Eat at Wantage in Reading

Dry, bland food, located in a tiny corner unit of Kings walk, dreadful business idea...never ever going to work.

Pierre's is a sandwich bar, really, rather than a cafe as such. Great selection of sandwiches, wraps, baguettes, and baked potatoes listed on the boards, and they cook their own baguettes in an oven right in front of you. However, as I said, it's not really a cafe. I stare up at the boards. I'm in the mood for a baked potato - with chilli, preferably. That's not on the menu, but I spot three Christmas specials pasted up onto the baked potato list. Turkey, stuffing and ham etc. So, I enquire if they are fills for baked potatoes. "Well, you can have anything you want in a baked potato", says the young lady behind the counter. "You can choose from anything on the menu and we can put it in a potato, but it might cost a bit extra." She's late twenties, dyed blonde hair, heavy makeup, and a strongish eastern European accent. She's trying to be helpful, I know. But I'm lazy. I don't want to have to design my lunch from scratch, though I know a lot of people do and it's what sandwich bars pride themselves for. I'm also slightly confused what the Christmas specials might look like (a mini dinner?, a sandwich filling?). So, not wanting to create a fuss, I panic and go for the lowest common denominator: a bacon baguette, packet of crisps and an orange juice – to eat in. It's nice enough, but maybe a bit steep at £6.50. I finish it quickly, not because it's particularly tasty but because the door's wide open, it's mid-December, and I've got my coat and scarf on. And the ambience is business-like rather than relaxing and inviting. A gentle stream of new customers enter and order, and some sit down to eat, like me. Behind the counter, apart from the blonde young lady there are two big blokes, also in their twenties. They're wearing aprons so must be serving staff, but they just seem to be hanging around not doing much. They all give the air of being temporary staff and that sandwich-making is not the first love of their lives. Cheerful enough, but not wonderfully friendly. I get up to leave. On my way out I call "Thanks", trying to catch someone's eye, hoping someone might smile back at me. I'm invisible. Nobody seems the least interested. I might be back for a sandwich some day. Not sure I'll be back for a sit-down. But then, it is really just a sandwich bar rather than a cafe, after all.

Booked this hotel for freshers week at Reading University. The white sheet seemed clean, but there was a blanket on the bed that smelled dirty and was heavily stained. The toilet was very dirty, and there was a strong scent of sewage that came from the bathroom. Pillow flat and yellow. Didn't even put my head on it. Something triggered my allergies really badly, and even with the window open, I was struggling to breathe, so i had to leave the hotel after a few hours. Either someone had their pet in the bed before I checked in or a combination of dustmites and mould. Or all three, given how dirty the overall place was. Ample parking space was the only positive. It's absolutely disgusting to rent a room to someone in this state and i got the impression that this is the normal standard and they don't care.

ordered toasted food but just received cold breads