Broomhall, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

2021 Review: This smart village pub with a garden incorporates a very French dining room, ‘La Cloche’, which serves bistro classics with a nod to the hearty dishes of the southwest, along with a good selection of wine and beer.

“Classics are made very very well (with a twist) in a comfortable proper pub environment” at Heston Blumenthal’s ‘other’ operation in Bray – a 15th-century tavern a short stroll from the Fat Duck ‘mothership’. Over the years, it has successfully avoided leaning too heavily on its celeb associations and if its renown has maybe waned a little over the years, appreciation for it has, if anything, grown as a “beautiful and charismatic venue” with “top-quality cuisine in a pub”. (“Who knows how much input Heston Blumenthal still has nowadays, but the dependable menu of imaginative takes on hearty traditional fare still hits the spot!”).

This Surrey branch of The Ivy’s stylish national brasserie offshoot is an “incredibly popular” sort of place, where the most appealing location to eat is the Orangery. From providing one reporter’s “worst dining experience of the year” to another’s “dazzling delight”, it continues to split opinion, but the majority verdict is that “the atmosphere and ambience (which “exude fun and enjoyment”) excel more than the food” (which is “acceptable but nothing special”).

“An ex-pub that’s turned itself into a wonderful restaurant with very interesting menu and excellent-value lunch” – well-known chef Dom Chapman took over this destination just outside Maidenhead in late 2022 and all reports attest to its “delicious food, attentive service and delightful setting”.

2023 Review: A couple of excellent reports suggest it’s worth considering this old pub reinvented as a hotel and restaurant (a couple of years ago), between the maze of Hampton Court Palace and Bushy Park. The refit is very attractive and the menu of superior gastropub fare is well-rated.

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

This village gastroboozer was taken over by Terry Wogan’s daughter Katherine and her husband Henry back in 2011 and “what a local” it still is, turning out “always superb food” (“Sunday lunch is amazing”) that’s “great value” too. Having called time on its elder sibling The White Oak in Cookham in 2024, after failing to renegotiate the lease (the new regime there is the Brucan Pubs group), this “top-notch gastropub” is now the couple’s only focus.

2022 Review: “Beautifully refurbished” by the current owners (Young’s Brewery), even if not everyone is a fan of its chain-ification, this “great local” – replete with roaring fires, seasonal grub and pleasant garden – is of note for its daily chalkboard specials, but they also do fancy game nights.

Reopened after a £450,000 refurb and extension in May 2024, this venue from Heartwood Inns, founded by Raymond Blanc as the White Brasserie Company, offers a French-influenced menu of more ambition than most gastropubs.