The Waterside Inn

We went there after flying from london to have lunch.
Very good meals especially after a long and tiring flight due to wind and turbulence, low visibility. Needed something fresh and plenty of vitamins that’s the place to go

Nestled in picturesque Bray, an ancient exurb on the distant Western end of Greater London, the Waterside Inn is a culinary icon. Albert Roux runs the place, taking over for his dad Michel Roux who had the reins from 1977 – 2010. The family is basically gastronomical legend; the restaurant has held 3 stars for 31 years.
Service was distant and French, but attentive enough to merit decent marks. Each dish was precisely-​cut, full of gorgeous color, and delicious to look at– and usually to eat.
You’ll drop at last $ 500 per couple here without alcohol, so beware that this is a splurge trip to beat the band. For a dorky, course-​by-​course description, check this out:

As one of the four 3 star Michelin restaurants in the UK, The Waterside Inn sets the bar high. And for most of the evening, it meets expectations.
Warming up with a G&T at the bar, the complimentary hors d’heuvres are a nice kick starter to give an idea what is to come for the rest of the evening. Having taken a seat in the classic but comfortable dining room, we are presented with an amuse bouche, a clever popcorn soup, made from creamy corn and with bits of chicken and popcorn in it. A promising start to the dining experience! The Menu Exceptionel then «officially» opens with a beautiful dish of lobster with beetroot and caviar, cleverly composed with different textures and flavours — expectations are rising further with every bite. Next comes a velouté of chestnuts and champagne with a single diablotin (a small dumpling, stuffed with partridge and foie gras) in it. A wonderful dish, with warm umami flavours pleasing the palate — I just wish there would have been a few more of the gorgeous diablotins… Next comes a breaded medallion of monkfish in chorizo sauce, and while that was very pleasant and perfectly prepared, it represented a big drop in ingenuity as it was an unsurprising and somewhat «been there, done that» type of dish. The same actually goes for the next dish, roast duck (carved at the table), which was again cooked perfectly but lacked originality. The palate cleanser that followed made up for that in spades — the beautiful dark green basil sorbet found its perfect match in a passion fruit crème: what a strike of genius, unmatched during the whole evening when it comes to inspiration, courage simplicity and ingenuity. Bravo! The yoghurt dessert again resembles the first (lobster) course in its playfulness with different textures and flavours, again very well and carefully composed. The final desert, a yellow plum (mirabelle) soufflé represents perfected craftsmanship, a simple yet lovely and flawlessly executed dish. Strong espresso, a selection of petit fours and a couple of interesting and enjoyable digestives (we went for a 30^th anniversary house Armagnac and a Costa Rican aged rum) round off the evening in style. The wine flight that accompanied the menu was pricey, but very well matched with the dishes; the service was always attentive, friendly and professional.
Compared to the other two 3 star restaurants I sampled in the UK, my ranking is as follows:
1. The Fat Duck — every dish a surprise and great food combined with great entertainment, difficult to top. Coming back is much less exciting as the menu does not vary often enough.
2. Gordon Ramsay’s, Hospital Road — a very consistent experience where every dish held its own and offered a number of unspectacular but memorable surprises
3. The Waterside Inn — would be at par with Mr. Ramsay if the fish and meat dish had been less classic and more imaginative.
Alain Ducasse, the last 3 starred food palace in the UK, is next on the list!

Reached via £20 roundtrip ticket from Paddington to Maidenhead and a two kilometer walk through English countryside to follow it was mere minutes before my noon reservation that I arrived at Waterside Inn and although as highly rated by Michelin as its Bray neighbor, The Fat Duck, suffice it to say that the two experiences could not possibly have been any different — the formal dining room and riverside locale of Waterside seemingly its only selling points unless one shows up as a septuagenarian dripping in pearls. Perhaps the very definition of hoity-​toity and the sort of place where pretense is palpable in air from the moment one walks through the door it was to raised eyebrows and a sneered ‘can I help you’ that I was greeted on entry and after ‘consulting the register’ to confirm my reservation I was taken to the back — a seat on the edge of the room furthest from the river my prize, one leg of my chair literally abutting the stone patio as I was handed a menu and immediately scolded for taking a flashless photo entirely free of noise. At this point already detecting a trend and admittedly a bit perplexed regarding a rule apparently grandfathered in just a few weeks ago it was here that I opted to consult the maitre d’ and with both he and Chef Alain Roux soon arriving tableside after a lengthy delay and some fancy but forgettable canapes a wordy explanation unfurled — the end result me walking out of a Michelin 3* establishment after the words «I’ve been managing restaurants since before you were born» trickled from one of their mouths.
RECOMMENDED: Free Canapes?
AVOID: Being young and caring about your food more than the ‘exclusivity of the experience and protection of our patrons.‘
TIP: Having dined both with multi-​millionaires and persons receiving Medicaid benefits I’ve not once experienced the degree of classist behavior I saw at Waterside Inn. Tall enough that it would have been difficult for anyone in the room to truly ‘look down’ on me I guess I can instead check-​off ‘nose in the air’ as a more appropriate descriptor of everyone from the door to the dining room. With The Fat Duck mere meters away and Heston’s two Pubs equally close by suffice it to say your time and money can be put to far better use in the Town of Bray.

