The Waterside Inn

My wife took me there today for a 40th birthday lunch, we had a fantastic experience.

The food was fantastic, we opted for the lunch menu and found the veggie options unsuitable for my wife, when we asked if there was a seperate veggie menu, the waiter called over the head waiter who brought over the veg menu. He then very kindly allowed my wife to exchange any dishes she preferred at no extra cost to us.

Besides the food, the highlight was Alain Roux walking around the dining room and personally greeting every table, asking if we had enjoyed our lunch with them today.

The valet parking is a nice touch, we had'nt even stopped moving when a very smartly dressed gentleman approached our car, he asked our name and opened the door for my wife, he then said please go inside sir and i will happily park your car for you. Pure class.

This was our first visit here, it won't be our last.
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Mitch
9 Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Friday, September 07, 2012

Another superb meal. Eight of us visited for lunch on 17th December, including my elderly parents who voted this one of their most enjoyable dining experiences ever. Attention to detail from Diego and his team was up the usual impeccable standard, and the food was again perfect (Alain always comes round asking for areas for improvement - once again, there was nothing we could suggest!). Keep up the good work.
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Andy
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 9
Friday, December 23, 2011

i took my mum to The Waterside Inn for her birthday on saturday 10th of december . we were welcomed with open arms but unfortunately thats where the compliments end. tasteless and completely forgettable food. overcooked lobster and venison, a dinner room so busy it resembled a city centre train station. it also felt like the locals were being served before us. we felt like we were in someones posh living room and we were the unwanted guests. we also had to wait 30 mins between courses on a tasting menu and last but not least the bill. £419 !!!! for 2 . i've had better meals for a quarter of the price. avoid at all costs. try the ledbury, the hand and flowers or the sportsman in whitstable.
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matt kendrick
1 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 0 | Value for money 0
Sunday, December 11, 2011

My boyfriend took me to the Waterside Inn for a birthday treat on 14 October 2011 and we thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

When we arrived, we opted to have a drink in the side room before dinner. We had wine with canapés, then moved to the main dining room. Before starters, we were served a king prawn amuse-bouche, which was zingy and refreshing.

I had lobster medallions with julienne vegetables in a ginger port sauce and my boyfriend had a langoustine risotto to start. The lobster dish was impressively presented, making good use of the shell. It was also cooked well, and very generously portioned. I was surprised to see the comment about the lobster being rubbery, as I have eaten fresh lobster regularly throughout my life and did not have any issues. One negative, though, was that the sauce and vegetables (that had soaked up the sauce) were a bit overpowering, but the lobster on its own was quite agreeable. In contrast, the langoustine starter was much better balanced in terms of flavours but stingier in portion size.

For mains, I had rabbit with chestnuts and my boyfriend had venison wrapped in pastry. Again, my boyfriend’s dish was delicious and better balanced, with the pastry executed superbly (I wouldn’t say it was food envy because we both agreed the venison was better). That’s not to say that the rabbit wasn’t good – I enjoyed it – but it was very rich. The chestnuts were heavily sweetened, and it didn’t have the delicate flavours of the venison dish.

For pudding, we shared the selection of six desserts as well as the complementary petit fours. Although it probably didn’t help that we were pretty full by this point, the desserts were fairly average. In terms of drinks, we ordered two glasses of wine each in total throughout the meal, and they were all good.

The service seemed to be quantity over quality and a bit amateurish to me, but the staff were pleasant enough, and certainly not offensive in any way. I got the impression that the restaurant would run more smoothly if they had fewer and better trained staff. For instance, we kept getting asked the same questions by different staff when we were relaxing in the side room after dinner. That said, Alain Roux was charming. He came to say hello to (I think) all diners, including us.

