Food review: Bel & the Dragon, Cookham

 

I rarely get to go out for a weekday lunch these days, what with juggling my daughter's naptime and finishing my work before school pick-up. But when I heard about the new lunch menu at the Bel & the Dragon in Cookham, I just couldn't resist checking
it out...

 

 

I'd hatched a plan. After a crafty drive around town to get Ayda, my two-year-old, to sleep, I'd transfer her to the buggy so that I could enjoy a bite and a catch-up with a friend. And to my delight, the plan worked, so we headed into the Bel & the Dragon on the high street feeling a little giddy at the prospect of being 'ladies who lunch' for a Friday afternoon.

   We ventured into the traditional pub, with it's dark cosy bar and open fires, then continued into the spacious – and rather glam – restaurant area. The restaurant is flooded with light and has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs at work. But it was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, so we headed 
out onto the tranquil terrace that overlooks the pretty garden. And sat at our table, it felt like an oasis of calm in the bustling village. 

   While sipping our drinks, we pondered the new Bar & Garden Menu, 'created to satisfy the discerning diner'. Wow, what a choice. And I was pleasantly surprised – all the dishes were about £9-£13, which I think is a reasonable amount to pay for a short lunch at a serious restaurant. My friend eventually decided on the goat's cheese, baby gem and crispy quinoa. I was torn – should
I go for the wild mushroom macaroni cheese, or minute steak and skinny fries?
At the last second I opted for the steak so that we could share the chips.

   And I wasn't disappointed. The steak, being a thin cut of meat, was cooked
to perfection. It was so tender, it melted in your mouth and was full of flavour.
It was a good-sized portion but not too overwhelming for lunchtime. And the wasabi mayonnaise that came with it was divine. My friend's quinoa came with sundried tomatoes and candied olives, which gave it some punch, and I'm glad we shared the chips, because there were more than enough for two! But it also meant there was room for pudding afterwards.

   With a tempting traditional Eton mess on the menu, with homemade meringue, English strawberries and Jersey cream, my friend said it would have been rude not to have it! I went for the vanilla roasted peaches and Cointreau caramel. It was beautifully presented – all the peaches fanned out in a circle and accompanied by a generous serving of raspberry ripple ice cream in the middle. You could certainly taste the alcohol, and the warm fruit with the cool ice cream
was heavenly.

   Funny enough, Ayda chose this moment to wake up – she must have smelt the ice cream! So we shared our puddings three-ways and they got her seal of approval.

   While we enjoyed our Americanos to finish, she happily busied herself in the playhouse, which is tucked away up the corner and tastefully blends into the environment without detracting from the ambience at all. In fact, despite what you might think on first impressions, the pub is well geared up towards families and children. There are special menus for youngers guests, and scribble tables and other fun activities on offer. Apparently, weekends are very family-oriented. So it's the perfect place – somewhere you can go if you're a foodie and want a proper, swanky-type dinner, somewhere you can go for a quick pint and a chat, or for a cocktail on a Saturday night, but also somewhere you can relax throughout the day and don't have to worry about the kids being playful.

   Before we reluctantly had to leave, I met Paul Wicker, the new General Manager, who is loving his move to Berkshire from London. We discussed the rugby and the famous clientele he would be looking after in the restaurant over the weekend. Then I insisted on paying my compliments to the chef, so I tracked down the charming Ronnie Kimbugwe, who has previously worked at Michelin-starred restaurant Claridges alongside Gordon Ramsey. I had to congratulate him on his new menu. He had told me on a previous occasion that he's always wanted to offer the quirk factor – twists on modern British classics – so people would go away and talk about the food they’ve eaten, and come back. 
He's definitely achieved that.

    My friend and I agreed we should be 'ladies who lunch' more often. And there's so many more dishes on the new menu we want to try, we will just have to go back to see what theyre like.