Reviews of Talk House, Stanton St John
Review by charlotte on 25th October, 2009
Add your review Date visited: 24th october 2009
We chose this restaurant following several positive experiences of friends. We booked as a family (2 adults, an 11 year old and a 13 year old).They are obviously child/teenager friendly. The surroundings and atmosphere are exceptional. The staff were very welcoming and clearly wanted to provide a good service.The menu offered a bemusing choice. However we made our choices and looked forward to an excellent meal. We were so very disappointed. The starters were average. Three of us chose the mozzarella and tomato crostini. The crostini was stale. I had smoked salmon which was a very small portion. It was enjoyable if not rather moderate in size. I chose Asian prawns with taglietelle for my main course. The plate was hot but the food cold. Refridgerator cold in some parts. When I pointed this out the waiter couldn't have been more apologetic and immediately took the food away. Within a short space of time it returned. This time luke warm. I ate half of the spicy meal and thought it could easily have been a tesco chilled ready meal. In contrast my daughters Puy lentil bake was far to hot and didn't lose it's heat until the meal was almost over. The lentil mixture was fine but the mash potato was watery and bland.The other 2 members of the family had a veggie platter and fish platter. The veggie was reported to contain too much vinegar and again the fish except the calamari was bland. Always optimistic we expected the desserts to save the day. Unfortunately not. The sticky toffee pudding was tasteless and like rubber. If attentive staff were the main reason to return to a restaurant then we certainly would. We do love our food, so I'm afraid we won't. We certainly won't recommend it to our friends.
Review by David Pratt on 2nd January, 2008
Add your review Date visited: November 2007
We found the Talk House by chance on the way home from the Cotswolds one Sunday afternoon. The outside looked promising and there were a number of cars in the carpark which seemed a good omen. Unfortunately, that is as good as it gets. The traditional Sunday roast served at the Talk House has to be the worse meal I have ever eaten. The cauliflower was almost completely raw and the meal was served with puree of carrot and celeriac - hardly traditional. For the price I was expecting fantastic food however was sorley disappointed. The waitress could clearly see that we were not happy with the meal and offered to pass on our comments to the chef. The manageress was less than helpful, simply stating that she had not received any other complaints. When I asked whether the chef agreed that the vegetables were not cooked she did not / could not provide an answer.
Review by Felicia on 31st August, 2007
Add your review Date visited: August
This must be the most disappointing place I have ever eaten in.
Thinking it was still run by Marco Pierre White (apparently it is now owned and run by a brewery) I decided to give it a chance even though I had been initially put off by the unwelcoming atmosphere and by the absence of any other lunchtime diners on the weekday when I tried it. Bits and pieces of the food were OK - the bread is nice, some of my vegetables were cooked al dente, and the espresso coffee was properly made, but overall the food was poor, and presentation is not bothered with at all. Some days previously I had dined at the bistro "Pierre Victoire" in Oxford, and had eaten wonderfully at a fraction of the cost of this ill-judged and strangely naff place. Terrible, ignorant service made the experience worse.
Review by Katherine Brownlea on 15th September, 2006
Add your review Date visited: September 2006
I had looked forward to my birthday visit to the Talk House for some time, knowing the reputation of Marco Pierre White.
What a disappointment. The food was mediocre and over-priced for the quality, which was very standard bistro fare. I have never visited a restaurant before where the whole bottle of wine was decanted into the wine glasses of the three diners in one go. We were virtually the only diners there at lunch time, and certainly the place lacked personality and atmosphere.
We won't be visiting again in the near future.
Review by Vivienne Springall on 6th June, 2006
Add your review Date visited: 6th June 2006
We found Talk House by accident whilst looking for somewhere to eat lunch in the area. The food and service were both excellent and moderately priced. The surroundings were pleasant and comfortable. I would recommend eating there. Although we live in Surrey we will definitely be making a return visit!
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