The Waterside Inn

I couldn't help but felt a bit of let-down with this place. The setting on the river bank couldn't be more beautiful (and they have some lovely rooms and suites there as well – pricey but absolutely lovely), service being great and the food not to be faulted (just to be clear). My issue was that all the food was perfectly cooked but neither inspiring or “earth-shaking” – that might sound cruel but than again you don't go to a place like this for just a lunch or dinner but do expect something special

We are off to the Waterside Inn at Bray and thank God for satellite navigation systems. You punch in a postcode and hey presto, it guides you to your destination without any fuss or blazing rows over some inadequate map reading and it even bleeps a warning system if you come near one of those nasty speed cameras. However, following my experience in high end dining, I have an idea for satellite systems! They should also contain a new warning system, one that warns against pending enormous expense. Maybe instead of the voice announcing, "turn around where possible , it should say Bleep, Bleep “Unless you are travelling with your bank manager turn around bloody quick!”

Bray itself has been called a foodie heaven whereas others say this sleepy village has the ability to break any man or women financially in a matter of hours. Maybe the local Bray Village Council should erect a sign, which instead of suggesting you slow down and abide the 30mph speed limit, should state “Beware – Serious risk of poverty”.

We have been told the 3 star Waterside Inn now open for an impressive 40 years is expensive so our little piggy banks lay in pieces on the floor at home and we come with bulging wallets. The satnav leads us down a pretty lane with picture card cottages and at the end of the lane, we find a charming looking restaurant full of character and sitting right by the river. We are welcomed by the smart and friendly doorman and met with a smile from Maître Diego Masciaga whose genuine charm will warm any diner. He offers his hand to welcome us and we offer ours back, but still clinging with the other to our wallets like two school children gripping their mothers hands on the first day of school. We know we will have to surrender them up at some point, but for the moment we are still flush.

The weather is fine so we are led onto the terrace where we enjoy two glasses of very expensive Champagne before dinner and admire the passing boats with their well-heeled occupants who all seem to know the staff and wave and shout various greetings. We love this perfect setting which reminds us of a Miss Marple murder mystery film set and how very English it feels. Those in the know, organise a short trip along the river on the restaurant's own boat and enjoy their champagne chugging along the water. We are given our own tray of exquisite and very tasty hors d oeuvres and settle down to watch the smartly dressed diners as they arrive, many it seems are on first names terms with the staff and some looking like film stars themselves, but I am pleased there is no stuffiness here which is all too common in some fine dining restaurants. Again, credit to Diego as I fear without him, things could take a more serious note. In fact the whole process of arriving, taking pre dinner drinks on the terrace and siting for dinner is extremely well practiced and works like clockwork. Staff and there are many, are just a tiny bit too attentive and as there are so many, you struggle to get any relationship going with anyone in particular. We did feel our wine waiter was a nudge away from being too pushy with the 1000 odd wines this restaurant stocks and was intent on making sure we finished our bottle of Sancerre before our mains arrived, so he could then offer some suggestions on a red wine. If we come again, we would be ready to nudge him away and nip that in the bud immediately.

So after a scan of the delightful menu, we both opt for the tasting menu aptly named “Le menu exceptionnel”. Needless to say, the food is quiet exceptional and my hand picked Devon crab with a marinated prawn, melon and fresh almonds is a real stand out dish. Service was slightly rushed to begin with and a request to the waiter that we wanted to be given 15 minutes before our mains led to a raised eyebrow and “I will have to check with the chef” comment. We were given a 15 minute break, so thank you and I guess my slightly over duck was a consequence of this request. The food served here is very French and traditional in presentation, although I convinced that with Alain Roux's ability he could adopt more modern approach if he wished to. I personally now favour more lighter dishes then I did some years ago and many younger diners are finding their love of food from a city awash with establishments that serve food in tapas and sushi size portions. The foie gras with chicken breast was lovely, but uninspiring for me and just lacked something vibrant and with more texture than the crisp vegetable salad served with it. Again with my duck breast, I felt it just needed a lighter touch and fresher presentation. With the word French in mind, the dishes are what you expect and who am I to comment otherwise, but I would like to see some of these dishes given a modern touch. I am sure their loyal customers would be happy to give some feedback and this may help in the transition which is no doubt enviable at some stage.

We finish our coffees with treats back on the terrace and reflect on the evening. This is truly one of the best restaurants this Country has, not because of the great food, but the whole ambience and character of the place leaves you feeling very content. We look at each other and both say “We have reached our destination!”

