Cherry pick this one
I’m not easily impressed, but Reading’s Forbury Hotel and its bar/restaurant Cerise today blew me away. And that’s something.
Cerise seems an odd name for a restaurant. Translated from French, it means “Cherry”. Why would anyone call a restaurant Cherry? Perhaps it’s because it is foreign and therefore “sophisticated”.
Name aside, the bar/restaurant is quite simply fantastic. Going there for lunch for the first time today, I found it hard to believe I was still in Reading. From the swirly wallpaper to the astonishing fountain-like taps in the toilets and the stylish water feature outdoors, the restaurant reeked of sophistication. As Anna Pickard of The Guardian put it
we could be somewhere else entirely, somewhere utterly un-Reading - a boutique hotel in some sexy European capital, or, with the feeling of history ingrained in the building, some country hotel tucked into the shoulder of a mountain.
Yes, it really is that good.
Seated at the table, I asked the waiter (staff were French) whether they offered exotic fruit juices. The answer was “no, but we can blend our other juices for you”. And so they did. The result was a fancy concoction of colour.
And so to the menu, graced by expensive dishes. My starter was an extravagant-sounding “Tian of brixham crab, avocado, pickled cucumber & lobster oil” (GB£ 9.50). I didn’t even know what a “tian” was. I still don’t. It seemed interesting, and so it proved. It arrived gently stacked on the centre of my plate like a gastronomic Jenga, and it tasted fab.
For the main course, I ordered the priciest on the menu (this was a work outing): “Roast Scottish Beef fillet, grazed baby artichokes, pan fried foie gras” (GB£ 19.50). The artichoke strips, draped teasingly over my tongue, were succulent. I was unsure about the foie gras, however. It tasted too fatty for me.
After the meal, we retired to a small room where we sat around a mirrored table for coffee and cigars. The wall, and spirits cabinet, curved elegantly around us.
So there you have it. If you want a real treat, visit Cerise. Don’t let the expensive menu put you off. Just go for a coffee or cocktail. Enter via the Forbury Hotel entrance, and admire the swankiness of it all.
Now that I’ve eaten in the restaurant, I wonder what delights the hotel has to offer. The Evening Standard described it as “the ultimate dirty weekend destination”. I have a twinkle in my eye…