The Cloche Hat - Woking

Wonderful Autumnal lunch menu, beautifully presented, innovative tastes, and just a real treat outside of London. Great friendly service and great value.

If you are a fan of the cold (food and location), come here! On Friday 4 November we were greeted very warmly by the attentive staff and Richard, the owner of The Cloche Hat. Rather less welcoming was the temperature in the dining room and the feeble heat from the radiators didn 't lift the levels to allow us to take off our coats but we were hopeful that once the food arrived, we would warm up. Unfortunately, the Taster Menu, which had looked so attractive was utterly dire. The chef 's treat , was barely warm, thick carrot soup served in a shot glass so we couldn 't get to it! Ever hopeful, we pressed on to the Bouche which had been described as gougre sour dough, smoked butter (a misdescription as the butter was only slightly salted and nothing exciting) however the choux pastry stuffed with Philadelphia cheese and grated truffle was pleasant. Happily, the advertised duck did make a very welcome appearance and was beautifully cooked though the accompaniments were quite ordinary. Continuing on with the theme of lazy, pre-pared and flavourless food, we were served a plate of treats to share between us which included two macaroons that had seen better days, two jellies, two pastilles, two tiny little cubes of less than fresh cake. In short, far too much of the food had clearly been prepared well in advance, stored and whipped out of the fridge or freezer without too much care or skill despite the pretentious Taster Menu . This was laziness in the extreme. Hardly surprising that we were the only two diners in the restaurant before two more unfortunates arrived just before we left.

Usually I don’t try new restaurants for a few months as I know it can take a little time to settle and establish. But couldn’t resist and decided to go along a bit earlier…. In a nutshell, food was amazing! When you love your food, you can just tell when there is passion and care in the food presented to you. Such friendly and polite service. Comfortable surroundings and nicely laid out tables without encroaching on others. Wanted to try all….but what we had was all delicious and perfectly cooked but I have to say the Venison Tartare and Ox Cheeks were sensational. Good to see the old name back.

Our meal was great. we had the pleasure of meeting the owner and his chef, who made us both feel that we were part of the “family” and went away from her to treat us. the cloche has the perfect place to experience local fine eating in an unpretentious environment. the work of local artists decorate the walls and interior decorates the history of the building. Thank you, we will return.

We have brought my son and his friend to a poop. has to celebrate his 21st birthday. we all agreed that we had a wonderful experience. the food was excellent. all staff were very attentive, friendly and welcoming. nothing was too much annoyed. we will certainly have back to the cloche. steve and family