather inviting.

Dave Lamont

Location:The Town Hall,  Wokingham, RG40 1AS

Web site: http://www.thecourtyardwokingham.com/

Telephone number: 0118 979 4040

Date of visit: 20 January 2010

Approx. cost per head: £15-25

Comments on wine list/beer: Fairly wide choice ave. £20 a bottle. The Rothschild Viognier is a nice white with pasta dishes.

Media link:

Review:

Arguably one of the better restaurants in the small town of Wokingham, tastefully yet simply furnished and styled.

The Courtyard is located close to easy parking and lies within the old town hall, in Market Place. There is plenty of al fresco seating when the weather is good, providing an ideal setting for a social coffee or light lunch.

Not as charming or as welcoming as its sister restaurant, Dolche Vita in Reading, The Courtyard still offers an enjoyable and traditional Italian menu. Perhaps not the place if you want to while away a few hours as the service can be a little forced and hurried at times, but more than fair for a local evening meal.

The starters are usually quite substantial, making the average cost of £7-8 more justifiable. Having sampled quite a selection of the meat and pasta dishes, yet to find anything disagreeable, although some of the pasta dishes can be a little bland or forgettable. An average pasta dish is around £8, pizza £10 and meat dish £17.

Dave Lamont