The Waterside Inn

Well how to kill £ 500 at lunch and come away soooo happy that you did...
And still happy when I got to blog about it.

But don't convert to Aussie $ as it will be nasty !!! $ 844 yep Real Nasty

But WHAT an experience and WHAT a taste sensation and worth ever $ , still gulping at the cost but the flavour will stay with us for a long time.

Left London and headed up country to a little 16th century village of Bray in Berkshire after a 1 & 1/2 hour on a train, had to gave the chauffeur the day off, well we can't afford a chauffeur and lunch .... unlike most of the rest of the clientele telling by the look of the cars in the car park. We will help to lower the tone and loosen the stiffs up once the Aussies arrive! 

Sandy did warn me that it was going to be a bit x-ee for lunch but it was somewhere she had alway wanted to go and experience the food of the famous Roux brother Michel, today it is run by his son Alain and it still holds 3 Michelin Star.

We arrived by cab from  Maidenshead train station 10 min from the restaurant to a little english postcard village with it thatched roves, white rendered walls and gloss black window and door trims. It was as pretty as a picture and lots of the building have over the year have been bought by Michel Roux and have been turned into B & B accommodation. Nestled on the banks of the Thames River it is away from London a bit but it is in the area of Royal Ascot, Henley Royal Regatta and Windsor Castle so not to shabby a neighbourhood.

We we escorted out to a private little timber deck on the waters edge and sat at white wrought iron chairs to enjoy a complementary glass of champaign from one of the x staff that we met in Italy. It was through him that we got a table so last minute and as the rest of the staff  knew it they fussed over us and asked how their colleague was doing in Italy, so it was quite nice.
 

We are served canopies while we look over the menus, typical of a restaurant of this standard they had a men's menu with prices and a ladies with no prices, how proper English or French and so old world ...

We decided to have the " Menu Expectionnel  " ( their spelling not mine ) which was a 6 course Tasting Menu for £ 153 or you could have a set menu for between £ 46 to £ 60 but as we will never get the chance to get back here again unless we win the lotto let's go the whole hog and try the tasting menu and experience many of their different dishes.

It also had wine paring for £ 93.50 , as it was a special lunch to celebrate Sandy's birthday lets go with that also ... it was soooo well worth it as we had some great drops that we proberly would not have tried otherwise and they match so beautifully to the food.
 

As we sat in the cool breeze the flag at the end of the little private jetty flapped and announced that they are Relais & Chateaux, now us recognising this flag as we have had the privilege to stay at several of them throughout our tripping around Italy.

Relais & Chateaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotel and restaurants and we are sitting here just about to be spoiled again. It's going to be a big fall when we come home to reality that for sure, so hope we make it home before the money runs out !!

Our several little canopies are delish and so pretty on the plate with a whole beetroot caved like a rose and glossed off in a jelly just to decorating the plate.

We are finally escorted into the full restaurant and it is a Wednesday, not a bad business in such a remote place. Its French food in such a elegant contemporary pavilion  surrounded with strip sheer curtains of olive green and soft orange gently swaying in the summer breeze. Our table is front and centre with the best view of the Thames River thanks to our new friend Stefano from Italy. Who says its what you know ... It is " Who you know " ( sorry ... but true ) and we are made and feel so spoiled. But I'm sure we are not the only ones being spoiled here as the place is heaving with some 12 suited waitstaff to look after us and the other 60 diners.
 

It was so cute as at your table they give you a little table for the ladies handbags or the mens man-bags,  we have seen these a lot in the more top end restaurants during our travels, can't have the Prado siting on the floor now can we girls. But I do think it was the first time a well traveled Aussie back-pac got that sort of royal treatment ...  So we did tuck the back-pac a little into the long table cloth just a little bit more, as I do think it was feeling a little bit underdressed !!

Now the menu for lunch

Starters
- Flaked Devon crab with sweet piquillo peppers, spicy guacamole and puff pastry tomato bread.

- Terrine of foie gras and chicken breast served with a crisp vegetable salad and a brioche toast

- Pan fried scallop and octopus slices with coriander, served on a bed of celery purée, coconut emulsion and tamarind sauce
 

Mains

- Roast loin of lamb stuffed with aubergine confit and grilled pine kernels, 

" gateau " of moussaka and a light saffron jus

OR which Sandy had 

- Roasted Challandair duck with cherry and Bourgueil wine

Pre Desert

- Shortbread biscuit with an apricot mousse and red-currents, rosemary scented apricot sorbet

And finally to finish was a Warm raspberry soufflé 

Exquisite food and the service was faultless. 

The service was so one on one, at one point Sandy started to stand and as quick as a flash a male-waiter is there assisting with her chair and a female waitstaff discreetly  walks with her to the restroom and Sandy said no words were used, a lady should never have to ask for the
 " restroom " especially  in this sort of a restaurant ... they were alway just discreetly there ... and knew what you needed ... sometime before you knew.

But wait we are not finished we are escorted back out to our little white wrought iron chair with our little pale blue cushions on the timber deck once more to over look the Thames River where petite fors on a towering silver tray are served with coffee and there we are able to sit back and just enjoy the afternoon as it floats by.
 

True decadence is all I can say, so live it up girlfriend it's not going to last too much longer as it is back to the train station and into our second class carriage and back to London with the memories of a fabulous lunch that will last a life time.