Do you like pub food? Do you like Michelin stars? Do you want an amazing meal with little to no…read morepretension? Do you want to go to a pub that's practically in the middle of nowhere? If you answered yes to these four questions, head immediately to The Royal Oak.
We had a slight concern when my GPS said we had arrived and it was a completely different pub. Luckily, the right pub was just a bit further up the road. We booked Sunday Lunch, because who doesn't like Sunday Lunch in a pub? If you bring your Ferrari, you can park right in the front as well!
The inside is really warm and charming. There are really friendly staff there to welcome you in and let you sit in some comfy chairs and couches and have a drink while you're waiting for your fourth dining companion to arrive. So kudos to that.
Our table was in the back in what looked like was an add-on. But one whole wall is full of windows overlooking a beautiful garden, so you don't really feel like you're shoved way in the back corner. The service was a bit slow, but if you're not in a rush, why does it matter?
We ordered the baked Vacherin Mont d'or cheese (which in the winter, I will be doing at home instead of baked brie or Camembert) and a couple of Scotch Eggs and Rabbit on toast as pre-nibbles. The eggs and rabbit were nice, but not amazing, but the cheese dip was great. And the bread basket they served was awesome as well. Several types of bread with butter. The olive flatbreads were awesome, and since two diners didn't like olives, two of us got to eat a lot of them. They'll bring as much bread as you ask, but it's super easy to go overboard.
For my starter I opted for something different than everyone else and got the game terrine. What a mistake that was. Not that the terrine wasn't delicious. It was, but the rabbit lasagne was like heaven in your mouth. I was super jealous of everyone else. For my main I ordered the hare and trotter pie. The crust wasn't the most amazing, but the filling was probably the best pie filling I've ever had. The hare and trotter were soft and luscious and the gravy was phenomenal. It was really rich so toward the end I had to cut the richness with the delicious mash they served with it. The other half had the woodcock and I tried a few bites of that as well. Awesome. Simply awesome. His only complaint was that it was huge and very rich so it was hard to finish it all, and he didn't want dessert at the end of the meal.
For dessert, two of us ordered the chocolate fondant and one the butterscotch pudding. I loved the fondant, but again it was really good sized and incredibly rich. It was a lot after the rich pie. And the filling was almost too oozy. At least it wasn't over done. We also ordered some Madeleines and our coffees and teas came with Petits Fours. The Madeleines were kind of boring for me, they needed more flavor, but the Petits Fours (a raisin cake, coconut marshmallow and a chocolate truffle) were great. The coffee not so much. I hate ordering filter coffee and just getting a long pull espresso. They are not the same.
But the bad parts were really minor. The good parts far outshown and some of the dishes we had were some of the best dishes of the weekend. The woodcock was fantastic and I'm still having dreams about my pie. I need to figure out how to make something that good at home. With a better pie crust.
It's unfortunate that it's not really conveniently close, because I could see myself ending up here quite a bit. Since I was driving, I couldn't drink either, but given my state the night before, it was probably a good thing.
If you're in the area and fancy an amazingly laid back atmosphere with awesome food, book this place!
