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Edwinns, Harefield, Middx


Harefield Middx

01895 822631

The Business Card shows 5 Edwinns - Shepperton, Englefield Green, Bramley Nr Guildford, Fareham & Harefield. The reverse of the card advertises 'Bluebeckers' eating houses. The Harefield restaurant occupies an imposing hillside site overlooking a surprisingly rural scene of reservoir and Grand Union Canal at Black Jack's lock. It is set in imposing grounds down a country lane and could be in deepest countryside if it wasn't a couple of miles from Rickmansworth & Watford.

We booked it for a group dinner - 20 of us - on a beautiful summer evening. Drinks on the veranda while orders taken. Inside the style is low ceilinged, mock timbers but calm and spacious feeling. It obviously caters for parties and has round tables seating up to 12 at a time. This was a Monday night and therefore quiet - I guess no more than a dozen other diners. Good bread, olives, olive oil while orders taken. The Monday to Friday menu offered 3 choices of a 2 couse menu, priced at £13.95, £16.95 and £19.95. Choice of starters varied from soy cured salmon to grilled artichoke & Chorizo, soup, Thai fish cakes, garganelli pasta etc.There was also a specials menu with 2 starters and 2 main courses at £16.95. My partner and I had Grilled goat's cheese, pine nuts and spinach salad and a haddock & leek tartlet respectively for starters. The goat's cheese was quite large, warm and relatively mild. The salad was crisp and tasty. The tartlet was excellent - just enough fish for real flavour and pastry which melted in the mouth. It was served on a jus of herb butter. Both excellent. For main courses we had their fish pie - salmon, smoked haddock, prawns etc - and crispy braised duck on a mustard mash. The fish pie was pronounced excellent, although some found it too much for one. The duck was OK but not quite crispy enough. Plentiful vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and various potatoes)were plain but well cooked. I thought the wine list rather dear for this type of restaurant - nothing much below £11.95 but one reasonable wine from each major wine region. we settled for a New Zealand Nelson Sauvignon Blanc at £16.95 which was nice and fruity (gooseberries). The Chilean Merlot at a similar price was enjoyed by others. All were very satisfied with their main courses - 2 had steaks which were reasonably sized and cooked as ordered, others had leek and brie filo parcels. Puddings were £4.75 and only two people had room enough - nothing exceptional on the menu and overpriced I thought. Coffee was £2 a head and optional service 10%. Our meal for two totalled £57. Service was excellent - unhurried, friendly and skilled.

A good place for a party eating out, especially in the summer. Finance Director 2002