The Hart Street Tavern

This kind of no nonsense good food restaurant has been absent from Henley on Thames since I have lived here (16 years). I had initially heard varied reports from diners in the first couple of weeks, but about two months in, we were very pleased with the food we had - lobster grilled perfectly and properly seasoned, as good as I had had anywhere and a steak for my husband.  Service we have found ok, but seemed to be the biggest teething issue. Nothing is ground breaking, but it's not intended to be. We chatted to a young couple with their children and were astonished to find that they had eaten here 8 times within about as many weeks (our second visit), and obviously agreed that this type of eating house had been missing from Henley. Main courses appeal to me more than starters. Service is ok, but could be better, especially when busy. We have visited many, many times and taken two lots of guests here who were all quite impressed with offerings. This is just what Henley needed rather than the sub-standard places trying to do their versions of 'fine dining' (except for Shaun Dickens who was pretty good and the only true fine food restaurant in the area). The atmosphere can be buzzy and live jazz music towards the end of the week only enhances this.

I’ll start with the good news which was that the facade is welcoming and the interior attractive. Together with friends we booked a table for four and we were greeted by the manager who was polite and friendly. We were shown to our table quickly and I’m afraid after that that was the end of the good news. A drinks order was quickly taken however a long in receiving the drinks was unacceptable. We had to ask three times before the drinks arrived. Having learned that the beef we selected was not available we chose various starters including an excellent welsh rabbit, oysters that lacked any kind of flavour as the shallot sauce was bland. We waited for nearly 1 hour for our main courses and I had to approach the waiters three or four times before 2 pea risottos arrived Overcooked and without any kind of proper seasoning probably the worst risotto my wife and I have ever tasted. Our two guests main course did not arrive until 15 minutes after ours and the burger which my colleague and ordered medium rare was overdone and was sent back. The badly plated prawns for my friends wife lacked any flavour, seasoning and were seriously overcooked. A side portion of chips did not arrive at all and yet were included on my bill. When the replacement burger arrived, without cutlery, it was raw and for my friend did not eat it as by then he had lost his appetite. It concerns me to have to write this kind of review I hope that the restaurant which opened two months ago with huge management control will improve, the chefs amateur status will reach minimum professional standard and the serving staff need serious service training.