We head outside clutching our wallets. They are now empty, limp, skinny affairs and I am hope the few coins remaining will be enough for the bus fare home, but for the moment, who cares!

Le restaurant exceptionnel!

Dined 11/8/11. Well hopes were high. Personally I was shaking with anticipation, we had previously been to Le Gavroche but this was the mecca of the Roux dynasty. We were a bit early for our table, so the staff put us in a side room and simply left us there. After 10 minutes I went to the reception and asked for menus and then ordered 2 coffees. When the waiter returned he took our order. I was having veal which then sparked a lengthy explanation of how it would be cooked the french way ‘pink’, I felt this was slightly patronising but I played along and saying that this was the way I liked it. By now the time of our booking had well past and we were left there again. Eventually I went and asked to be seated…all the wrong way round.
On to the meal. It was the first time my wife had eaten lobster and her response after was ‘is lobster supposed to be chewy?’ What a shame for such a sublime ingredient. Our main courses were steak (ordered rare) and veal. Both were over cooked, not a little bit but by a country mile. During the meal I stopped a waiter and asked for another glass of champagne, he simply did not understand the request. I asked him 3 more times with ever increasing simplicity but to no avail, in fact he did not say one word throughout. The wine that the sommelier ordered for us was fantastic and resonably priced, I was willing to pay alot more. I wanted to have the ‘selection of 6 desserts’ that were offered on the menu because I was finally going to taste a Roux dessert, 6 in fact. They were awful and tasteless. One even had white bread rolled thinly as a base and that is what it tasted like..odd. I got no prob paying £100's for meals but £24 for 2 black coffees, come on!!!
It was as if 1st year catering students had taken over the kitchen and there was no lecturer present. It was best summed up by my wife when she said it was as if another couple had ordered the exact same meal 3 hours earlier and had not eaten it, so it had been left to one side and then we came in and they just served it straight up. To say it was a disappointment does not go anywhere near to covering it. The boys at the Fat Duck must be laughing their socks off as they see the Waterside chefs tramping past to start a shift…nothing to fear from that lot then.

The ULTIMATE in cooking and service in Great Britain…a temple of excellence not to be missed

I’ve been visiting Waterside Inn with my family for around twenty years however I’ve only very recently started posting on Tripadviser and this is my first ever post on the internet about Waterside Inn, which has been consistently excellent …unlike most well-known restaurants we visit. Waterside Inn never disappoints. I used to enjoy and be a great fan of Gordon Ramsey in his younger, Aubergine days but I found his restaurant quality evaporated the more famous he became. I now avoid all of his restaurants. For fantastic food and service, we either go abroad…or in the UK we visit the true temple of culinary perfection, Waterside Inn, where we can both relax and be spoiled by their level of excellence…and avoid chef’s who cook with nitrogen and test-tubes…not our thing!

Back in the 1970’s my favourite restaurant in the world was Alain Chapel, in Mionnay, near Lyon in France, with three Michelin stars. I’m very lucky…I’ve spent years visiting Michelin establishments and so I can speak from some experience. Waterside Inn is the 2011 equivalent of the late Alain Chapel and indeed Waterside’s Maitre d’, Diego reminds me of Herve Duronzier, the legendary Maitre D’ at Alain Chapel in being absolutely fantastic in every way. Chatting to Diego about the menu prior to ordering is an absolute must and at times the result may be quite a surprise. On one previous visit, Diego explained that Waterside Inn were one of only two restaurants in the world that served Duck Presse. We asked if we could try it. What a superlative experience…it was real theatre, different, delicious, interesting… and we look forward to doing it all again one day. I’m posting a photo of Diego beside Waterside Inn’s gleaming Duck Presse machine. Sophisticated diners need to experience this most spectacular recipe of the classical French repertoire, made famous by the Tour d'Argent, the oldest restaurant in France, at least once in a lifetime.

In over 20 years I’ve only been served wonderful food at Waterside Inn and Diego is the most knowledgeable restaurant manager I have ever encountered and who always ensures guests are served what they want, irrespective of what is stated on the menu. Assistant Maitre D’, Freddy is also absolutely superb as are the sommeliers.

The talented chef, Mr Alain Roux (son of founder, the legendary Michelle Roux) always appears to greet customers towards the end of service. We find him to be the most modest of chefs…he doesn’t need to tell everyone how brilliant his cooking is…it’s obvious. No TV super-chef rubbish for him. There’s something to be said to sticking to being a top chef, when you are a top chef.

