The Great House, Sonning, Berkshire

The service was great, if a little slow on a Sunday evening. I guessed they might have had fewer staff on. I enjoyed finding Italian lager on tap, then ordered the Tuscan sausage and fennel pasta, which was very nice. My guest had the coppa cub fish and chips with cider batter, but felt the fish inside hadn't been seasoned. Apart from that, we had a great time.

We were staying nearby and dropped in for a few cocktails. The bar's nicely presented, with plenty of casual seating, and there's a good choice of drinks made fresh by the staff. Ask for Bella if you order cocktails. She's a great mixologist, and hers were easily the tastiest ones of the evening.

The food was okay, though not worth the price. My ox cheek arrived warm instead of hot. My wife had a lemon tart for dessert, and it seemed to have been brûléed, which was odd but not unpleasant. The wait staff were good, brought us everything we asked for without hovering, and got the bill quickly when we asked. When my wife slipped on the step by the side entrance and landed on both knees, though, no staff member came to help or check if she was okay, or whether the rain had made the step wet. The staff member who seated us seemed to laugh gently as we came over, though we couldn't tell if it was about the fall. That uncertainty says the service wasn't where it should be. It was a fine enough visit. We'd go back for drinks if friends wanted to, but probably wouldn't choose to eat or drink there ourselves.

Elena made sure we felt especially well looked after, and the service was excellent. The food was delicious, so we ordered extra beef tataki. For her birthday, my daughter was given a complimentary pudding. A wonderful evening.