First stop on my weekend of Michelin excess!
I will say that I do love The Waterside Inn for the experience as a whole. The atmosphere is a breath of fresh air away from the endless battle for who can be the most trendy within London, and takes you more into old school class. The location is lovely in picturesque Bray, directly on a particularly pretty part of the Thames. I wish it had been warmer so that I could have experienced the outdoor portions right on the river! The service is absolutely perfect, and they have no qualms about you chilling out in the lounge for tea/​drinks for all eternity after the dining, despite their preparations for a big Christmas dinner in the evening!
We had the menu exceptionelle (read: tasting menu), and supplemented a cheese course to go with. At the end, I was satisfied but not bursting with fullness levels, which is nice. Bits of the meal were fantastic, but for the level of the restaurant’s reputation, I’m feeling a tad underwhelmed. The meat course was definitely the stand out as the venison was so tender and the pumpkin subric served with it was absolutely creamy and phenomenal. There was a lowlight in the lobster course, but I’m seriously so over lobster as a gourmet food item. It’s rarely ever done just right. Not to mention that the staff said the lobster was a signature dish! Hrm. Moving on, the soufflé was easily the best soufflé I’ve ever had. As a minor gripe, the cheese course was £29 which seems quite steep to me for a «supplement» to a tasting menu.
Waterside Inn is definitely worth the experience. I think if I ever have a chance to revisit, I’d be more inclined to try the a la carte options to get a better feel for where they truly shine.

Doesn’t get any better than this. Great food, great location, great ambiance. Aperitifs and amuse bouches on the patio, move to the conservatory overlooking the Thames for lunch, return to the patio for coffee and sweets.
Lunch menu was excellent — they catered to adults and kids. Kids just stuck with the «plain» stuff and it was still excellent. Adults were more adventurous and everything was a hit. Foie pâté was excellent. Dumb California lawmakers should try it and they would change their ruling… Duck with cherry sauce was fantastic.

My partner and I ate at the Waterside Inn after a hectic day at Royal Ascot, and it was a perfect experience. We were served an apéritif on the eponymous water (the River Thames), which was a delightful to a long, great meal. Really, we could hear the bells of Windsor ringing in the background, and the scenery of rowers and ducks in the river was great.
The food itself was amazing. We both had the tasting menu, which included courses such as Devon crab with melon, scallop and octopus slices with coriander, and roasted Challandais duck. However, the clear standout for us was the terrine of foie gras with lightly peppered rabbit fillets and a violet mustard brioche toast. It is probably one of the best food dishes either of us had ever had. Nothing overly crazy very nothing bland. I was just so so full, I could barely touch my beautiful raspberry soufflé!
The service was also very standout. We didn’t know if it would be haughty or ostentatious, but it was neither. The service actually was very «special» and personal, and the servers gave you an individual experience without being overwhelming. But you can clearly tell the difference between 2-​stars and 3-​stars when looking at the level of service. We merely mentioned that there wasn’t enough brioche toast to eat all of the terrine, and in what seemed like 10 seconds, someone was there with freshly backed brioche toast. The maitre d’, Diego, came over repeatedly, and Alain Roux came around as well during our meal.
The price for us was 395 pounds, and that included two apéritif, a reasonable bottle of wine, one glass for entrée, and two tasting menus. Given that this is a 3-​star restaurant and factoring in great service and even greater food, I would say that it was absolutely worth it! It’s expensive, yes, but all-​in-​all I would do it again in a heartbeat! Definitely a place to splurge on a vacation.
I would definitely recommend this, and Bray is a gorgeous little town as well!