Last year the Dorchester Group opened Cowarth Park close to where we live. We tried their two rosette chef’s “tasting menu” which, had we not double ordered two of the courses, would have left my wife and guests hungry. With Waterside Inn nearby, I don’t see the point of returning to Coworth Park. We recently tried Waterside Inn’s new tasting menu along with some A La Carte dishes and a few specials which superb restaurant director and Maitre d’ Diego Masciaga suggested. Everything was impeccable and flowed with perfection… In fact we left all the decisions to Diego. After canapés, my wife and I both started with a freebie being a smooth parmesan cream with truffle and pink fir apple potato, served with almond pastry straw. Next came a Courgette flower filled with wild mushrooms, spring vegetables tossed in a warm olive oil with chopped truffle…incredible flavours from perfect ingredients.

The kitchen then brought brought my wife a wonderful cheese soufflé while I enjoyed Pan-fried escalopes of foie gras Grenoble style with caramelized slices of orange…this unusually served with some bean sprouts, something I’ve never experienced with foie gras before…excellent.

(on our previous visit, while I enjoyed escalope of foie gras with cardamam, glazed root vegetables, verjuice and sultana sauce…terrific, my wife who can’t deal with escalope of foie gras, had seasonal game pate wrapped in pastry with truffles and a pate of foie gras which she told me was incredible).

Next item on the tasting menu was pan-fried lobster medallion with a white port sauce and ginger flavoured vegetable Julienne, which I’m sure anyone would enjoy…but as we don’t ever eat crustacea, Diego substituted with perfectly roasted, moist Turbot, on the bone served with soft tarbais beans and lardons, black trumpet mushrooms and a full flavoured Hermitage wine sauce.

This was followed by “duo of seasonal game” with a pumpkin subric, parcel of wild mushrooms and spinach and poivrade sauce. This was a very substantial course indeed, more than equal in volume to Coworth Park’s entire tasting menu…and some! A partridge and a pheasant arrived which were then prepared at the table by Diego and an assistant and served to us together with venison. Wonderful taste, perfectly cooked. While we enjoyed this, my adventurous eight year old son, explained to Diego exactly how to filet a whole Dover sole (he is genuinely interested in cooking and can actually do this himself) while he was served roasted Challandais duck, with slices of poached quine, soft polenta with chestnuts and cider flavoured sauce (unusually for a child, he will try anything from any Michelin rated menu, although his favourites are pigeon, rabbit, anything to do with artichokes and soufflés).

Pudding was a teardrop of milk chocolate mousse flavoured with caramel, mango and passion fruit filling and this was followed by a sensational warm date soufflé flavoured with cognac. We could barely manage the mignardises which followed…there was no tummy room left for the usual cappuccino with Baileys. I missed the selection of deserts from the summer menu (all truly “historic”) but I guess some of it isn’t in season.

On our last visit to Waterside Inn, we enjoyed the best cooking anywhere since our previous Waterside visit…the service and cooking is just so superior to anywhere else we have visited in the UK and yet the cost of their tasting menu is no more than that of many lesser restaurants. Our most recent dinner must have been ten times better than any of the London restaurants that my wife and I visit…it may not have “buzz” of Scotts/Wolsely but nor does it have the high noise level. For the best food in the UK, Waterside Inn still remains supreme…in our humble opinion. When I want fantastic value and top quality perfection in every way, that is where I go and I create my own entertainment with my choice of guests. It’s where HM the Queen goes (as well as The Ritz of course). When I want a great buzz and a fun experience then we may go to the Wolseley and accept what I’m served without complaint or be squashed in at Scotts (I could barely move, I was so hemmed in on my last visit)…but I’ll still keep returning to them both. However when I want to be spoiled, or for a special occasion or to celebrate…then we go to Waterside Inn.

There are some wonderful new bedrooms at Waterside Inn, we stayed a couple of years ago with our three children, even though we live only a few miles away…it was a special celebration. I would highly recommend the accommodation. During summer it is one of life’s great pleasures to enjoy pre-dinner canapés and drinks on the terrace, over-looking the river. The people watching is can also be quite interesting…all in all, unbeatable in the UK.

In a word; sublime. Everything, from the moment you drive up to the quaint close and exit your vehicle for it to be valet parked by a flat capped gentleman, to the moment you leave feeling like you've tasted a slice of the ‘high life’, is sublime. Service, atmosphere and most importantly the food all deliver and Diego's men work with precision and panache, not an easy feat when you've a roomful of diners expecting nothing but the best.