To sum up, the food was very good, though maybe not of three Michelin star quality. It was certainly better than Le Gavroche (contrary to what a previous reviewer has written), which fell far short of expectations as a well-established two star restaurant. The service was fine, a bit inefficient but friendly and helpful enough. As several reviewers have mentioned, the décor is dated and uninspired. However, the overall experience was a positive one, and I would recommend The Waterside Inn as somewhere to visit on a special occasion.
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Ai
8 Overall rating
Food 7 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 6
Tuesday, November 08, 2011

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 trapping past to start a shift…nothing to fear from that lot then.
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benn springer
4 Overall rating
Food 1 | Service 3 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 4
Saturday, September 17, 2011

the waterside inn was on my list of must try restaurants but alas, the expectations were overwhelmed by disappointment. The setting was gorgeous with a direct view of the thames. The food was honestly no more than mediocre. We ordered the menu Gastronomique, a three course lunch with two choices for each of the courses. Honestly, the quality and taste of each course was no better than something you find in an average london eatery. I had mullet and prawns for my mains. Dry, bland and far from inspiring. Service was so so. I rate it two stars at best. Lower your expectations or go elsewhere.
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3 Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 2 | Atmosphere 5 | Value for money 2
Sunday, June 26, 2011

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.
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BarryAscot
10 Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Saturday, April 30, 2011

I visited the Waterside with two other couples on Friday night - one of whom hasnt been there for over 15 years due to their financial situation. Anyhow my friends had a £200 voucher from their work so as a treat asked us if we would join them as they had this voucher. We already had been previously so knew what to expect price wise. It cost us £1300 for the six of us. We had 3 bottles of wine and 2 bottles of house champagne and £45 worth of water ! - The meal simply wasnt worth it. No pre dinner samplers, no pre desserts. I had £60 lobster starter which was done in a teriakyi sauce - it honestly tasted as if it was out of a jar. I told the lady who brough the canapes around that I didnt eat meat but did eat fish - so she changed these - when I ordered my main course the fish had a pork sauce - this wasnt relayed back to the kitchen ie: my meat issue.

Instead of my friends having a meal of rememberance the only thing they remember is the price - if this meal had been breathtaking we wouldnt have even mentioned the price - but it was simply fair and fair at that price isnt good enough - I wont go back again as for me it a little too dated a little out of touch and resting on its reputation rather than its brilliance - Try L'Ortolan a little further to go but not much - ambience and food is 100 times better.
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Linda Symons
3 Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 3 | Value for money 0
Tuesday, March 01, 2011

Ah St. Valentine day! What a trouble maker, but the good idea is to go to a restaurant (choose well as I did). Sorry to the staff working then...........

From your greetings to the little chocolates they give to sweeten the bill passing by the waiter who'd been there "as He said with a large smile" too long (around 10 years) and still caring for u as if He was a beginner pouring your coffee or telling you a story to make you feel in presence of some mates, We, my wife and I have been treated as if We were their only costumers ( trust me! We were not on that occasion ).

After a long drive to reach a restaurant were I felt it will cost me and as I blowed the surprise to my wife while driving.

She start to argue with me regarding that by knowledge The Waterside Inn is a pricy place. So when we arrived We were a bit tense but after less than 10 minutes with a French and Italian waiters with big smiles on their faces, even if working on a day like that one. Our hearts just melted with our foie-gras then with the "Huge"souffle (how u're feeling when they're presenting u the dessert "huge") but trust me you do not want to leave a fluff of it on your plate!

Well thanks again to you all ( as my wife wasn't upset anymore when we came back home ;-)
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Stephen
9 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, February 15, 2011

It was after a long tiresome journey across a blizzarding UK that we finally arrived at the Waterside Inn. To be quite honest I was very surprised to find that it remained open, considering that many restaurants in the region had failed to do so throughout the most treacherous of weather conditions over the past few weeks. But to my utter astonishment the road outside of the Waterside was snow and ice free, and there as always, stood the same smiling doorman and general manager waiting to meet and greet as though the sun was shining. Never will this place cease to amaze me, even under the most severe of conditions the sheer determination and enthusiasm of this team at the Waterside is relentless. The attention to detail and the outstanding service is something of very different proportions and a unique characteristic that no other place I have visited in the world has been able to even come close to. Hats off to a team running one of the greatest institutions in the world.
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Paul V
10 Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 10 | Atmosphere 10 | Value for money 10
Thursday, January 27, 2011