Oakingham Belle
Oak Avenue,
Wokingham RG 40 1LH
0118 324 9894
www.oakinghambellepubwokingham.co.uk
It’s Monday morning on May 17, 2021. Tonight I get to go out and eat inside a restaurant – the Oakingham Belle – with my husband, something we’ve not been able to do for what feels like forever. I am so looking forward to it, I will never again take this for granted.
The day was one of huge anticipation.
The table was booked at Oakingham Belle on Oak Avenue in Wokingham for 6pm.
We arrive and there’s a station where we are asked to wait for assistance, scan the QR code on our covid app.
We are still required to wear masks when moving around the restaurant but otherwise we are free to sit and relax – what a difference.
Danielle seated us and took our drinks order, I had a cheeky virgin mocktail (Pornstar martini style) while hubby had a Coke.
It was early and so quite quiet, Abi our waitress came over to ask if we’d decided on what we wanted to eat, I’d already looked at the just launched menu on my phone in the car and had decided.
There are lots of different options and you’d be really hard pushed to not find something on there.
I love mushrooms and so started with the Creamy Garlic Mushroom (£6, and vegan) topped with pea shoots and served with toasted mini loaf.
Husband Mark opted for the Chicken and Chorizo Terrine (£6.75). This came with toast, tomato and red pepper chutney and a fresh pea shoot salad with a chilli, coriander and mint dressing.
We both were really pleased with the portion size. Sometimes the starters are so big that you have no room for the main, but this wasn’t the case.
My mushroom dish was packed with creamy fungi, and the mini toast was a lovely touch, I don’t think the pea shoots were necessary, but it did make the dish look pretty when it came out.
Mark really liked the accompanying chutney and mint dressing with his Terrine, he said it left him wanting more, always a good thing.
Our main meals we ordered very quickly followed the starters, Mark had chosen the Chicken and Portobello Mushroom pie £13.25 served in creamy white wine and mustard sauce normally with chips and seasonal veg but Mark loves mash potato with a pie and this was switched for him.
I’m not really eating meat at the moment, but I saw that they offered a Wagyu burger and couldn’t resist. If you like a burger then this is a must to try. The beef is specially bred for its unique texture. It’s cooked sous vide then finished on the grill. It was served slightly pink for an intense and rich flavour.
I added cheese £1 and bacon £1.50 to mine.
It comes with a burger sauce in a separate pot and slaw and chips, I switched for sweet potato fries.
My burger was amazing, full of flavour and in fact I said to my husband I wish I hadn’t had the cheese or bacon because the burger alone was tasty enough.
I don’t know about you but when I’m out for a meal, especially when I haven’t been for what feels like forever, I go a little overboard, and I did again.
On the dessert menu there was an option to order a selection of mini desserts, a Pudding Tasting Board 3 (£9.45) or 6 (£12.45), these are designed to be shared by two or more.
The six desserts comprised old fashioned Jam Roly Poly with warm custard, Cookies and Cream, Strawberry Clotted cream cheesecake, Lemon Panna Cotta, Eton Mess and St Clements Cake.
I love being able to have a little taste of lots of dishes so this was perfect – I did only manage a spoonful from each and then was full to burst. This would be great if you’re out with all the family or a group of friends.
Mark had a Chocolate Brownie Sundae (£5.75) Belgian Chocolate and vanilla pod ice creams with chocolate brownie, whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a Cadbury Flake.
The Oakingham Belle had some really soft music playing in the background which gave a really nice ambiance to the place, we could talk without raising voices and the chairs were so comfortable I think Mark ended up Googling where he could buy one.
The service was really good, we had checks to make sure we didn’t need anything regularly and Abi was a real delight, helping us with different questions I had and just a pleasure to deal with.
We both really enjoyed the food, company and restaurant, you should book yourself a table and let us know what you think.
