|
www.spicmerchantgroup.com
Cookham is a delightful village in Buckinghamshire with a range of restaurants and shops that attract visitors from many wiles away, I know, the well known shoe shop on the main street has been a favourite haunt of she who must be obeyed for many years!
The picturesque scenery is idyllic, the village boasts a number of celebrity residents, but, more importantly, it hosts one of the most outstanding Indian restaurants I have been fortunate in visiting, and I have visited quite a few over many years.
I have past this restaurant on a number of occasions when adding further to the expanding profits of the shoe shop, gazing thorough the windows from the main street, admiring the period features within, promising myself that a visit would be arranged at some stage in the future. Alas, time waits for no man and by the time I made arrangements for a visit the place has been transformed, and what a transformation. The warm interior is now a combination of original beams and modern warm colours, a new style with imaginative menus beautifully presented.
A real contemporary feel to the place, that was my first thought as we entered the restaurant, subdivided into a collection of small dining rooms with additional rooms upstairs, including the opportunity for private dining. Uniformed staff under the expert direction of manager David Hodson ensured that visitors were received in style and accompanied to an appropriate table. We were pleased to be given a large window table allowing me to view the visitors passing by during the early part of the evening. The table settings were stunning, both in the choice and style but also in the precision of the settings, I was able to see the thought, care and measurements made by the staff as they prepared and recently vacated table, a very mathematical approach which both gained my admiration and respect for the sheer detail taken to portray the restaurant to all visitors.
The menus were delivered, large in style, clear in presentation, were quite exquisite. Yet another example of the care and thought behind the group, Cookham Tandoori being one of three in the Spice Merchant group, the others being Spice Merchant and Massala.
Instead of ordering separate opening dishes we decided to share a Platter of starters, allowing the opportunity to delight in a cross section of dishes, including the magnificent Chilly Paneer, batons of cottage cheese, spiced with sweet n sour sauce and tossed in fresh tomatoes.
Only one word to describe this dish, orgasmic!
The remainder of the starter dishes were cooked to perfection, presented with style and enjoyed, but mere supporting acts for a dish created in Cookham but transporting the diners to heaven.
The wine list is one to match the quality of both the food and the surroundings. Here you have the opportunity to savour the delights of a marvellous range of fine wines. Gone are the days where an Indian restaurant will offer three whites and three reds, none of which are known to man! This list reflected the thought, care and attention to detail that have elevated this integral part of the wider restaurant industry to the highest levels of operation. Here you can find twenty five reds and an equal number of whites on offer, at prices deemed in most cases reasonable, together with a fine wine collection for those who wish to indulge.
I selected a Moores Creek Shiraz, an Australian priced at
Previous reviews...
Yang Sing
Le Raj
Britannia Spice
Ivy - London
Forest Mere
Benihana
The Rainforest Caf
Caf
San Marco
Sarastro
Pizza Express
Livebait Restaurant
Simpson's-in-the Strand Restaurant
Rez
Kathmandu 34
ZINC
The Moghul
Zaffran
Barajee
Whittlebury Hall
De Vere
Hook Tandoori
Yellow River - Reading
The Teak House Thai Restaurant
The Bina
Mela
River Walk
Alcazar, Paris
Mali Thai - Reading
The New Inn - Heckfield
Forbury's
The Birch, Woburn
Fishworks in Chiswick
A Fish Called Walter
Bistro Roque in Kintbury, Berkshire
Bistro Roque, Kintbury in the evening
Oasis
Eurostar to Avignon
Tea at the Ritz
Cilantro in Reading
Sultan Balti Palace
Don Beni, Italian Restaurant
The Compleat Angler, Marlow (MacDonald Hotels)
Dominos Pizza
Sizzling Wok
Manray
Alcazar
The Angel
The Italian Job
Hunters - Ireland
Marlfield House - Ireland
Dunbrody Country House - Ireland
Ahernes Seafood Bar - Ireland
Longueville House - Ireland
Old Midleton Distillery - Ireland
Waldo
The White Lion at Crays Pond
Northcote Manor
Waitrose
The Square Bar & Grill
Waldo
Strada
Spice Route
Branston Hall Hotel
Vinopolis and Cantina Vinopolis
Peak Brasserie
Flackley Ash Hotel
Carluccio's in Reading
Careys Manor, New Forest
City Inn, Westminster
Gibbon Bridge Hotel, Forest of Bowland
Kloosters Hotel, Leuven, Belgium
The Tigers Pad
Armathwaite Hall Hotel
City InnWestminster
Carluccio
Chewton Glen Hotel, Spa and Country Club
The Lygon Arms
One Aldwych, London
Brunello Restaurant, Kensington
Agra Palace, Nuneaton
Juboraj
Bluebells Restaurant & Bar
The George and Dragon at Swallowfield
TTAVAS RESTAURANT
The Last Days of the Raj
Vespers - Apollo Hotel, Basingstoke
TTavas Restaurant
Simpson
Sunday Lunch at City Inn Westminster
Spice Bollywood Restaurant
The Tamarind Tree
Pizza Express
De Vere Slaley Hall,
Oakley Court Hotel
The Red House
Oakley Court Hotel
The White Hart Hotel Restaurant, Dorchester-on-Thames
Old Thai House, Newbury
Wyndham Grand Harbour Chelsea Hotel
Tiger Garden, Eton
Cinnamon Tree, Reading
Ragdale Hall, Melton Mowbray
Ha Ha Bar & Grill
Fishworks in Christchurch
Nando\'s Reading
Westover Hall Hotel
The White Hart, Dorchester
The Walter Arms, Sindlesham
Daruchini, Bracknell
Fredrick\'s Hotel, Restaurant and Spa
Chennai Dosa, Reading
Chennai Dosa, Reading
Chennai Dosa Reading
Rupali Restaurant, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
The Black Boy, Shinfield
Spice Bollywood Restaurant, Sunderland
The Palm Tree, Reading
Breakfast Disaster.
|
Alan McColm is QFOL's Restaurant Critic and Travel reviewer. Alan is working all over the country ... more
