The Waterside Inn

[ben mcmayon]

yeah but mitchelin doesnt judge lunch, u can serve what u like lol!!!

[Andy Lynes]

If I'd paid £440 for a meal that included a main course like that, I wouldn't be L.O f***ing L that's for sure. Three Michelin stars? More like staff canteen.

[Andy Lynes]

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This sort of service always puts me in mind of Harry Enfield's Association Football sketch (fast forward to 2 minutes 4 seconds):

click

Edited July 4, 2008 by Andy Lynes (log)

[Basildog]

is it just me, but bought in biscuits to go with cheese? I've never eaten at a 3starred place, but kinda expected then to make them in house.(and before you ask,no i don't make them myself either) or am i just mad?

[muichoi]

Most posh French places serve bought biscuits, usually stale. I think they are making the point that the French don't approve of cheese and biscuits.

[Mrs Foodie]

We had a superb lunch at the Waterside Inn this week. We hadn't been for a few years but it is still one of the best in the business. The canapes were excellent - especially the steak tartare. We had the lobster with ginger which was up to its usual standard. Foie gras and chicken terrine was well executed and the duck we had to follow was superb. I think the staff issue must have been a one off blip as we didn't witness anything like that. Alain Roux came round to speak to everyone, and he seemed a lot less shy than he did the last time we were there.

Re the Duchy Originals, I agree that it is good that a French restaurant is proud to serve a good British biscuit.

In fact, the only negative on the whole meal was a rather odious man at the next table who insisted on talking loudly to the people near the window. Once he found out that they were in the film business, he insisted on buying them a bottle of champagne and proceeded to move in on them - they were too polite to tell him where to go. That isn't anything to do with the restaurant though!

[nikkib]

anyone else been recently? am off for my first visit this month - i adore le gavroche, i'm not going to be disappointed am i?

[BertieWooster]

anyone else been recently? am off for my first visit this month - i adore le gavroche, i'm not going to be disappointed am i?

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We went at the beginning of AUgust, doing the double with the FD. Best bit was arrival via launch from the river. From then on, with a couple of exceptions it was a disaster. The service veered between the sneerily servile and the simply sneering (examples...my wife asked for steak and chips (sorry, 'steak et pommes pont neufs') and requested it 'medium-rare'. SNotty waiter..'we can serve it medium or rare'. MrsW: 'between the two?. SW: 'chefs need to do one or the other'. Moi:' cooked on the outside, still bloody.' SW:' oh, you mean rare-medium'....second example, same waiter..my wife has a dairy intolerance..he clarifies..SW:'so just cows dairy. MrsW:'just cheese, milk and butter'. SW gives look, 'what other sort of dairy is there?' MrsW..'well, if you need to instructed in the basics of food groups...')

Actually, the intolerance thing was very difficult. Usually, you go high-end, its dealt with superbly. THe FD of course asks the question. RHR, LCS, Petrus just wave their hands and tell you its not an issue. Here we were told, 'well, this is going to be very difficult, all French cooking uses a lot of butter.'

Mrs W, being pregnant, nursed a single glass of champagne. Which meant I a) wasn't handed the wine menu till I asked, b) didn't have an order taken till I asked and c) didn't have my half-bott delivered till I'd asked again.

Mr Roux was prancing around like a procurer for a Victorian brothel, poncing for the American billionaire (one of the Forbes lot) in the corner who was just trying to read his WSJ. Neither he, nor the Maitre d', approached our table till right at the end.

As to the food. Not great. I had a red mullet which was fiercely medicinal in flavour, Mrs W had scallops which would have been better treated in a Loch Fyne. Cooking barely one-star standard. Looking out on the river, of course, one is also crammed in with everyone else near the windows. Once it got dark, making more use of the space would have made more sense.

Won't be back. Over-priced, massively over-rated, over-inflated sense of their own value.

Sure you'l have a great time though!!

[nikkib]

[Raj Banerjee]

Sadly, I would have to concur with everything that Bertie said, particularly about the service. Although I must admit, we werent treated at all rudely, but the inefficiencies and icompetencies were certainly evident on the Sunday lunchtime we visited (party of 8, sat by the river in the corner, slightly squashed table).

There were waiters making lots of noise, waiters being instructed noisily, waiters being berated noisily, waiters dropping cutlery noisily...the roast duck was brought out, breasts served, confit withheld, as usual, until asked for...

