The Royal Oak is one of ten pubs in The UK which hold a Michelin star. The pub is located on a quiet country road near Maidenhead, providing ample parking. As you step in you get that nice feel of an old traditional English pub that has been refurbished to today's standards. The first difference you notice is that there aren't that many beer pumps at the bar (I spotted only two to be precise, one offering London Pride and the other an Ale I did not recognise). As you move through to your table (booking recommended!) you may then notice the wine fridge and the wine bottles lined up on one wall (if you know your wine you will notice a couple of Chateau Petrus and Chateau Mouton-Rothschild among them). The tables are pub style without table cloths and overall you begin to get the feeling that you are in for a fine meal in a relaxed atmosphere.
We started with a Hendricks & Tonic and ordered a Scotch Egg (£3.50) and Rabbit on Toast (£3.25). The latter was simple and yet very delicious, with a nice crunchy base, some sea salt and topped with rabbit meat that reminded me a little of French Rillette (although not as greasy). The Scotch Egg was clearly prepared with home-made sausage meet and a quails egg, yolk slightly runny - a perfect interpretation of a classic snack. While we enjoyed the "Ouverture", we were studying the menu which was a bit different from the one we had seen online. We learned later in the evening that the menu changes very frequently (the menu was indeed showing the day's date) dependent on availability of seasonal products, etc. Most starters range from £9.95 to £12.95, with one exception, English Aspargus with a soft boiled gull egg, pea shoots and Hollandaise (£19.95). I decided to give that one a try and wasn't disappointed with the fresh, crunchy green asparagus, moistened by the gull egg (which had a bright orange-red yolk and a pleasant mild taste) and cleverly spiced up by the pea shoots. My friend David ordered Wood Pigeon, Ham and Middle White Pithivier with green peppercorn sauce (£10.50), which was described to us as a "Pigeon Wellington" - a UFO shaped pastry sitting in a nicely balanced peppercorn sauce was filled with perfectly cooked pigeon breast, wrapped into an aromatic dry-cured ham: a great dish and the better of the two starters. Since we had ordered a very nice bottle of red (Chateau Crozet-Bages 1998 for £150 - we had the last bottle!) we gave the very appealing fish dishes (£21 to £32) a miss and had a meat feast: David ordered the Peppered Haunch of Denham Estate Venison with Creamed Spinach and Sauce Poivrade (£25) while I went for the Cornish Spring Lamb Cutlet, Braised Shoulder and Kidney, Chump Potatoes and Roasting Juices (£28). The venison was cooked medium-rare, as ordered, and came with a lovely thick sauce, full of flavour. We both agreed though that the lamb was the better dish since there was just more to it: the pink lamb shank was tender, juicy and of such quality that even the thick strip of fat enclosing it was very enjoyable; the shoulder was as delicate and yet full of flavour as you can wish for and the kidney just melted in your mouth. The juices were indeed just that, so rather than a thick gravy the chef bathed the meats in a wonderful concentrated lamb jus that was so good that I had to fetch the spoon from the potatoes to wipe the last bits of sauce from the plate... By that time I had already eaten much more of the warm home baked bread than I was planning to, hence the spoon! Impressed with the quality of the food, we were now looking forward to our dessert (£8.50 to £10.50): we ordered Cox Apple Tarte with home-made Vanilla Ice Cream and Warm Vanilla Rice Pudding with Bramley Apple Doughnuts - both were very much in the "Comfort Food" category, with a no-frills approach but flawless execution. The Cheese board was looking very appealing but we were both pretty full by that time and gave it a miss. Strangely, the list of Digestives was as unimpressive as the Wine list was exclusive: in comparison to the wonderful wine list that includes some rare vintages of the greatest names (at prices of up to several thousand pounds, but yet significantly cheaper than in most other Michelin-starred restaurant) just as well as more affordable yet appealing bottles from as little as £20, the Digestives list is rather uninspired and somewhat short.
9/10 - The Royal Oak offers beautiful food (predominantly prepared from locally produced ingredients), a great choice of wines, friendly and efficient service and a nice relaxed ambience, all at a very reasonable price. I will certainly come back!
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