Feathers Restaurant

rob chambers (21 April 2004)

After much heart searching, we decided that the Feathers in Woodstock met all the criteria to host my sister's 50th birthday dinner - it was close enough to Oxford to allow my nephew to break his studies for his Finals; it was equidistant between London and Sheffield and it had been acclaimed for its ambience and food.

We went straight to our table rejecting the cramped bar billowing with smoke. The restaurant in contrast was silent and empty - we outnumbered the staff by 4 to 3 - and singularly lacking in atmosphere. I began thinking that maybe Ludlow would have been a better choice but the staff were courteous and pleasant and the choice of menus seemed impressive with 3 fixed price options and an a la carte.

The gastronomic menu was priced at £65 - I kept thinking of Gordon Ramsay in Royal Hospital Road, surely his menu gastronomique was £65 also – should we have stayed in London?

We opted for the a la carte: foie gras, scallops with cauliflower risotto, coarse pate and ravioli with broccoli to be washed down by a good but overpriced gewürztraminer with a hermitage from Chave 1992 to accompany the mains.

My eagle eye spotted some movement on the adjoining table and I found myself staring at the backside of a rather large cockroach. It was despatched by our waitress with a deft flick of a napkin to finish its life lying on the thickly piled carpet before the Head Waiter was finally persuaded to take it away.

Our amuse bouche arrived - the chefs offering for our delight turned out to be a cold tomato consommé - it was disgusting - only the faintest taste of tomato , no colour and underlying taste of kitchen waste.

The starters were delivered soon after - my sister's ravioli was overcooked and was unartistically dumped on a bed of broccoli which was swimming in a thin white milk ; my risotto smelt like a dishwasher does when plugged with the cauliflower scrapings from the day before - tasted like it had been made with un fresh material and was