I just visited Loch Fyne for the first time with a group of out-of-town colleagues who had all been…read morethere multiple times before (ironic given that I'm the only UK-based one!). The Reading location is pleasantly situated along the canal and has a warm, cosy feel to it. Although I wasn't able to sample most of the menu given my shellfish issues, the menu has a lot to offer for seafood die-hards. I ordered the poached smoked haddock with spinach, peas and mash in a grain mustard sauce. I wouldn't order it again, but that has more to do with me than the dish - I often find myself gravitating to a dish based on the sides rather than the main attraction. That strategy pays off a majority of the time, but even though I keep thinking I'll develop a taste for smoked fish, that penchant has yet to transpire. That said, my colleague who ordered the same dish loved it. And the spinach and grain mustard sauce were yummy (although I would have liked more of it)! Loch Fyne is a good option for chain restaurant-laden Reading. I wouldn't mind going back.

Asked for take-away and was told that there was only 1 option - fish and chips. I have to say, it…read morewas a good set of fish and chips but nothing astronomical. The battered haddock was decently fried but nothing special and the chips were... well chips. I was less than satisfied with the mashed peas. However, the reason I'm giving 4 stars is because the service while I was at Loch Fyne was fantastic. All of the staff were very courteous and the ambiance felt great. Next time, I will have a sit-down meal instead.

I felt that the food at the Crab verged on pretentious. This place has an amazing reputation but…read morethe decor just felt a bit to Disney for me and although the food was good I still felt hungry when I left.

An elevated position on the Downs above Newbury. A brilliantly converted (and extended) old pub…read morewhich now serves fine dining meals. Fish is one of their major strengths, but all their food is excellent. We have never had a dud meal there, and if you are feeling particularly picky, and well behaved, the chef will vary his menu to your taste, within reason, of course ! If turbot appears on the menu, choose it.

This is a ver special place to head to for some extremely fresh seafood. Its such a relaxing place…read moreto enjoy your food too and the staff are very friendly indeed. The restaurant's menu changes all the time depending on whats fresh in that week but I prefer to head straight for the seafood bar where they have a huge selection of oysters to be enjoyed with either a pint of Guiness or a nice bottle of Macon. Keep an eye out for special offers as they have a hotel here to and often offer some great deals on food and a bed for the night.

so busy! will write a review soon!read more

There we were, having driven from Chatsworth on our way to Beaulieu, ready to stop for lunch to…read moremeet some old friends coming from Salisbury - and of course you're doing well till you get an unannounced monumental traffic jam with only about 10 miles to go Told our friends and the resto - no problem they said, don't stress...anyway we had a great lunch; the service was excellent and its so relaxing there...we have been to Winchester often and to Padstow, but this was the first occasion here. And yes lots of fish but there is a good choice for everyone Its a long way to go for a lunch but I fully recommend it - and - it is reasonably priced...Ramsay always says his lunches in his places are the best value...and so it was here...and a reasonably priced for the quality...3 courses each, total £75 for the 2 of us Nice

We visited the Rick Stein restaurant on a short stay in Malborough, as my partner loves seafood…read more (Although I am vegetarian, there were options available, including on the set menu.) There are dining rooms both upstairs and down, the latter behind the small bar area. You enter through the shop: the decor - despite this being an 18th century heritage building - is fresh and modern, with dark wood and pale walls, and selected modern art on the walls. We chose the set menu, 3 courses for £26.95. Our starters were the steamed mussels in cider with spring onion and spinach, and roasted red pepper soup; mains were salmon fishcakes with watercress and the chickpea curry (plus a side of hispi cabbage); and we both had the sunken chocolate cake with clotted cream for pudding. (NB the Welsh rarebit isn't veggie - it's made with anchovies.) My starter and main (soup and curry) were perfectly good - the soup especially so - but not exceptional. It didn't surprise me as Rick Stein - both the chef and restaurant - are really all about seafood. My partner found the mussels superb - fresh, sweet, with just the right amount of sauce. Likewise, the fishcakes were excellent and, although they looked small on arrival, they were actually quite filling, and generous on the salmon. The hispi cabbage proved the perfect accompaniment to both mains. The chocolate cake was smooth and velvety, but not too sweet (think a brownie sort of texture) - and perfect if you like dark chocolate. We chose a 250ml glass each of one of the recommended Sauvignon blancs, which also proved a good choice. Service was excellent throughout, and the young server was very skilled at making us feel at home. Including service, the bill came to £95 for two, which for a fine dining experience was pretty good value. Others certainly think so, as on a wet mid-week evening it was packed (so booking definitely advised). There's parking along the main street outside - not a problem in the evening, but potentially a bit more challenging at lunchtime.

