Cliveden House Hotel in South Bucks

We stayed in the magnificent Spring Cottage and had dinner in the hotel. The facilities were superb and the staff and service levels were second to none. Dinner was also a triumph. Really can’t fault any aspect of our stay at this stunning property and the team that make it so special.

The most wonder thing about dinning out in Cliveden House Hotel is the building and the sense of occasion that engulfs you in the building’s aroma. That said all the sofas and chairs in the awe inspiring lobby and dining room were a little faded, old and tired. One forgets about such niceties in the buildings statement and aura. And of course you are surrounded by Russian oligarchs and UK celebrates (Clive Woodward was on the next table). The wonderful lobby/lounge was chilly despite a fire. Returned coats were freezing. The dining room temperature was fine. We have been several times including once when the staff forgot about us. However, on this occasion all the staff were attentive and provided a faultless service. Equal to the presence of the building. Food: all the dishes are small to tiny. You leave a three course meal feeling hungry. The most disturbing feature was the lack of vegetables. The ‘Cliveden confit potatoes’ were edible but tasteless. Go for French fires any day. (But not the invisible ones with do not exist but is a donation to charity). The only other dish was a rather tasteless spinach. No broccoli even though we ordered it. No carrots or any other vegetables. We found that lack of accompanying vegetables to be strange. Another issue was that several vegetarian and vegan meals had MU (molluscs) which most people of that persuasion would not wish to eat. First course. Only one roll was brought between the four guests. You could ask for more. The scallops were excellent but small (just three). The Cheese Soufflé had a nice non-vegetarian salad with it. The soufflé itself was nothing to rave about. The truffle risotto was too salty and garlicky for my taste. The rice was overwhelmed. Truffle shavings were good. Second course. The beef filets were nothing to write home about but not bad. Accompanying sauces were excellent. They came with a very hard turnip which was impossible to eat. Potatoes were not nice and not tasty. Almost raw. Order French fires instead. Absence of good vegetables definitely a minus. That coupled with exceeding small portions tended to lead to a poor dining experience. The smoked aubergine was good but the accompanying sauce (shisu?) in my opinion tasted terrible. I left it. Deserts. Excellent. Wine. Reckon on up to £100 per bottle or more. Italian sommelier was very helpful. The wine list is 43 pages long and exceedingly helpful in its categorisation. Unfortunately all my favourite wines were in the £’000s. The wines were excellent and highly enjoyable. The staff did make an adjustment to the final bill when we provided feedback on the meal.