Cuisine: British pub food
Location: Sonning, UK
Date: July 2014
Occasion: Birthday dinner
I am fully aware that, now we are in mid-September, writing a review about a meal at the end of July is a little daft. It has been on my list of things to do for a while, but other commitments (mostly work-related) have kept me away from my blog. However, as will become apparent from the below, I think this entry needs to be posted - firstly to remind myself to think twice before going back here, and secondly in case the restaurant owners ever read this. The review below, as will become clear, is a mixed one - in summary, great food but poor service. In the spirit of generosity, I'll start with the positives....
The occasion was my birthday, and we had spent a lovely day on the River - motoring the short distance from the marina in Caversham (virtually opposite the entrance to the Kennet Canal which passes through Reading) down to the lock at Sonning. The day had been lovely - although some clouds, mostly bright sun and a gentle breeze. We moored alongside the tow path just upstream from the lock, and after a relaxing drink in the evening sun we walked the short distance through the churchyard to the pub.
The building itself is everything you would expect in a traditional country pub - with the added bonus of several "boutique bedrooms" (as described on their website, at http://bullinnsonning.co.uk/). The food is also everything you would expect from a traditional country pub, which is nevertheless punching above its weight - home-made pub food but with a fine dining / gastro-pub twist, as well as a good selection of real ales and decent wines.
We arrived slightly late, but were nevertheless seated comfortably at one of their larger tables to one side of the pub and immediately handed menus, which were extensive and also included an impressive specials menu. Unfortunately, because of the time between the meal and this write-up (not to mention the bottle of Champagne on the boat beforehand), my memory is a little hazy on what we had as a starter. I'm certain that I had the pan-fried chicken livers (one of the specials), and my friend (who is vegetarian) had something involving mushrooms and asparagus. I think, but can't be sure, my father had the crab and crayfish cocktail, and I have no idea what my mother chose - unfortunately we didn't take any photos of the starters. Nevertheless, I do remember that we were all happy with the food - my chicken livers, in particular, were extremely well done - meltingly soft, and extremely rich in both flavour and texture. Possibly a larger portion than would normally be required, but nevertheless excellent.
Onto the main courses. My father chose the seared chilli beef and pork, which arrived on an enormous platter still sizzling and smelling wonderfully aromatic of chilli, coriander and onion. It was served with rice, and he said it was extremely good - nicely spicy, but perfectly balanced by the sweet onions and peppers.
In contrast to his meat mountain, my mother went for fish, which was a fillet of sea trout served on a bed of quinoa (which caused much amusement, as my friend and I repeatedly explained to her that it is pronounced 'keen-wa' and not 'kwin-o-a'). This, again, was very well cooked - soft, flaky and almost translucent fish, covered in a herby breadcrumb topping. 
Lastly, I went for the fish special, which was a whole baked Mediterranean gilt-head bream served with new potatoes. This was excellent, cooked perfectly in a rich buttery sauce. It was, perhaps, rather boney, but that's exactly what you would expect from a whole fish. We were all too full for puddings (which, as it turned out, was fortunate), so we just finished with a couple of coffees and digestifs. All in all, a really good meal.However...
As I said above, this review is mixed. Although the meal was excellent, the evening was somewhat marred by the truly appalling service we received. I will admit that we arrived slightly late (roughly 15 minutes), and they were maybe upset by the fact that upon arrival we presented a voucher for 20% off food - although quite why they would be put out by this is a mystery, given that the pub themselves sent me the voucher a week earlier in celebration of my birthday. Either way, none of the above excuses the hour we had to wait in between ordering and receiving our starters. There was also a long delay before we were given a wine list, and another before actually receiving the wine. The place was busy, but not overly so - so either they were understaffed, or just not particularly bothered.
Worse was to follow. As I said, we were all too full for puddings, but this was lucky as we were never actually even offered a desert menu. We asked for the coffees and digestifs, which never arrived. Eventually, my mother went to the bar (which was staffed by one barman, and surrounded by just a couple of customers) to ask. She is not a whisky drinker, so I had prepped her on what to ask for and given a few likely examples of what they might have. Clearly, however, the barman had no idea what she meant, and after another long delay came over to our table for me to explain.
As she left the bar, he was also overheard sarcastically asking one of the other customers "who calls it a single malt whisky?" Now... Firstly, gossiping to one customer about another (when they are in earshot) is highly unprofessional and downright rude. Secondly, to answer his question: most of the English-speaking world. A single malt whisky is what we commonly refer to as a whisky made from one particular grain, in contrast to a blended whisky which, as the name would suggest, is blended from several grains. It commonly refers to an enormous variety of whiskies from Scotland (although other countries do produce several excellent varieties), and is often referred to as Scotch (particularly by Americans!). Hundreds of single malt Scotch whisky varieties exist from every corner of Scotland, but sadly very few make it down south - the usual suspects found in most good pubs around here include Glenmorangie, Glenfiddich, Talisker, etc. I would expect most barmen to know this fairly elementary fact.
Eventually, our drinks arrived and we were able to finish our meal. Not before, however, we had to ask someone to clear away our plates - something I have never ever had to do before. To our extreme surprise, we were told "No"! Eventually, and grudgingly, our plates were taken away, but never before have any of us received that kind of treatment.
So, as I said above, in summary: good food but very poor service. Unfortunately, although the food is all-important, the service and atmosphere makes the evening. We will all think very hard before returning. In the unlikely event that anyone from The Bull reads this, if they think I have been unfair then please do not hesitate to contact me. If you would like our (fairly significant) custom again, that might be appreciated.
