Crepes Suzette Crepes Suzette
Brasserie At The Wivenhoe House

Brasserie At The Wivenhoe House

Wivenhoe Park, Wivenhoe I-CO4 3SQ, United Kingdom

Vegan • British • European • Vegetarian


"We decided to book a room at Wivenhoe house hotel for my 26th birthday. We were greeted by Gabrielle, who said happy birthday and got us checked in. I added to the booking that it was my birthday and was pleasantly surprised to see the hotel room decorated when we arrived. What was even more surprising, is that my boyfriend decided to propose there and then in the beautiful hotel room. From then on, we were treated with a full red carpet. We asked for some Prosecco to be brought up, and were greeted by Vusi, the Front of House Manager and Lionel, who I assume was in charge of the restaurant. They arrived with chocolate covered strawberries and a warm congratulations which was wonderful. Lionel also assured us not to rush in order to make it for our dinner reservations but to take our time, which was lovely. When we went down for dinner, we were greeted by Vincenzo and Lionel who helped us open our Prosecco (we failed to get the cork out lol). We were swept away to our table which was decorated with small crystals and our meals were amazing, especially since our Prosecco was topped up all evening and displayed beautifully in an ice bucket. We received these beautifully displayed plates that said Happy Birthday and Congratulations. It seemed that all the staff were aware of our celebration and we received many congratulations. We went back to our room and ordered some hot chocolates which were lovely. The next morning, we decided to have breakfast which was a beautiful spread, after breakfast, we decided to head back to our room to relax and we decided to finish our day off with afternoon tea. Afternoon tea was wonderful, We were greeted once again by Vincenzo, who assured us that we could come in before our reservation time, The table was decorated once again and I received a beautifully decorated plate saying happy birthday with chocolate covered strawberries. We said goodbye to all the staff and checked out, It was lovely to say goodbye to Gabrielle again who checked us in. Our stay was magical and wonderful. Every member of staff that we met made us feel special and at home. The red carpet was pulled out and we received such special treatment. We have decided to return for my Fiance's birthday at the end of the month because it was that wonderful. Thank you once again (Apologies if I have spelt names wrong)"

Clos Du Marquis

Clos Du Marquis

High Street, Stockbridge, United Kingdom, SO20 6HE

Fish • Wine • French • Coffee


"I live near the Clos du Marquis and pass it often, standing alone and exposed like 'Jamaica Inn ' on the long Roman road that used to be the main London Road before the advent of the A303. It looks romantic until one gets inside, where sadly one is met with tired decor, cramped seating and uncomfortable chairs and a menu that reads promisingly but does not live up to expectations. The short wine list is almost exclusively French and contains few names that one would instantly recognise and the few that stand out like Mersault are prohibitively expensive. We had a Beaune that was not on the list and was said to be especially good, but wasn 't. However some tasty amuse guerles did appear as we scanned the short and enticing menu and selected rognons sauce diable, lamb, grouse and Dover sole. The kidneys were well prepared and the sauce pleasantly spicy, but the grouse was already deconstructed and very much less good than one recently eaten at the Boot (a nearby pub in Houghton). Tellingly the Clos ' one hadn 't been obtained from Robinson 's, the famous local butcher, on the grounds that Robinson 's were too expensive, whereas the grouse at the Boot was. Nevertheless the Boot had charged £21.50 whereas the Clos du Marquis charged £26. Furthermore the lamb was disappointing and was served in gravy covered slices reminding my French resident restaurateur of a school dinner. Worse, the Dover sole, though large and well cooked, had clearly been frozen. And it cost £27. One of the dishes most anticipated was crepes suzette, and again these were disappointing. Not prepared at the table as they should be and thick and chewy instead of light and a bit crispy at the edges. But the sauce was good. Altogether a disappointing meal despite a not insignificant cost of £144 for three."