Restaurant-Guide.com
hand picked restaurants

For those who like a taste of island-dwelling Bridge Lodge is just the place. Right opposite Chertsey Bridge the hotel was built for the job in 1996, and now serves as weekend hide-out for those liking something a little different, or at other times for the younger working population of the area.

The restaurant, referred to as The Boat House, offers a menu that is essentially brasserie/bistro, with few surprises but plenty of good popular staples that are clearly well received. Amongst the starters expect to find prawn and avocado salad, a sharing platter and oriental chicken brochette.

An imaginative grill selection offers plenty of scope for eager carnivores and fish enthusiasts, lead by the Boat House full rack at £11.95 Amongst the main courses traditional fish and chips, chicken fajita, chicken, ham and mushroom pie, and Cumberland sausage and mash all appear. Salads, burgers and side orders leave plenty of room for self-expression before reaching the puddings, with New York cheesecake, Bramley apple pie and the Boat House Indulgence sharing platter amongst the more popular.

The wine list meets the varied menu well. Haute cuisine this is not, but helpings are generous, service cheerful and the water is all around you.

For some time I made the mistake of thinking that no group of restaurants in the region of 200 locations could hope to maintain the quality for which I was looking.

Then one day I decided to put my prejudices to the test, walked into Oxford Ask! and discovered that I could not have been more mistaken. Their claim to serve freshly prepared quality food in stylish and comfortable surroundings with friendly and efficient service proved to be absolutely spot on.

Since then I have also discovered that a degree of consistency seems to operate throughout their restaurants, and that certainly does take some achieving, implying a degree of management that is enviable. They are perfect places for an impromptu snack, a bit of culinary grazing, or the full works, and families are catered for particularly well.

Their trendy décor usually comprises tiled floors and black furniture with well set tables that sparkle with glass, silver and spotless linen. Ten starters include crostini and bruschetta, followed by a range of salads, pasta and al forno, oven baked pasta, some with chicken.

The pizzas are stone baked in the oven, creating a crisp, authentic and delicious flavour, and they all come topped with mozzarella and tomato. Calzone introduce a touch of opulence with a folded pizza baked in the oven and topped with garlic butter and melted grana padano, whilst inside expect to find chicken or a vegetarian mix.

Amongst the specials may I warmly, in every sense, recommend the polpette al forno, a popular Milanese dish of beef meatballs sautéed in garlic with fire roasted peppers, caramelised onions, chilli and pomodoro sauce, with penne pasta, topped with cheese and oven baked.

An enticing selection of desserts list banoffee pie and tiramisu amongst them, and the coffee tastes like coffee, which may sound banal, but I guess you know what I mean.

Thanks to a well selected wine list speculative drinking can offer handsome dividends, even with prices rarely crossing the £20 barrier.

Bar 163 in Chertsey is set in an impressive 19th century two storey listed building in the heart of the town with the main restaurant on the first floor and further seating in the covered arcade and private dining room on the ground floor. The food is all prepared on the premises from fresh produce and the style reflects the varied influences that have developed on the menus at the original Bar 163 in Egham since 1984.

Dishes include favourites including spiced meatloaf with dauphinois potatoes and roast tomatoes, red peppers filled with spinach and cream cheese on couscous with honey chilli dressing, grilled marinated chicken kebab with yoghurt, nut rice and tomato salad and the ever popular homemade hamburger with mixed salad and sautéed potatoes. Puddings include upside down pineapple pudding, Italian chocolate trifle and ice cream with hot chocolate sauce. The menus change every six weeks with the daily specials and the lighter lunch options ensuring variety and freshness. An extensive wine list caters for all tastes and is priced to be affordable; popular choices include La Garenne chardonnay/viognier at £14.95 and the great value Grand Cru Baron de Boutisse at £23.95. The fully stocked bar supplements the list with a wide choice of draught and bottled beers and several cocktails. Once recommended as the most romantic venue in Surrey, the restaurant's unique style makes it a memorable location for any occasion from morning coffee or a quick lunch break to a night out. The monthly Jazz Nights offer an opportunity to enjoy some good music.

Hamilton's, on Windsor Street, is a family-run guest house in the picturesque Surrey town of Chertsey. The guest house combines stylish contemporary decor with a welcoming homely ambience and an attention to detail that is continued into the in-house restaurant which offers modern British cuisine made with the fresh and seasonal ingredients sourced locally.
 
Local specialities including 28-day dry-aged Suffolk beef, free range poultry and succulent smoked pork are supplied by the neighbourhood butcher just across the road and fruit and vegetables come from nearby suppliers. Filled with appealing dishes, the concise menu offers starters such as smoked duck salad with baby beetroot, confit salmon fillet with white bean cassoulet and tempura scallops with miso dipping sauce. For mains, try pan seared sea bass with crushed new potatoes and saffron cream, rump of lamb with creamed mash potato and rosemary jus or chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham with white bean fricassee. Round off with dark chocolate fondant with homemade pistachio ice cream or coconut pannacotta with caramelised pineapple.

Hamilton's also provides a children's menu and can create personalised menus for special occasions.

Hamilton's, on Windsor Street, is a family-run guest house in the picturesque Surrey town of Chertsey. The guest house combines stylish contemporary decor with a welcoming homely ambience and an attention to detail that is continued into the in-house restaurant which offers modern British cuisine made with the fresh and seasonal ingredients sourced locally.
 
Local specialities including 28-day dry-aged Suffolk beef, free range poultry and succulent smoked pork are supplied by the neighbourhood butcher just across the road and fruit and vegetables come from nearby suppliers. Filled with appealing dishes, the concise menu offers starters such as smoked duck salad with baby beetroot, confit salmon fillet with white bean cassoulet and tempura scallops with miso dipping sauce. For mains, try pan seared sea bass with crushed new potatoes and saffron cream, rump of lamb with creamed mash potato and rosemary jus or chicken breast wrapped in Parma ham with white bean fricassee. Round off with dark chocolate fondant with homemade pistachio ice cream or coconut pannacotta with caramelised pineapple.

Hamilton's also provides a children's menu and can create personalised menus for special occasions.

Located at the heart of this imposing Manor House is the Manor Restaurant, offering an essentially British eating experience, though not one without some contributions from abroad. Dishes are precise, if not exotic, with flavours well-preserved, the ideal antidote after a hard day at the surrounding golf course. A comprehensive wine list makes a good partner with house wine at £12.50.

Opened in April 2008 and already a much talked about restaurant, Café Plaza is a family run establishment, based in Chertsey that provides an informal, relaxed and cosy atmosphere to enjoy some exquisite Mediterranean delights.

The accomplished kitchen's take on healthy and fresh ingredients is evident in a straightforward menu that offers a good variety whilst focusing on authentic dishes. The evening meal could perhaps be commenced with a round of garlic bread with feta cheese or pan fried spicy green mussels followed by meat mouska, a very popular dish with layered seasonal vegetables and minced met topped with béchamel tomato sauce. Seafood lovers would be enthralled by the choices to hand and could expect the likes of swordfish with capers and butterflied Mediterranean prawns with garlic, lemon and white wine sauce.

To match the food, an extensive variety of wines from Italy, Turkey, Spain and France are available at Café Plaza.