Absolutely beautiful ambiance in the enchanting little town of Bray. When you hear «the Waterside Inn,» you might dream of a quaint cottage by a beautiful lake, willows weaving around a pagoda. Indeed your dream in this case would describe the actual scenery — the dining room was full of large glossy windows overlooking the idyllic water, whispering murmurs and laughter.
The maître d’ was a jovial and charismatic man, delightful to converse with. The service was impeccable and at expectations. They were very accommodating and quite flexible with seating, menu choice and mixed matching, among other considerations.
I had the abridged tasting menu because I could not stay for very long, but the courses I had were all very delicious and in ample portions. The place had a traditional, slightly old fashioned feel, the food was French at its fullest and finest. Perhaps not creative, the food was excellent as a hearty and satisfying staple of fresh and finely prepared French — from buttered and creamy soups, to meats and foie gras sprinkled with herbs and vegetables. I felt enveloped in savory richness with every bite.
I look forward to coming back and spending some quality time with their full tasting menu.

The Waterside Inn has some of the best food and service I have experienced in the UK. It definitely lives up to its 3 Michelin Stars.
Often overlooked by the Fat Duck, its more famous neighbour and also 3-​Michelin starred restaurant, the Waterside Inn is certainly a destination dining experience in its own right and I was amazed by the well executed French cuisine.
We of course went with the Le Menu Exceptionnel and elected to match it with the wine pairings.
Perhaps the most decadent dish of all was the pan seared escalope of foie gras. It was as rich as one would expect served in a sweet sauce and paired with a fantastic glass of dessert wine.
Other standouts were the duo of seasonal game (the venison was melt in your mouth delicious) and the pan-​fried lobster medallions. If you are allergic to shellfish, fear not, you can substitute the lobster for another dish on the menu.
For dessert, expect not one, but essentially 3 courses — first up was a teardrop shaped chocolate mousse, followed by a delicious orange/​cranberry soufflé, and to round this off we got a tray of mini desserts (petit fours, madeleines, financiers, etc). Sure enough, we were greeting with the trolley of dessert drinks. I opted for a special whiskey casked especially for the Waterside Inn.
Service was unapologetically French, but was among the best I’ve experienced. It’s hard defining great service, but when you experience it first-​hand you definitely know it.
The Waterside Inn itself is a charming building, though the dinning room surprisingly was a bit outdated (covered in floral prints and awash in pastel green colours reminiscent of a 1970s retirement home in Florida). At night you unfortunately miss out on the sweeping views of the river.
I stayed overnight in one of their rooms (highly recommended as the Waterside Inn is a good hour outside of London). The room I was given («the boat house») was a bit comical as they took the nautical theme a bit far. See-​through port-​holes between the bedroom and bath was a bit unnecessary. However, the joy of not having to train back to London on a frigid night and the freshly baked basket of croissants that greeted me in the morning made it so worth-​while.
All in, 5 stars all the way.

Ahhhhh… the food… the atmosphere… the service… the lifelong memories.
My experience at The Waterside Inn was amazing. The location and atmosphere are perfect. The dining room looks out over the Thames River and there is a small patio area where you can enjoy your coffee/​after dinner drink and desserts. The service at The Waterside Inn was the best I have ever experienced. The staff was welcoming and attentive. They were even kind enough to create a special dessert when they discovered that we were on our honeymoon.
Our dinner was fantastic from start to finish. I loved the foie gras terrine, and the entrée of duck carved at table side was delicious. I highly recommend The Waterside Inn.

