Le Manoir Aux Quat' Saisons

It was our 30th Wedding Aniversary, so off we went.

The booking was easy: we opted for luncheon, our credit-card details were taken over the phone and the staff were very pleasant and efficient. I had a query before we went, emailed them and as promised it was replied to within 24 hours by Sebastien Bouyx with our problem resolved.

On arrival we were taken through to the lounge for a quiet drink before lunch. Our orange juices were £4.50 each, but a small plate of delicious appetisers arrived as well.

At the appointed hour we were escorted (as we were everywhere) into the dining area to start. The "chef's treat" was a delicious skinned (cherry) tomato with the juice in a glass, subtly flavoured - excellent.

The starters we had were a soup, bright green with garden vegetables including chick peas etc., and a wonderful piece of salmon with delicate seeds (pumpkin?) and other tiny items that blew my taste buds away! By this stage we had also selected one of about seven types of bread, with butter (in a particular shape). Then came the main course, which (for both of us) was brill. This fish was very tasty and served with very fresh garden vegetables (Le Manoir has its own gardeners and gardens). The vegetables included asparagus tips, very thin slices of courgette, peas etc. In all the courses, the plates were specific shapes/sizes to go with the overall presentation of the food - cleverly done.

The sweet was a wonderful blackcurrant sorbet/meringue/ice cream/gateaux - oohh! I'm not really a foody, but - honestly - this was FANTASTIC. We decided not to have cheese etc., as it was £17 a head extra, but instead opted for "tea for two", with - again - wonderful sweetmeats.We had these in the lounge, but could have stayed in the eating area had we wished to.

Service was prompt and our Indian waiter was EXCELLENT, explaining exactly what we were eating, and ensuring it all arrived to us both at exactly the same time. He knew in detail what went into every dish, eg. that one type of bread had five types of spices in it, etc. He also topped up glasses constantly.

Luncheon at Le Manoir is £45 per head, or you can take advantage of the August special, with which you get a specially selected half bottle of wine, at £60 per head (plus tea/drinks cost prior to the meal). The clientele are on the whole there for a special occasion, or just very rich! The bathrooms were very smart, with individual small fluffy hand-towels, a basket for used items, various hand sprays and a purple French soap.

I would recommend a visit for a VERY special occasion!

Mervyn & Poppy Hughes (Unverified), 09/08/04

---