Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

Located in the heart of the historic market town of Wallingford, at the foot of the Chiltern Hills near the Thames, the carefully restored Old Post Office on St. Martin's Street welcomes guests into a relaxed airy setting which incorporates a traditional bar and delightful courtyard garden. Serving modern Mediterranean cuisine, it is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The varied menu delivers dishes that reflect the seasons and suit all tastes. The charcoal-fuelled Josper Oven is the central feature in the open kitchen which spans the length of the restaurant. It ensures that flavours and aromas of dishes like the 18 oz cote de boeuf, whole grilled Welsh sea bass and pork paillard remain intact.

Guests can begin their meal with individual starters of plum cured salmon with fennel and orange salad and green olive dressing, beef meatballs in arrabiata sauce with crusty bread or sautéed chicken livers with raisins, pine nuts and rocket leaves. Sharer plates of brushcette and fish are perfect if you are with family and friends.

Follow with succulent rump steak, fillet steak or Boston steak served with fries, béarnaise sauce and rocket leaves. There's also choice of chicken breast with dauphinoise potatoes and girolles sauce or supreme of salmon with fennel purée and new potatoes. A pasta selection including tagliatelle with crab, fennel, cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic and chilli adds to the variety.

The menu also pays heed to light dishes such as beetroot and goat's cheese tart served with rocket leaves, pine nuts and balsamic glaze as well as foccacia sandwiches with fillings of steak and onion, chicken and mayonnaise and salmon and cream cheese.

To finish, consider chocolate cake with warm chocolate sauce, Brownie peanut butter sundae with chocolate ice cream or warm apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

The bar offers an exciting array of cocktails, wines, real ales, bottled and draught beers and soft drinks.

To gain further information, just visit their extremely comprehensive Website.

Nestling in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, the Springs Hotel, with which the Springs Golf Course is closely connected, is a fine example of a Victorian Tudor-Style Country house. Built in 1874, it overlooks a spring-fed lake in its own majestic gardens. You could enjoy a meal or spend a relaxing night there following your exertions on the golf course.

The 2 AA Rosette Lakeside Restaurant has an intimate atmosphere inspired by its gentle décor and a lovely view of the lake. The menu takes advantage of fresh, local produce to offers dishes such as ballontine of foie gras and confit of duck, toasted broche and fig jam, and Wye Valley goats' cheese ravioli, followed by fillet of sea bass, saffron fondant potato, salmon boudin and chervil velouté or a whole roasted woodcock.

A traditional sticky toffee pudding with homemade treacle toffee ice cream signals the end of a satisfying meal. There are wines from around the world to accompany your food.

South Stoke is a quintessentially English village, with a beautiful church, a primary school, sadly no shop and a 17th century village pub called The Pike and Perch. There is plenty to do in this part of the Thames Valley. The river itself is only two minutes away and there is much to see in the market town of Wallingford, in Goring and in Streatley. The noisiest things around are birdsong and the sound of walkers on the Ridgeway Path as they pass the pub's front door.

There are only four bedrooms, each with an eye-catching style of its own. When it comes to the food, Pike and Perch call theirs a little different. At lunchtime you will find not only good value favourites such as fish and chips and sausage and mash but also a range of interesting salads and creative main courses. In the evening dishes such as warm smoked trout fillet, chilled cantaloupe melons, stuffed breast of chicken and succulent steaks appear on tables.

The Partridge quite effectively does away with any misconceived notions you might have about country pubs. Situated in the quaint and picturesque market town of Wallingford, this gastropub notches up top points when it comes to stylish and comfortable décor, relaxing ambience with jazz evenings, and above all, great food and wine.

Chef José Cau has an impressive background and credentials that include being the private chef to the Aga Khan. His handiwork is manifested in the modern British and rustic French food on his menu, where focus is evidently on procuring the freshest local ingredients. Pan-fried Scottish scallops, caramelized cauliflower mash and crispy pancetta make for tempting appetizers, while wild venison and juniper berry sausage, mash and onion jus could be just the thing for your main course.

Vegetarian options include wild mushroom risotto, white truffle foam and roquette salad. Raspberry soufflé and chocolate sorbet or sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and clotted cream are some of the alluring desserts to indulge in after a filling meal.

One of the handsome coaching inns that survive, transformed, in this pretty little village. The cooking is straightforward and skilful with strong emphasis on fresh produce. The pan-fried halibut fillet on parsley mash with a morel mushroom sauce demonstrates these skills particularly well.

Within a short distance from Oxford, Henley and Wallingford, The Shillingford Bridge Hotel is a superb base for touring the Upper Thames Valley. Wallingford is situated on the longest lock-free stretch of the Thames and offers opportunities for boating, fishing and walking.

The hotel has forty ensuite bedrooms with some overlooking the lawns and River Thames. The Riverview Restaurant offers an extensive international menu together with an imaginative wine list. Every Saturday night the hotel hosts a dinner dance with live music and delicious food.

Alternatively the River Bar serves a selection of light meals and snacks; during the warmer months the hotel also serves food and drinks on the patio where you can relax and enjoy the beautiful views across the river. Relax and unwind in the comfortable lounges with afternoon tea or perhaps a pre-dinner drink.

Dorchester-on-Thames is well endowed with history and charm and the White Hart makes its contribution with the added attraction of good food in its lovely restaurant. The original 16th century features including oak beams and gorgeous old stone fireplaces beautifully complement the refurbished bar and AA rosette awarded restaurant.

The style is modern without neglecting the well-tried favourites. Glazed goats' cheese and black pudding with poached cider apples accompanies delicious smoked haddock chowder, a worthy introduction to a simple grilled rib eye of English beef with home cut chips and a tomato compoté.

Top of the list for dessert could well be the warm Belgian chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream. Lively conversation can be enjoyed in the bar accompanied by a range of real ales, quality wines and a selection of spirits. Private dining is available for up to 20 people.