The Carpenters Arms - (Near Berkshire, South East)

2 /5 David Giles: Had a thoroughly underwhelming experience here. The starters arrived completely devoid of seasoning, bland to the point of being baffling. When we politely mentioned this, the waitress informed us that customers “usually like to add their own seasoning.” That’s a new one. I was under the impression it was the chef’s job to season food before sending it out, not outsource the responsibility to the table. The French onion soup was particularly disappointing, it bore an uncanny resemblance to Bisto chicken gravy. Thin, no salt, and utterly lacking depth. No richness, no balance, no sign that it had seen a properly caramelised onion. The mains were marginally better, but only by comparison. Portion sizes were modest and the overall quality did not come close to justifying the prices being charged. The value for money here is frankly terrible. At its core, this is a very standard pub attempting to cosplay as a French restaurant. It isn’t one. Atmosphere and menu descriptions can only carry you so far, the food has to back it up. To round things off, when we asked for the service charge to be removed (given the experience), the waitress rather sharply informed us that it was compulsory. It isn’t. Telling customers that it is only adds to the sense that style is being prioritised over substance. Would not return.

5 /5 Chris Taylor: Fantastic pub,stunning surroundings,hanging baskets are wonderful,lovely lady served me at the bar she was extremely polite and easy to get on with,beer garden one of the best I’ve been in.

5 /5 Sheila Wong: The vibe is good. Friendly staff. The food is great. I am glad that we have such a nice French cuisine in our neighbourhood.

2 /5 Christelle Gental: This used to be our favourite - but food had become blend and overpriced with average service. I had the duck confit so many times in the past, used to be superb. Now tasteless, dry (could not cut) and zero seasoning. Mentioned it to the waitress whose response was maybe mention it to the chef next time!! what? House wine disappeared. Macaron as part of desert was super soft. The only positive is the bread and butter which have not changed since the new ownership. We wont go back and wont recommend.

5 /5 Micah Coston: Amazing food, service and atmosphere… the food choices are superb and often times hard to find elsewhere. The staff is amazing friendly and know their menu, perfect for a date night family night or just some friends. Highly recommend. Now to be clear I ordered some more expensive items but I was very impressed about the presentation and the quality was more than enough for two…