Cilantro in Reading

Cilantro can be found inside the hotel adjoining the magnificent Medejski Stadium in Reading, a dominant part of the local landscape. I'm not normally a fan of hotel restaurants; they can be often lifeless, so often the refuge of the travelling sales forces preparing their sales pitch for the following day.

Entering the hotel was a real eye opener, the large atrium providing meeting points and places to drink, with Cilantro to the right and further on the Bistro providing less formal dining for residents and outsiders. A bright open atrium, complete with an extensive bar provides an appropriate backdrop for a pre dinner drink, or, in our case, a welcome place to savour coffee after the meal.

Cilantro has a small bar area with a couple of comfortable sofas for pre or post dinner drinks. The extensive dining room, furnished in brown and complementary beige colours was neatly arranged, white tablecloths hosting shining glasses, candles and gleaming cutlery. I was particularly impressed by the rounded seats, pleasing to both the eye and the bottom, an unusual combination!

My companion for the evening was Jane, a work colleague from school, who, by chance, was enjoying a birthday that very day. What better way to celebrate a birthday and as an accompaniment to an excellent menu than a glass of champagne.

Cheers! Following the gentle tinkling of glasses as we tried to narrow down our selections from the menu, with prices for two or three courses available to all, it was a difficult decision for both of us.

Jane plumped for the Salad of Roasted Pigeon, complete with fried quail egg and walnut bread crouton, an exquisite picture of a dish, attractive to view, and 'even more pleasing to taste', said Jane, now in full swing as a guest reviewer on her birthday. I had the Raviolli of Spinach and Goats Cheese with celery, miso broth and parmesan cream. This was delightful, a fusion of textures, tastes and all that is delightful about Raviolli.

What a start!

A pleasing bottle of House Cabernet Shiraz added to the occasion, with Jane in fine form as she tasted the wine, declaring it fine with a flourish of her glass. The wine waiter did, as in all well run culinary establishments; ask beforehand who was going to taste the wine, as opposed to making a beeline to the male as in times past.

Tournedos of Scotch Beef with braised oxtail hash and Madeira jus was Jane's choice, colourful and beautifully presented. The style of presentation in modern restaurants now gives the chef a free hand in creating artistic gems, not merely appreciated by their size and quantity but by their look and taste. This passed the test, with the supporting acts well chosen for their taste and appeal. I had, as I have done in recent weeks, selected the Roast Cannon of Lamb, and with pan fried sweetbreads and white onion puree. The lamb was cooked to perfection, moist, tender, and visually appealing with a taste of quality. The sweetbreads, supporting the lamb, were perfect. I had tasted lamb at three top restaurants over recent weeks and cooked well lamb, as this was, is heaven on a plate.

This was the surface, pretty, delightful to taste, but underneath, sadly, another story entirely.

Not a disaster exactly but, when the waiter came to collect the dishes my plate, he almost went off with the tablecloth. The dish had not been cleaned on the underside before its arrival at the table, leaving a perfect ring of sauce on the table and, sadly, a minus point for the evening. Kitchens are busy places, full of chefs, ingredients and tension, sometimes tempers can reach boiling point. Most chefs insist on seeing each dish before it leaves the kitchen, their very reputation is carried with each dish delivered to a table. This failed to pass the clean test, and whilst there was nothing wrong with the dish, in fact it was excellent; but the lack of care and attention left a mark on my mind and an even bigger one on the tablecloth!

Point made we carried on, determined to savour the delights of this magnificent restaurant, and dessert was to continue the delights delivered to our table. Jane was nothing short of delighted with her Iced Raspberry Parfait, served with a raspberry milkshake, a colourful, no, an imaginative dessert which reflected the real creative talents of the chef to the fore. I went for one of my favourite bench mark dishes, the Cr

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