Now that I live back home with my parents in Berkshire, it means that I have even more lovely foodie places to share with you guys. A firm family favourite for many years now has been The Belvedere Arms in Sunninghill, and recently the restaurant has undergone a refurbishment and also launched their new summer menu, so when I was invited down to test out the new menu, I decided to take my family with me for a post weekend, Monday night evening of delicious food and drinks.
We’ve liked The Belvedere Arms for many years, and in particular we love the outside area, it is great for people (and car watching) and is the perfect place for a lazy Sunday catch up with a G&T. The Belvedere Arms also stock an amazing variety of gins including Bombay Sapphire, Tanqueray, Hendricks, William Chase GB and Silent Pool, all of which are £5.75 for a single and £7.50 for a double. And speaking of gin, their limited edition G&T Twists are divine (Single £5.95, Double £7.70), choose from;
Raspberry & Basil– 40% ABV Bombay Sapphire with Fever-Tree naturally light tonic garnished with fresh raspberries and basil.
Mediterranean Summer– 40% ABV Bombay Sapphire with Fever-Tree Mediterranean tonic with lemon zest, lime and a sprig of rosemary.
Strawberry & Black Pepper – 40% ABV Bombay Sapphire with Fever-Tree premium tonic with strawberry slices and a twist of black pepper.
And if gin isn’t for you, they also offer a great selection of cocktails including a white peach bellini, pornstar martini and a skinny colada, amongst a few other delicious creations. As well as being a lovely spot for a drink and a natter, the inside restaurant area is also a lovely spot with an on trend, upbeat interior, with a more laidback dining area, and a smarter area.
Once we had been seated we had a peruse of the extensive drinks menu and I went for the Mediterranean Summer gin twist cocktail, and it was lovely and refreshing. We also enjoyed some parsnip crisps and homemade tortilla crisps whilst deciding on our starter and mains. The Belvedere Arms have a delicious selection of starters,however we wanted to save room for the main event so we shared a pizzette topped with rocket and Parmesan, however if your belly has more room, the Box-Baked Camembert (£10.95), topped with mixed seeds, with acerola cherry & thyme flavour dip and suprema bocata bread is the perfect picky starter. The pizette we went for was the perfect starter for us as it got our tastebuds tingling before we got onto our mains.
For my main I decided to go for the Wholefood salad (£9.95), which I have had before at one of their sister restaurants just up the road (The Warren), and loved. The salad is made up of rice, quinoa, edamame beans, pumpkin seeds, baby kale and grapes with a pineapple & ginger dressing, and I added some Halloumi for £2.25. I do have to say though that my salad was a little dry, I wasn’t sure if there even was any dressing on it, and the size was a little on the smaller side (I have definitely had a larger version at The Warren). However I do think for a salad of this quality this is a reasonable price and it is certainly very substantial, fresh and filling. They actually do salads really well, and my mum and sister have had the crispy duck salad on many occasions and they love it. In the past I have also had the Wagyu Burger (£16.95), however was left pretty disappointed and couldn’t tell the difference between the Wagyu version and the £12.50 home-made British Beef Burger, however they are both still delish, but save those pennies and get the classic, and an extra drink instead.
Now pudding. I am a proper foodie and I like to go for a starter and pudding whenever possible, and The Belvedere Arms have a lovely selection of classic and traditional puddings, from a baked New York cheesecake (one of my fave puddings ever), to lemon tart and creme brulee. I am however a greedy guts, and when you can get a selection of 5 mini puddings, who would turn that up? The House Sharer (£11.50) is the perfect desert to share if you want something sweet after dinner, but can’t decide on what. The sharer includes raspberry crème brûlée, chocolate brownie, lemon tart, strawberries and a bourbon vanilla ice cream cookie sandwich. I shared this with my sister and it was delicious, however they must’ve run out of the brownie, and we didn’t seem to have an ice cream sandwich. Instead we had a smushed up, crumbled cookie (to replace the brownie? idk), and then one cookie with ice cream on top as the sandwich, however this was still delicious, and the brownie was so gooey and indulgent and it is a pudding I would have time and time again.
I had a lovely evening at The Belvedere Arms, we were so well well looked after and it is a great spot for a relaxing drink outside, or a classic meal inside, as well as being a lovely destination for a date as well. So thank you very much to The Belvedere Arms for having me, and if you’re ever in Berkshire, or live locally then make sure to check out The Belvedere Arms at London Road, Sunninghill, Berkshire, SL5 7SB.
Sophie xx