This is a mecca for any seafood lover. The food here is so good and the produce so fresh that you…read morewon't find anything like it for miles. Its a real rustic kind of place and you can't help but feel relaxed when inside. The staff are friendly and helpful and always offer some advice on which is a good thing to order (there's so much to choose from! There's always something on the menu that has been caught that day which is a real treat to taste but usually go for something from the 'spoiler' menu (so called as its good to spoil your self once in a while) and last time went for the Fish Factory Wellington which is like a beef wellington but with cuts of fresh fish in a cheese sauce. Its decadent but absolutely mouth watering!

This was hands-down, top five best fish I have ever eaten so far. We walked in fairly late at night…read morewithout any reservations, but the servers (who were lovely) seated us in 5 mins and then gave our party of three a heads up that our dishes would be some time and if we were hungry, we should get some starters. We were okay to wait and it was so worth it. The bouillabaisse ordered by my brother, gosh, I wanted to lick his plate clean. In fact I will so order this dish if lucky enough to go back. But my grilled fish (I got the special of the night, forget the type) was pretty fantastic too. The third diner got the same as me, and we both just loved the taste of the marinade which was super clean, and just totally complimented the taste of the fish. We both also found that our seafood dishes were grilled to absolute perfection. I am so envious of the locals that they have this excellent restaurant in their area. If you are visiting and don't try a meal here, it would be a real loss. As for me, I need to plan another trip to Littlehampton so can dine here again!

My wife and I chose this place for our last dinner in London before heading back home to DFW. I had…read moreread about this restaurant in some top 10 lists for foodies visiting London and was dying to check it out. First, it's not in the busy part of London where you would expect a restaurant of this caliber to be but rather it is in a very blue-collar neighborhood on the south side of London. It is a VERY cozy place with only seven tables but that is how they keep the quality and experience so great. The decor is as if you are on an old fishing ship. Reservations are highly recommended but we got there right when they opened (7pm) and thankfully they let us have a table. After being seated the hostess showed us the days specials and they ranged from fantastic scallops to lobster with every choice as good as the last. My wife and I chose the Chef's Choice 8 course dinner. The dinner comprised of a delicious sardine sandwich followed by a fillet of night perch which was then followed by lobster that melted in your mouth. Then we had a pallet cleanser of a light peach sorbet with a shot of vodka poured over it. The meal resumed with a grilled piece of pork belly (I got the "meat" choice) while my wife had a grilled hallibut (she got the "fish" choice). The next course was a warmed cheese (I believe it was gruyere) in pastry accompanied by a small mixed green salad with aged balsamic. The dessert courses were a delicious crepe with creme bruille filling and the end course was a pear puree along with a chocolate pudding with a hint of mint. We loved this place even though the name sort of threw us off at first. When you hear "The Lobster Pot" I imagine a bunch of seniors getting off a day-tour bus to a casino at a truck stop or something but this experience was far from what I first imagined. I would highly recommend spending some of your tourist dollars here at this restaurant.

Don't arrive early or you'll be sorrier than a cracked crustacean's claw. Kitsch sticky menus…read moreneeded a bit of explanation and if the menus change regularly (no oysters , but I'd rather they'd be off the menu than off in my stomach) then perhaps daily printed menus would work. A delightfully decorative place complete with seagulls singing sea shanty classics on loop. Terrified but glorious goldfish adorning the cabin window walls, really every maritime detail had been thought of, even staff in cabin costumes, it was as cheesy as the lobster Thermidor. So fun. I loved being bibbed up too, I like knowing things are gonna get messy. The Meli, a melee of seafood; half lobster, sea bass, spicy grilled perch, razor clam (touch over done), squid kebab (could've been flavoured more) but all in a sea of buttery champagne and avruga sauce. No tide could hold me back from wanting to lick my plate or use this as a moisturiser, oh my golly so delicious. It came served with enough perfectly cooked veg that my mother would approve of too. Soft butter, less surprise from the proprietor at our arrival and this place would have had a perfect score. Overall our waitress was lovely and the food was really darn good.

My husband hates seafood, but he liked the risotto and as long as I cleaned the appetizer prawns…read morefor him, he ate them. I had the octopus and he even like that., and of course, so did I. He went so far as to have the blue cheese ice cream and liked it. Good service, nice atmosphere, on the water and close to our hotel.

