Frieth Restaurant Guide

“Is the Michelin Guide having a laugh” – incomprehension remains a key feature in feedback regarding the two-star status of this Thames Valley pub, whose elevation by the Red Guide in 2012 propelled chef-patron Tom Kerridge to media stardom. There’s no denying it does have its supporters, who say it’s “worth the drive” for “a brilliant experience with imaginative interpretation of pub food and a decent pint beforehand too”. But, given that it is one of the top-20 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll, it is striking that not a single reporter this year nominated it for their best meal of the year. More eye-catching are the one in three for whom it’s “too expensive by a mile”, with “variable” cooking and service that can seem “rushed”. In particular, a number of former fans just say it’s “not the restaurant it used to be”: “It’s a pub that wants to be a restaurant that wants to be a pub. Overpriced, overhyped. (Not sure why it is still relevant. Was great 12 years or so ago: now it’s just lost its momentum and identity)”. Top Tip – if you want to make up your own mind, a visit in the evening or Sunday lunch will set you back £175 per person. But the set weekday lunch is £48 per person for two-courses and £55 per person for three-courses. Quite a saving!

Where TV chef Tom Kerridge’s venues in Marlow are concerned, there’s an inverse relationship in our annual diners’ poll between their celebrity (and price…) and how well people rate them. His least-known site is a low key, casual venue that combines a proper community pub with well-sourced carnivorous fare. With its ‘Meat Locker’ concept, you select your cut from the butcher’s counter (they’re also happy to hand out advice to improve your home cooking) and watch it being grilled before your eyes; offering “amazing food at a reasonable price”. The happy-go-lucky menu also includes a take on old-school hotdogs and upscale sides like truffle fries. (In December 2023, Kerridge opened a spin-off – his first London pub – on the site of the former Queen’s Head, just around the corner from Chelsea’s Sloane Square.)

“Our favourite of the Kerridge empire” – a view oft-expressed locally on this straightforward local in the town centre, which has modified its no-bookings policy to allow same-day reservations. There’s no celeb swank, it’s just a “brilliant, affordable pub” with chef Sarah Hayward, offers a ‘small plate’ menu that would win praise as a “great concept” even without the backing of one of the UK’s most famous names in food (though whether it would necessarily also have a Michelin Star is more debatable). Ratings were solid here this year and it also held its place as one of the top-100 most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll outside London.

“An excellent take on Indian cuisine with a blend of classic dishes and spiced modern British versions” – Atul Kochhar’s “interesting” cuisine at this four-year-old venture is inspired by the cuisines of Punjab and Rajasthan. Some fans still suggest it “just edges Sindhu, its nearby sister in Marlow” but its ratings were undercut this year by a couple of mixed reports.

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.

2023 Review: “Foraged food prepared over a fire: unbeatable?” – Nick Mash’s higgledy-piggledy village inn is “an absolute treasure of a place”, with “really interesting, special cooking” on a purpose-built wood-fired grill that helps achieve outstanding results. It’s “well worth the trip” to the Chilterns, “(and the beautiful rooms mean it’s worth the stay, too)”. We’ve rated it in the hope that it can maintain the high standards set by former chef Jon Parry, who departed in mid-2022 after five years at the helm.

In November 2022, after 15 years at the helm, Stephen Luscombe dramatically handed over the reins of this pretty former pub with a foodie reputation to local boy Ben Watson (whose CV includes the acclaimed Core by Clare Smyth) and Priya Arora-Watson (a former FOH at London’s famed Gymkhana). By all accounts there is “little to suggest any adverse change” now it‘s running under an abridged name – and indeed, for fans, the local, seasonal food is “even better” now, with the “brilliant set menu” (£23 per person for two courses, £28 per person for three) representing very “good value given that prices everywhere have gone stratospheric”.

This “very old pub in a great location next to Henley Bridge” has been a scenic boozer for yonks, but now comes in a “fabulous new incarnation”, having been taken over by seasoned restaurateurs Matt Dockray and Phil Renner, who relaunched in late 2022. The hugely stylish interior (not least in the vaulted dining room, strewn with trinkets) makes it a “great place for a first date”, and there are positive early reports on the elevated pub classics by head chefs Joshua Wilde and George O’Leary – both previously senior sous-chefs at Tom Kerridge’s Marlow joints The Coach, and The Hand and Flowers.

“The lamb to share was beautifully cooked and the bar, beer and surroundings are great!” – this smart pub with nine guest rooms near Henley-on-Thames was relaunched by Sika Inns in December 2023 and is already winning plaudits. Run by a former Harwood Arms duo, its menu features game from the estate, prepared in a kitchen headed by ex-Claude Bosi exec chef Dom Robinson. In summer the “lovely garden” comes into its own.

2023 Review: “A wonderful new addition to Marlow’s restaurant scene”, this year-old indie from the team behind the nearby Satollo Deli has made its mark with “incredible pizza made with top-notch ingredients” (mostly organic or with Italian DOP/IGP certification). “The atmosphere is pretty buzzy, too”.

Launched by Nigel Sutcliffe and James McLean of restaurant consultancy Truffle Hunting three years back, this bistropub and wine bar has been racking up awards ever since, with the latest laurels including bagging Estrella Damm’s ‘Newcomer of the Year’. In the kitchen, Scott Smith serves up seasonal dishes with the occasional whiff of St John (trotters and bacon plus beef dripping on toast), while Wednesday night is dedicated to steak-frites. Stop Press – as of September 2024, ‘Troublesome Lodger’ Simon Bonwick (who cooked his last service at the Dew Drop Inn in Hurley back in the summer) has set up camp upstairs for a chef’s table residency every Thursday, Friday and Saturday, plus the last Thursday lunch of the month.

This “good and old-fashioned” French outfit (with Spanish inflection, reflecting the owners’ heritage) has quite some “stickability”, having ably served this Bucks village over the bridge from Marlow for over two decades now. There’s a “long menu (not always a good sign)” but here the food is all “freshly cooked and well-sourced”, providing a selection including a “proper seafood cocktail, plus fish and meat dishes hailing back to the ’70s and ’80s!” (Avocat Crevettes, Boeuf Stroganoff, Escalope de Veau Marsala…); adding drama to a visit, some dishes are flambéed at the table.