Barry's Reviews

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… More