I decided to treat my partner to a lovely dinner at The Fat Duck for his birthday. I got the booking for a Saturday night, and semi-​jokingly mentioned to him that we could also book The Waterside Inn for the Friday before. About a week and a half after I did The Fat Duck booking, he asks me, «So, are we going to get that reservation at the other place?» I got online the next day, and I got a booking for 9:30 pm on Friday. So six Michelin stars in one weekend! Delightful!
Dinner at the Waterside Inn was pretty amazing. Until this point, we had been to three other three Michelin star restaurants: The French Laundry in Napa (twice), Per Se in NYC, and Gordon Ramsay. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect out of The Waterside Inn. Both The French Laundry and Per Se have been in the list of the Top 50 Restaurants in the World, and compared to them, Gordon Ramsay was seriously lacking. I was kind of expecting a Gordon Ramsay-​esque experience. Not that Gordon Ramsay was terrible. Just not up to par for my other two experiences.
The Waterside Inn definitely stood up to both The French Laundry and Per Se. We were presented with a trio of amuse bouches: an anchovy stick (basically anchovies and puff pastry, something I’m definitely attempting to recreate at home), steak tartare, and a shrimp in a lemon mayonnaise. All three were spectacular!
We had the tasting menu, and almost everything we had was spectacular. Yet another trio of amuse bouches came out: a poached quail egg, tuna tartare, and a cauliflower salad. The crab starter was a nice way to start the meal. Next was a foie gras terrine paired with Champagne. I had never had foie gras with Champagne before, and it was a nice change from the Sauternes and German sweet wines I was used to having with it. The scallop with octopus was spectacular. The Riesling it was paired with was unlike any other I’ve had before. Quite strange to start, but once the food came it blew my mind. The octopus was tender and succulent, which was unlike any sort of octopus I’ve ever had. The next course, the lamb with moussaka, was a bit of a disappointment compared to the rest of the courses. It was tender and nicely cooked, but a bit bland. The moussaka with it was pretty amazing though. We had cheese next (for a bit extra), and we each tried five different cheeses, and they were all phenomenal. I love cheese, and they were probably some of the best cheeses I’ve ever tried. I don’t get to eat goat’s cheese very often, as the other half hates it, but when I do get it, I always hope it will be as nice as what I was presented with at The Waterside Inn! They followed it with a rose sorbet to cleanse the palate, which was one of the best sorbets I’ve had to date. I love both the apricot mousse and sorbet and the raspberry soufflé. It was better than any soufflé I’ve attempted to make at home! The sweet bites at the end were a perfect ending to a great meal!
Would I come back here? Definitely! I kept seeing these delicious looking a la carte meals coming out to other tables. I was a bit jealous that I didn’t get those as well. It was amazing French food in a beautiful locations with amazing service. It was comparable to The French Laundry as some of the courses may have been better. I think The French Laundry might be slightly better when it comes to a few decadent courses and the bread, but now that I live in London, it’s going to be much harder to get back there, and The Waterside Inn is close by! It does make me wonder slightly about the three Michelin star rating at Gordon Ramsay, as it does lack a certain quality that the other ones I’ve been to have. I would definitely recommend this restaurant to anyone who loves a good meal and wants to have a nice weekend away!

We took advantage of their Signature Promotion to stay overnight and experience the Menu Exceptionnel, half a bottle of champagne, French continental breakfast; a selection of Roux goodies and a personally signed copy of one of Michel Roux’s books.
The whole package was very well executed. We were met in the road as we arrived in the car and helped with our bags and the car was removed and parked for us. The superior room was very nice, a good size with a nice bathroom and a large (shared) balcony with a river view. Down the hall was a small kitchen with tea, coffee and cold drinks available. The one time I tried to use it I was joined by 2 members of staff who offered to help.
The Menu Exceptionnel is a tasting menu with 7 courses plus Amuse Bouche and sorbet. Each of the courses is small, but beautifully flavoured and presented (see pictures). We had the occasional dispute over some of the value of some of the ingredients, like the carrot jelly in the Flaked Devon crab and marinated seabass served on a delicate carrot jelly lightly infused with ginger, Oscietra Royal Belgian caviar, but they were all minor points and the food, and presentation were excellent.
A neighbouring table was having a rare treat: Canard à la Presse where duck is cooked and the breast meat sliced and removed. The duck carcass is then crushed in an ornate press at the table to remove the juices and these are made into a sauce with cognac, butter and other ingredients. It was interesting and impressive to see such an ornate dish being prepared at the table.
The service throughout was excellent. Staff had the knack of slipping in and sorting things out without you realising. Drinks were topped up, used crockery and empty glasses were removed quietly and efficiently.
The breakfast the next morning is a very well prepared French Breakfast served in the room. Different breads and croissants are served with fruit juices, jams, yoghurt and fruit compote: a very relaxing and satisfying start to the day.
The cost of a meal here is very high: it would probably be difficult to eat off the a la carte menu for less than £100 each. The wine list is extensive, several hundred wines, and expensive: few bottles are available at under £100, but these do match the cost of the meal. On the other hand the standard of food and wine available is amongst the best anywhere and The Waterside Inn is a wonderful place to enjoy a very special occasion. Highly recommended.

