Brown Bag - Carta

Ruchetta

➤ 6 Rose St, Wokingham, Reading, United Kingdom

Carta • Wine • Steak • Pasta • Italian

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"After many years, on recommendation of others, went to this restaurant to celebrate our wedding anniversary. Whilst the food was excellent, the service was atrocious and totally ruined what should have a lovely night out on a very special occasion. Booked for and seated...promptly. Orders for aperitifs taken and drinks brought promptly. Order for wine taken, bottle brought and opened. Then it all went downhill. Waited for over minutes for our meal order to be taken and that only happened because I signalled to the girl behind the bar that I was getting unhappy. First course then took about minutes to arrive. However our main course took until to arrive. I have never ever waited minutes for a main course to arrive. It would not have been so bad if the staff had shown any interest or we had been able to grab hold of one to ask what was going on, they just seemed to totally ignore us! As mentioned earlier, the food, when it did arrive, was very good, it would have been even better if the side order of vegetables my wife had ordered had also arrived. We did ask what had happened to them but when we were told they had been overlooked, decided to just make do and share mine. To add insult to injury, while we were waiting we noticed that other couples were eating dishes that were not on the menu we had been given. I later found out that we were supposed to have been given a specials menu but this had also been overlooked. At the end, the manager was very apologetic and gave a cursory discount however this was not the point. It was a special occasion at a not inexpensive restaurant I would have preferred to pay the full price and not had a ruined evening. Needless to say, we will not be returning."

Piccolo Arco

➤ Hollister, Broad Street, Wokingham, RG40 1, United Kingdom, TW20 9

Carta • Pizza • Pasta • Steak • Mexican

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"We received a very warm welcome by the manager when we called in for lunch. My favourite dish being Saltimboca alla Romana I questioned as to how it would be prepared insisting that I did not want the added gravy like substance that is sometimes...added. I believe they call it Gu ? Having been assured that it would be prepared with just white wine and sage I made my order. Surprise surprise the dish appeared with a brown sauce which completely swamped the taste of the sage and white wine. In addition the vegetables were RAW ! You could snap the carrot ! The manager did offer to make another however i refused as my wife had already started to eat her meal pointing out that we came out to dine together. Regarding the vegetables he went onto the defensive and explained that they were Al Dente ! and that he had cooked them himself. This was certainly NOT the case. I particularly like vegetables cooked that way but these were almost RAW except for the potato. The manager's attitude was completely wrong. No apology was made which would have been his best approach. The bottom line was that I was not charged for my meal. A nice gesture but the experience has put me off returning to this place."

Chef Peking

➤ 426 Finchamstead Road, RG40 3RB, Wokingham, United Kingdom

Carta • Soup • Curry • Chinese • Chicken

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"After reviewing the menu, we decided to go for a 'running buffet' and shared a variety of dishes, reordering every ten minutes or so. I asked everyone to rate each dish on a scale of 1 to 5, and every main dish received a perfect score of 5, except for the Szechuan Prawns, which got a 5.5, and the sizzling spicy chicken, which scored a 6! The rice and noodles were all delicious—fluffy, tasty, and well-seasoned—but we gave them all a rating of 4 simply because the mains were exceptional. The standout dishes were the Char Siew (honey pork), which we ended up ordering three times, and the sizzling hot spicy chicken, which we ordered twice. It had a delightful kick of heat, was tender and moist, and had a wonderful sauce—even though I tried to manage the scores, they rated it a 6! The Szechuan prawns were plump, firm, and cooked to perfection, and they scored a very hard-fought 5.5, with just the right amount of heat. One of the boys was a bit picky, but we requested a serving of Singaporean noodles without vegetables for him without any hassle. This isn’t just average food; it’s really good, and it comes out quickly, looks appealing, and tastes fantastic—reflecting its price. We also tried the 'wine by the glass' options. The white Chilean Sauvignon Blanc paired well with the food, while I enjoyed an Australian Shiraz that complemented the beef, pork, and spicy dishes nicely. The Italian 'Blush' rosé was also a hit. We're already planning to return on Monday with another group of six to explore more of the menu, and I’m genuinely looking forward to it. If you truly appreciate good food, I highly recommend trying Chef Peking!"

Chalk

➤ Montague House 31 Broad Street, Wokingham I-RG40 1AU, United Kingdom, RG40 1BA

Carta • Pizza • British • European • Vegetarian

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"Best roast dinner we’ve ever had, the most tender beef to top it off they were able to provide a gluten free Yorkshire pudding! Amazing service lovely atmosphere. Dietary restrictions: Cater for Gluten free Service: Dine in Meal type: Dinner Price per person: £20–30 Food: 5 Service: 5 Atmosphere: 5 Recommended dishes: Sunday Roast Beef"

The Wheelwrights Arms

➤ Davis Way, RG10 0TR, Wokingham, United Kingdom

Carta • Cafés • Steak • Salads • Chicken

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"This review is for any vegan out there/anyone seeking out vegan options. This is a very welcoming and warm pub and we had a very comfortable visit, thank you. Two of us ordered the vegan main dish of miso infused aubergine steak with chips. The chips were good and the salad was very tasty. The aubergine was okay, it was half a baked aubergine marinated in miso. We had a starter (soup of the day) but had to order more chips after finishing our plates because it simply wasn't filling enough for us. Our friend ordered the burger which she said was good. The current menu on Google is out of date, we were really looking forward to the vegan moussaka and vegan pizza options which are no longer/not currently on offer. We love visiting pubs, but unfortunately as vegans it seems very difficult to be catered for in a way that is satisfying and enjoyable these days. This said, we appreciate the time that vegan food takes to be prepared and the challenge involved in turning over a decent profit. Thank you to those running the pub as it was overall a lovely experience, lovely landlord and staff."