L'Ortolan

Ate here with three mates at the start of the week and we went for the amazing value lunch menu, three courses cost £32 with canapés, bread, amuse bouche and pre dessert all thrown in!The food was perfect and with such a stunning level of cooking on display it maybe the best value meal I have ever had!
We will go back for the tasting menu at some point without doubt
The goose liver, caramelised white chocolate and pickled raspberry to start was the best plate of food my friend had ever had... Seriously good food

I've been here several times over the years for special occasions; in a group for a friend's 30th, my 21st birthday and my grandmother's 80th among others. It's tucked away behind Shinfield, so I'd hardly classify it as a restaurant in Reading, but it's won enough awards under that guise - so whatever works for them.

It's got one Michelin star deservedly and as it's an old house, feels much more relaxed that its somewhat stuffy counterparts in London. There are two or three rooms to dine, as well as private dining and the chef's table, then a large pre and post-dinner lounge to boot.

Prices are as you'd expect for a place of this league, but they do utterly fantastic lunch deals all year round. You can go there and have a three course meal (with pre-starter and pre-dessert) for £30, and feel utterly spoiled rotten.

Unlike other French places I've been to, the chefs don't mind if you ask for something to be removed or cooked a different way. Though I've only had to do it once, having felt perfectly happy to do so.
Classic cuisine with a modern twist is served up beautifully and they have a long and very well chosen wine list.

We came here midweek and had the champagne lunch - 3 courses, appetizer and pre-dessert and a glass of champagne for £35 each. I can't praise it enough.. chef Alan Murchison is my new food hero! Clever combinations of seasonal produce made every mouthful exquisite and the staff were attentive, well-informed and unstuffy so the atmosphere was relaxed and good-humoured. Now for the food porn.. The appetiser was an intense mushroom veloute with truffle oil. My starter was a melt on the tongue duck terrine coated with caramelised hazelnuts and served with pea shoots, cherries and a salted caramel jelly. Utterly divine. Next I had the panfried organic salmon with asparagus, hollandaise and cabbage. Classic but perfectly executed. The pre-dessert was a shot glass of an apple compote, ginger crumble and blackberry foaming coulis. Surprising and really more-ish. Dessert was a pistachio pannacotta with an apricot sorbet, pistachio butter, apricots, caramelised pistachios and a pistachio chocolate square. It looked heavenly and tasted even better. If you're any kind of foodie - get yourself to L'Ortolan and float away on a little cloud of culinary pleasure!

Ok - you probably won't eat here every week, unless those six numbers came up recently, but you would if you could. The service is five star and the food to die for. A great choice on the menu served and presented wonderfully in a setting that encourages you to take your time in enjoying the surroundings, food and service.
Somewhere everyone should visit at least once.

Came with business colleagues and had the surpise menu. Everything was excellent. The whole experience is very good. It's smart but not too stuffy. The service is good and the food is also very good.