I agree, its just such a nice place to go for lunch, it seems criminal that with a set-up as established as this, they can't be bothered or inclined to get the kitchen and staff back up to scratch. Its certainly 1 star cooking (at best) with no starred service in a 2-3 star room (when things aren't being dropped on the floor...). This is my 5th or 6th visit, and until I hear that things are back on track, I am afraid my visits to Bray are going to be to Heston's places...

Raj

[nikkib]

will report back in a couple of weeks

[chefmatt]

just don't go. i had a very similar experience to bertie. i am sure you are all aware that i have slight misgivings of Le gavroche and its two stars, but i still like the place. in my opinion waterside has none of the charm of gavroche, rude staff all bumping into eachother not knowing their ass from their elbow. Roux swanning about talking and laughing with tables that you are not sat on whilst you get measly portions of poorly executed food (shell in crab, scallops no seasoning, icy strawberry parfait and a tiny marmite of pigeon with summer veg that had one baby carrot and 7 peas!) also the night i went it was very muggy and there were lots of flies coming in off the thames through the open doors. £360 with one bottle of wine @ £35 and a couple of aperitifs, worst value meal of my life.

halfway through the meal my wife asked; "has this place got a star?", pretty much sums it up for me.

i'm not bitter

that main course above looks shocking, properly shocking. only cookery students make beetroot pasta!

[chefmatt]

look at the carpet for goodness sake!

[CheGuevara]

that main course above looks shocking, properly shocking.  only cookery students make beetroot pasta!

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i'm at a loss for words...that dish is horrendous. maybe you're right, it goes with the carpet.

[howardlong]

that main course above looks shocking, properly shocking.  only cookery students make beetroot pasta!

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i'm at a loss for words...that dish is horrendous. maybe you're right, it goes with the carpet.

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Crikey, I could make a dish look like that without even trying.

H

[Matthew Grant]

I made a dish like that and I didn't even know I'd done it.

[CheGuevara]

and that cheese plate...love the celery stick. i can't believe this is 3 stars...

[ravelda]

I've long wondered how it has managed to maintain its status. I think I have only ever eaten there once and been close to impressed with my meal. If our continental neighbours came over and experienced it I think they would come away thinking food in this country must be awful if Michelin had only managed to award 3 restaurants in the UK with 3 stars and this is the standard!

[Infrasonic]

So are Michelin going to have the balls to drop it a star or two, or are the Rouxs like royalty, untouchable?

[Gary Marshall]

to a certain extent, but they cut le gavroche to 2 when michel roux retired

[chefmatt]

when albert roux retired. Michelin seem unprepared to make the change without some significant event occurring that they can use as a scapegoat for the reason for the demotion. yes they are royalty, surprised the roux brasseries in dpartment stores don't have a star!

[nikkib]

well not sure why i was so worried - spent an absolutely wonderful afternoon at waterside yesterday. Glorious weather meant we were able to sit outside on teh terrace ebnjoying our champagne and canapes befor moving through to the restaurant. We went for the menu exceptionelle making a couple of substitutions to suit our differing tastes which didn't so much as cause them to bat an eyelid. I thought the service was friendly and professional and everything was running like clockwork. I will post in more detail and add photos but just thought i would add this now.

[Bapi]

Glad to hear it Nikki as we have ignored all of the pejorative comments above and are returning for our anniversary.

The simple truth of it is that this place does what is says on the tin. Solid, classical french cuisine. Yes it may be old fashioned and very expensive, but it has never failed to deliver and as you say- sitting outside, sipping champagne on their terrace is one of lifes joyous pleasures.

[chefmatt]

oh yes very pleasurable when you are surrounded by midges, i have no problem with old fashioned but i do have a problem with being ripped off. also there is a very big difference between old fashioned and outdated. do they still come round and show you plated versions of the desserts with plastic balls of ice cream where the real ones would normally be? hmmmmm classy

i also understand having a certain sentementality for a restaurant, i have several now that i have in my memory as wonderful even though i know now that they have gone down hill and i would try to avoid going back to ruin the memory, but if i did i would be nothing less than completely objective.

perhaps i went to the other waterside inn in bray, you know the crap one!

[BertieWooster]

Glad you enjoyed it Nicki.

They won't have any fear of me darkening their doors again though!