The bill at the end does leave you feeling somewhat high and dry but then you very quickly remember the accurate and effortless table theatre, that was the deconstruction of a whole Cornish lobster fresh out of the kitchen and on to a dressed plate in a mere five mins. Or you could cast your mind back to the delicious mango and chocolate dessert that filled your mouth with surprise and your heart with glee. Or it might be the fact that you only have to look up from your table and away from the beautiful vista that is the Thames, and a waiter is at your table in seconds.

If you like Sublime. You've found your perfect meal.

I visit this restaurant about twice a year and it never fails to impress me in its consistency.As ever the service led by Diego is nothing short of brilliant. The food is as flavoursome as it ever was and executed with attention to detail.The wine list is frustrating as it only has french wines and is missing out on some wonderful additions.The only negative could be the value for money aspect. I personally expect to pay top dollar in a place like this but my guests seem to differ.Although to celebrate 25 years of 3 michelan stars I hear they are doing some great lunchtime deals!!!

My husband , daughter and I visited this restaurant last Sunday. It was a sunny clear spring day so we started the meal with drinks and canapes on the terrace and moved into the restaurant for the main meal. The restaurant was full . The clientele badly dressed mostly British and Asian families looking to celebrate. I spotted 1 Birkin the rest of the patrons seemed to obtain their wares from Primark. This surprised me because given the expense of the restaurant I would have expected better dressed / better heeled patrons. But lets face it one comes for the food not the glamour which this room certainly lacked.
Can't remember the starters but my husband and daughter shared the beef and I had the salmon. It was all very nice but frankly not very exceptional which is why I can't provide more of a description. In fact it was slightly better than a meal I recently ate at the Grosvenor Hotel during an awards dinner. But this is a supposedly 3 star restaurant.
For dessert we had the rhubarb souffle and my daughter had the 6 small desserts . The latter looked like minature versions of a dessert trolley that tacky restaurants wheel out after the meal. They all had that slightly over fridge look to them and tasted a bit old. The Square serves a much better version. We had 2 bottles of fairly unexceptioal wine. The bill came to over £650 for 3 people- for lunch.
There are far better restaurants in London which cost half as much. They may not have the view but with the money you save you could have a weekend in Monaco where the clientele is certainly better dressed and the view just as nice…

Ignoring the charming Thames-side location, it is an obviously French-style institution where the complete experience will be practically faultless in luxurious surroundings, and where I have had some deeply enjoyable meals, but no scintillating experiences. For me, relaxing is only made possible after a glass or two enabling one to become accustomed to the formality of the environment. Such a backdrop often goes hand in hand with a regimented service, but here this equals efficiency served quite unobtrusively with a good portion of warmth.
Comment would be incomplete without food description, so……. treats of flawless canapé and amuse bouche featuring raw beef and raw salmon were enjoyed by us both which neither would normally choose (he not for salmon me not for raw beef). Feather-light langoustine soufflé, perfectly pan fried foie gras followed by very good Scottish beef and superb morel stuffed sole (the cited tarragon sadly undetectable to me and other half). French forté is undoubtedly in the patisserie department and although we didn’t sample dessert, the generous petit fours displayed ‘qualité exceptionelle’.
Wine, if carefully selected in consultation with the sommelier, can be most quaffable without breaking the bank, but it might be a good idea to check the bank balance beforehand (£100ish for fabulous Volnay didn’t seem OTT).
It’s the place to come for culinary pampering especially if you’ve had a windfall or if someone else is picking up the bill.

I've dined here twice, once for dinner and once for lunch. As you would expect from one of the UK's few 3-star Michelin restaurants, the food is excellent, service is flawless, and the whole experience is very memorable.

On both occasions, Head Chef Alain Roux did the rounds in the dining room, and stopped to have a quick chat with us, which I think is a nice touch. With so many star chefs hiding behind the pass, or indeed nowhere to be seen on the premises, it's nice that the Rouxs still value the customer experience as much as the food they serve. The legendary Michel Roux was also pottering around.

One thing I would mention is the price. There are some really excellent chefs cooking in the UK today, producing some groundbreaking food and charging a lot less than they do here, for what are generally fairly standard, classic haute cuisine dishes. This is not necessarily a criticism, as The Waterside Inn is known as a rather elite establishment, but if you are concerned about prices then this is probably not the place for you. One needs to throw caution to the wind here, have a good time, indulge yourself, and you will come away thoroughly satisfied.