Blue Lotus at The Emmbrook Inn
Emmbrook Road,
Wokingham RG41 1HG
0118 978 2552
emmbrookinn.co.uk
TAKING over a pub is never easy, but to do so during a pandemic requires something special – and that’s exactly what The Emmbrook Inn has.
Mike Cobb is the new landlord and if the name sounds familiar, it’s because he was previously at The Bull at Barkham. There, he organised several beer festivals and special events, and built up a reputation for fine pub grub.
The menu included Thai options, which people would come from miles around for.
It’s no surprise that this has come to The Emmbrook, in the form of Blue Lotus. I was keen to see if it lived to the expectations from the rave reports.
The Emmbrook is a hotel as well as a pub, offering Sunday roasts, as well as the Thai.
While it may have had to close its doors due to covid, it is keeping its customers happy by offering a takeaway service.
And for Thai food lovers in the Finchampstead area, Mike is offering a selection of dishes from Bobs Fish ‘n’ Chips on Finchampstead Road.
The ordering process was flawless: email your requests and pay online.
For collection, there’s parking available on site and there’s an easy-to-follow one-way system. All you have to do is turn up at the allocated time.
Our traditional starters were delicious and demolished very quickly by my family of four: crispy prawn crackers (£2.50), four prawn toasts (£4.90), four chicken satay (£6.95) and Duck spring rolls with hoisin sauce (£6).
My main course was the Chicken Cashew Nut (£14.95) – stir-fried chicken with mixed peppers, onions, cashew nuts served with jasmine rice.
A light tasty and rich sauce meant it had a real kick, but not too much for those that can’t handle the heat.
My husband’s Beef Garlic (£13.95) sure packed a punch. Succulent pieces of beef are stir-fried with chillies and onions in a delicious sauce and served with Jasmine rice. I was impressed by the amount of meat, and it’s possible to temper the chilli if you want something less spicy.
My teenage son’s choice was a generous portion of Pad Thai Noodles with Beef (£13.95),
it came with crunchy bean sprouts, carrots and spring onion. He was very happy with it.
My daughter chose the Pad Thai Noodles, but served with chicken (£12.95). This is her usual Thai dish and it certainly didn’t disappoint. The generous portion meant leftovers for lunch.
The food from Blue Lotus at The Emmbrook Inn was outstanding and I’m dreaming about my next meal already.
It is open Mondays to Saturdays from 5pm, with last orders at 9pm. Sunday roasts are served noon to 3pm.
To order, log on to the website and make a note of the dishes you want to order, then email [email protected] or call 0118 978 2552.
CLAIRE WORSFOLD
