The French Horn
(Not just another English Restaurant)
Ok, so you’ve just flown over to England on business and the boss wants to know where a good place for dinner is? Well if you are already on the west side of London you might consider popping over to Sonning to dine at The French Horn, a picture perfect French country restaurant set in an equally quaint hotel of the same name on the banks of the Thames river.
Sonning-On-Thames is a small English town in Berkshire, about 30 minutes west of Heathrow airport and is home to the French Horn restaurant. Set in the center of the town on the Thames river, The French Horn is one of those small ivy covered hotels that dot England, with rooms available above the restaurant plus four cottage suites if you want further privacy. Inside you enter a classic French country restaurant of linen tablecloths, plush fabrics and soft colors. You can either dine outside on the open deck, or in the main restaurant where the front wall of windows still affords you views of the lawn and river.
However, it was the promise of dinner that brought you here and in this case you will not be disappointed. The menu is varied, offering a selection from Chateaubriand (for two) to Cote D’Agneau (rack of lamb). All of which is fine but when dining at The French Horn you simply must order Canard Roti a l’Anglaise! Now I seem to have gotten ahead of myself so I’ll go back to the start of dinner and get back to the above later. Upon being seated I was presented first with a selection of olives, crostini, plus a selection of breads and butter, with which a glass of Laphroaig single malt with a dash of spring water on the side seemed the perfect starter to the evening. This was followed by Terrine de Foie Gras, which is a Duck Foie gras terrine with marinated baby figs, brioche. Which brings me back to the main course of the evening. Canard Roti a l’Anglaise is half a spit-roasted duck served with apple puree, a dry sage stuffing and rich duck jus. It is also accompanied by the vegetables of the day, which in this case were grilled asparagus and squash plus baby potatoes. This is the speciality of the house and as you walk in for dinner you are treated to the sight of the ducks roasting over an open fire in the fireplace, filling the room with an aroma that needs to be experienced! If you go, have the duck!
The wine cellar at The French Horn is extensive and I was presented with a glass of 98 Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon to savour with dinner. If you are staying in the area you can even order wine from the cellar for delivery within four working days.
To finish what was truly an epic meal I chose Crème Brulè from the dessert menu plus a glass of Essensia Orange Muscat that you may remember from the previous article. With that dinner was complete and all that was left was to relax with my wine and watch the ducks and the swans as they glided across the water on the Thames. If you travel to England and have the time give The French Horn a try, you won’t be disappointed. As always I can be reached at sgourmet@telus.net for questions or comments. Look for dinner in another country in the next edition!
The French Horn
Sonning-on-Thames
Berkshire, RG4 6TN
www.thefrenchhorn.co.uk
Food ****
Service *****
Price $25.50 – $37.00
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