The Food Review: The Royal Oak, Yattendon
When you drive through the picturesque West Berkshire village of Yattendon, you can’t miss The Royal Oak - a quintessentially British village pub with its red brick walls and window boxes bursting with roses and lavender.
Behind the small wooden door is a pub bursting with big ideas and an even bigger atmosphere.
There are plenty of small, cosy nooks and crannies to sit for a quiet pint or lots of standing room at the bar itself, which was always busy with chatter when we were there.
Once you venture through the bar you come out into a bright, airy and expansive orangery, which serves as the restaurant; a tree at its centre extending up to the vaulted ceiling above.
Full of colourful artworks, it flows out into the garden, which has been beautifully renovated in recent years, with a pergola, comfy outdoor furniture and plenty of tables to enjoy some summer al fresco dining.
And like in the older section of the pub, there are a number of rooms that can be closed off to create private dining areas for groups of various sizes if needed.
The menu looks just as good too and is all the brainchild of Richard Monk, who took over as head chef just a year ago.
Having grown up in Wales, he moved to Birmingham at the age of 16 to pursue his career as a chef.
After time at a hotel in Oxfordshire, he moved to the Regency Park Hotel, in Thatcham in 2002 and has stayed in the area ever since.
“It’s a funny thing writing a menu,” he says. “As a chef you create ideas, but for me, the most important thing is to think about what the customer wants.
“When I am writing a menu, I want it to be British classics but with a twist. My personal favourite food is food that everyone can recognise but can’t quite replicate at home.
“I like things to be simple, but really good. That’s my ethos.”
The open kitchen – a first for Richard - also adds an exciting element for those dining as you can observe your food being created.
And it helps keep a relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant; front of house staff happily chat to diners, who in turn are comfortable to pop up to the pass to compliment the kitchen staff.
The culinary delights being created by the kitchen team of eight chefs are generally locally sourced, with meat from Vicars Game and fruit and veg coming from Fishers of Newbury.
“I quite like it,” Richard admits. “Tonight a couple of regulars came up and chatted to us and I like that.
“I can see what’s happening too so I can see when the rush is about to come.
“We are a lot of cogs working together to produce this end product.”
One Friday night recently I was there to sample that end product. And it didn’t disappoint.
That evening they did about 100 covers; the same the night before – everyone clearly knows how good this pub is.
The food, the ambiance and the staff are all great throughout the evening.
Portion sizes are very generous and the mocktail I started the evening with – elderflower, ginger beer, cucumber and mint – was a delight.
We started the night with the rosemary and garlic focaccia and ciabatta, with cold pressed rapeseed oil and balsamic (£4). All the bread at the pub is homemade on site and was served warm; simply delicious with a very generous lathering of butter.
For our starters we went with the waiters’ recommendations (and they would have been our pick of the bunch anyway) of Korean ribs with soy, honey, sesame and lemongrass (£11, or as a main with fries for £22) and confit rabbit rillettes, charred nectarine, pickled watermelon, honey and mustard (£11).
There was nothing for it but to get stuck in and a bit mucky with the ribs but it was well worth the sticky fingers – and a finger dip was on hand to ensure everything came up clean afterwards anyway.
With the rillettes, the fruit offered a small, but sweet, tang in contrast to the deep, rich flavours of the rabbit too.
My main was the slow cooked pork belly, spicy sausage hash, caramelized apple, Calvados jus (£22). I love pork and this didn’t disappoint. The spicy sausage hash added that little twist that Richard said he likes to give all of his dishes.
And the crispy crackling on the pork was an added bonus of textures.
My dinner date opted for the Lebanese harissa lamb cutlets, coriander and mint freekeh, charred broccoli, sumac yoghurt (£29), which was a firework of flavours.
As the waiter delivered it to the table he offered a steak knife but said the chef says you won’t need one.
The chef was right. It was tender and perfectly pink, with a delicate blend of the spices ensuring nothing overpowered the taste of the meat itself.
The bulgar wheat added a nutty crunch to the dish, with a pop of charred broccoli giving it an earthy undertone.
After all of that we opted to share a pudding – and it was certainly big enough for two.
The lemon posset, vanilla cream and Szechuan crisp (£9.25) was a light and palate-cleansing way to finish a delicious meal.
And at the Royal Oak, kids are well catered for with an extensive pizza menu or a children’s chicken or scampi and chips on offer.
And to make sure there’s always something to talk about if you run out of conversation with your family or friends, there’s a fascinating history of the Yattendon fete – or revel day - on the back of the menus too!
A real gem of a pub, with a fantastic atmosphere. We’ll definitely be back.