Love this hidden little spot right on the water at the St Katherine's marina. If you're in the mood…read morefor seafood this is the place to go. I went by myself on a Sunday buggy and was seated immediately. Got the octopus and french fries (or chips, i am a yank ya know). I'll be returning at some point to try the rest of the menu. Great spot for low key intimate conversation with your table

One of the best restaurants around, set in a lovely village environment. Very attentive staff and…read morethe food is quite amazing. This is a special occasion type place and also perfect for a romantic night out. When you walk in you're greeted by a cosy area by the fire. You can sit on one of three large leather sofas or stand by the bar. You're quickly offered drinks & left to review the menu with complimentary olives & croutons. When your meal is ready your waiter takes your drinks on a silver platter & guides you to your table. Usually the cost is fairly high, however, they have some amazing deals on at the moment (Mar 10). Two courses for around £20 & three for £25 if my memory serves me. This is amazingly good value for the quality of the meals & the experience you'll have.

This is my favourite restaurant in my area and we've found several celebratory reasons to return…read more The food is excellent, the atmosphere great. I love the nooks and crannies of the old wattle & daub building. The focus is fish and seafood which is fresh and thus, a significant portion of the menu changes daily. Most of the fresh fish is caught off Cornwall, although fish such as salmon is likely to come from Scotland. Vegetarians are not after-thoughts though....Roast Pumpkin and Chestnut Mushroom Tagliatelle with Sage and Parmesan does it for me! My son's favourite starter is the Twice Baked Oxford Blue Cheese Soufflé. In winter, a roaring fire sets the cosy tone as guests sink into huge, comfy leather sofas. Menus and drinks are served promptly....we usually opt for glass of sublime champagne while trying to make our minds up. A conservatory wraps round the back of the restaurant is kept cosy during winter, offers equal summer enjoyment. Great wine list, impressive casks of ales for beer connoisseurs, single malts, friendly, well-trained staff make this restaurant a cut above many others around here.

A little on the spendy side, but well worth it if you want a great Italian meal. I've walked past…read morethis place dozens of times, but it wasn't until I had a craving for it that I decided to give it a try. They probably don't get a whole lot of walk-in traffic because it's down a long alleyway between Oxford Road and the Hexagon Theatre. Welcomed warmly by the (manager? owner?), I was brought to a table with a lovely view of the restaurant and the massive wine racks. But wine wasn't what I wanted today and I went with a pint of Italian Peroni beer. When it was delivered, the manager started to tell me about the specials when I interrupted him. The starter he mentioned - thin sliced parma ham with melon and fresh figs - sounded so appealing that I knew I had to have it. And when he started listing the mains, it was the scalloped veal that caught my attention. The ham was fantastic. Simply amazing. With the sweet melon and the soft figs, I cleared my plate down the glaxing. And the veal! OMG, so much garlic and so much flavor. I was tearing off pieces of bread and chasing the last few bits around the plate to get all of it. Simply heavenly. An excellent, excellent meal. If you're looking for a romantic date night or perhaps entertaining business colleagues, Pepe Sale is the place for you. Truly magnificent!

This Sardinian restaurant is one that I passed last time I was in Reading, but I judged the book by…read moreits cover and decided to pass since it was located in a semi sketch "alley" and nobody was in the restaurant. Well this time around our host planned a group dinner there and had good things to say about the restaurant. There were 11 of us and we were immediately seated when we arrived. The waters came right away and throughout the evening our servers were very attentive. I started with the antipasti plate that had meats and cheese and it was really good. For my main I ordered the chicken wrapped in bacon and stuffed with mozzarella and it was amazing. The chicken was juicy and full of flavor. The food was great and all my colleagues enjoyed their meals as well. The only annoying thing was that the server kept correcting our pronunciation of every menu item. None of us tried to pretend we were Italian and did our best to pronounce it, but he was kind of being a jerk in his reprimanding of our poor language. But even with that annoyance, I'd go back when I'm in Reading.

A lovely place to eat in Caversham. I highly recommend it…read more There are a lot of places to eat in Caversham and lots of food choices that you could make but, if you get the chance I would highly recommend that you try this restaurant. It is located on the west side of Prospect Street just north of the Caversham Bridge. It is right off the street with a very nice glass window storefront. I walked in without reservations and was able to get a table early one afternoon. I am fairly certain that this was a fluke since the entire place was full not 30 minutes after we sat down. All this is to say, I would recommend calling and making reservations before you visit. You are greeted by a hostess who takes you to your table. The interior has wood floors, tables and chairs, and brick walls. It has a very nice, bright, and clean look to it. The tables are a mix of small and large tables in 3 areas. We were greeted and seated quickly. The menu has many Italian choices. I tried the Fettucini dish and a cider. The food arrived quickly, was a large portion, and was delicious. The waitress was very helpful and efficient. Overall, this was a lovely find for a wonderful dinner in Caversham. I highly recommend it but make reservations ahead of time. Enjoy.

Absolutely amazing meal. Spent a lot of time in Italy and I can say it's better than a lot of…read moreplaces I've been to there. Such friendly and swift service and the host was extremely welcoming and kind! We will be back very soon. Easily the best restaurant in Reading