The Queen’s Oak
Church Lane,
Finchampstead,
Wokingham,
RG40 4LS
CLASSIC DISHES have been given a contemporary twist at a historic Finchampstead pub.
The Queen’s Oak, formerly known as The White Horse, was re-named after Queen Victoria planted an oak tree opposite the venue.
The old building brings a warm welcome, serving up exquisite food with a splendid selection of ales, wines and spirits.
Inside, the pub has been refurbished, with the bar surrounded by blooms of hops.
Walking through the door, visitors are greeted with a roaring open fire — the perfect way to warm up from the winter weather.
The menu has a broad range of dishes, each with a unique twist. It has been curated by landlord Paul Brotherton who trained with Michelin starred chef Raymond Blanc.
The restaurant is currently serving its Main Menu, Christmas Menu and a selection of specials.
With such variety, it can be difficult to choose.
Having placed an order for the family, the first dish to arrive was the panko coated king prawns (£10), with a sweet chilli dip. The serving was plentiful, and prawns perfectly crip.
Next came the salt and pepper squid (£4.95), Roquefort blue cheese soufflé (£8.95) and the tuna carpaccio (£11.50).
The soufflé was served with a pear and chicory salad and hazelnut dressing. The dish was light and airy, with well-balanced flavours. The sweetness and bitterness was balanced beautifully in the salad.
The carpaccio was served with toasted sesame seeds, with wasabi gently coating the tuna. Also on the plate was a thinly-sliced mouli slaw and crispy wontons, providing a much needed crunch to the fish dish.
As dishes were cleared away and main courses began to arrive, diners were once again overjoyed with choice.
Guests dined on the thin sirloin steak (£15.96) with peppercorn sauce and fries. This could be upgraded to parmesan and truffle, or dirty fries for an additional £1.50.
The meat was succulent, juicy and tender.
One of the specials came next, confit chicken breast with mushroom and chestnut stuffing, creamy leeks with tarragon and fondant potato (£16.95). The presentation was outstanding, with flavours balanced in perfect harmony.
Also served up was the pan-fried fillet of sea bass (£17.95), which was accompanied with warm new potato salad, citrus olives, confit red onions, sun blush tomatoes, crispy fried squid and salsa verde.
The extravagant dish surpassed all expectations, which would never tire if ordered again.
No doubt guests will return for this dish, which was an explosion of flavour.
Fron the children’s menu, a homemade beef burger was dished up with a toasted brioche bun and fries (£8).
With diners finding additional space for dessert, two of the pub’s selection were brought to the table.
The chocolate delice (£6.95) had a beautiful salted caramel centre, with a burnt white chocolate crumb. And the sticky toffee pudding (£6.95) was an indulgent pudding with its rich toffee sauce, and soft vanilla ice cream.
All dishes created throughout the course of the evening were presented beautifully, with a modern twist on pub dining.
Lunches are served from noon to 2.30pm, Monday to Saturday, and noon to 5pm on Sundays.
Dinner service runs from 6pm to 9pm, Monday to Friday, and starts at 5.50pm on Saturdays.
