The Swinley - Berkshire
Karan Soni Amazing customer experience.
I had Bhindi, dal makhani and mushroom with naan. Portion was generous. Taste and quality was 10/10.
Highly recommended and will go back.
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.