For photos see Greedy Diva @

For my birthday last week, TPG and I took a turn at The Waterside Inn, in the quaint 16^th century village of Bray.
Bray is quite the hub for Michelin stars it seems. The Waterside Inn is only one of 4 restaurants in the UK to hold 3 of them (it’s held them firmly for 25 years) — another, The Fat Duck, is just down the road. While Heston Blumenthal’s gaff is all about pushing the boundaries of modern cuisine, Alain Roux’s elegant French restaurant focusses on perfecting the classics. Boring? Quite the opposite. I think it’s the all round best meal I had in 2010.
Set on the banks of the Thames, a long lunch was a first class way to enjoy the sunlit, genteel setting, riverside views and the simply wonderful food and service. It’s nose bleedingly expensive but, based on the a la carte prices (a cup of coffee costs you £12 so you get the drift), the 6 course tasting menu is the better value way to go at £140 (including service and coffee) — it includes starters priced at upwards of £50 on the a la carte menu. There’s also a 3 course menu gastronomique for £56.50, which I’ll be going back for.
After a lovely selection of amuses bouche (I particularly liked a pretty dome of creamy foie gras), we start with a smooth parmesan cream, pink fir apple potato topped with truffle and served with an almond pastry straw. It’s elegant and light, despite the luxurious creamy «truffleyness» of it all.
Warm escalopes of silky foie gras follow with cardamom, glazed root vegetables, verjuice and sultana sauce. I normally see the word «sultana» and burst into tears (eg. why ruin a good scone etc.). However, it appears that if you pop a bit of foie gras beneath them, I can handle a sultana with ease. Again, a dish so rich, but so well balanced.
Pan fried lobster medallions with a white port sauce and ginger flavoured vegetable julienne were a marvel — the meat is sweet and prepared perfectly (there’s no chewiness in sight) and then served back inside the shell to beautiful effect.
For mains, a choice. TPG’s roasted Challandais duck was served with slices of poached quince, soft, creamy polenta, chestnuts (I’m addicted at the moment) and a cider flavoured sauce. When 2 people order this, it is carved at the side of the table where lavish slices of duck are splayed across the plates. Highly recommended if you’re both up for it. Being picky, the only criticism that could be made of TPG’s plate was that the meat was a fraction chewy, but it had a fabulous flavour — still the best bit of duck we’ve had for an age.
I opted for the duo of seasonal game (partridge and venison) with a pumpkin subric, parcel of wild mushrooms and spinach and poivrade sauce. It was the best piece of partridge I’ve ever had and the venison was succulent and pink. I worried over this one as I knew the duck would be good, but my game was at least its equal on the table.
Our first dessert was a teardrop of milk chocolate mousse flavoured with caramel, mango and passionfruit and accompanied by a mango sorbet. The chocolate mousse was divine. DIVINE. It’s light but with the right amount of richness and chocolate. The mango worked so much better than I expected (I don’t usually go fruit with chocolate) and it was all done so well that I still didn’t want this meal to end.
A warm date soufflé is flavoured with cognac and comes with coffee ice cream. The flavours are extremely subtle, but the soufflé is cooked perfectly and is as scrumptious as it sounds.
We finish with mint tea, coffee and lovely mignardises.
Service was excellent, and not overly fussy. Our sommelier was also terrific — we shared bottles of white and red, both of which we loved (although I’ve since lost track of the details).
If you have a special occassion coming up and are looking for one fine dining restaurant in which to have a splurge, this is certainly a place I’d heartily recommend. The Waterside Inn feels really special.
This was easily one of my best meals of the year.

We went here for our anniversary lunch and I must say that I was impressed with the service. It seemed like there are a swarm of waiters to cater for your every need!
It is your old school style restaurant, so prices for the gentleman only! — and this is definitely batting at the high end of dining at around £56 quid per person for the simpler menu, double that for the taster menu, a la carte menu was a varying range. However I don’t mind paying if the food and service is exquisite– which I would say was almost there. The only slight disappointment that I had was they didn’t take into account my wife was pregnant and despite a few reminders, some of the food came out undercooked to what was required.
Don’t let this put you off. It was a genuinely pleasant experience with good food, a picturesque setting with charming river views and your every whim taken care of.

A truly amaizng place– my husband’s favourite. The menu here is exquisite.