For his second choice Carlos chose the 3 Michelin star Waterside Inn in Bray, Berkshire.
As usual we arrived early but unusually arrived by car. Bray is a lovely village and not a car park. We were told that we couldn’t leave the car overnight but after explaining we would be back early the next day to collect the car, the Parking Valet was good enough to park the car in the vacant space of one of the rooms of the hotel.
A great start to the early bird experience which continued when we went inside. The lounge area was very welcoming and we were shown to a table for drinks and a chance to see the menu. A nice traditional touch from a time gone by was that only the person that booked the table received a menu complete with the prices. We all selected the ‘Menu Exceptionel’ and waited to be seated.
This is where the experience became a little disappointing. The restaurant was very nice and I am sure the views of the River Thames are beautiful in the summer, but it was in no way a relaxing environment. The hustle and bustle from the waiter’s station situated in the middle of the room gave rise to a frantic feeling that was compounded by the quick succession of the first four courses. The courses slowed once we were on to desserts but the frantic feel of the room remained.
The food was very good by normal restaurant standards but this is the Waterside Inn and was therefore a little disappointing. There were no stand-out dishes to challenge the likes of the Foie Gras at Marcus Wareing or the Pork Jowls at The Ledbury.
The end of the evening was where we returned to a better experience. Ingrid did not enjoy the Golden Plum Soufflé and Alain Roux, who was working the room at the time, was horrified. After asking what could possibly be wrong with the soufflé he offered to cook another dessert more to her liking, a nice touch from the proprietor. He also arranged for Annette and Carl to take a tour of the kitchen.
Fabrice has been working the pass at the restaurant for number of years, yet the stress and responsibility had not dampened his enthusiasm. He seemed to enjoy the tour as much as we did, explaining the changes that were made to the kitchen a few years ago and the roles of the different stations. Both the kitchen and the tour were the best yet. Thank you.
It was a nice evening, but did not live up to expectations or the biggest bill we have received so far.
