• Restaurant.

The Crooked Billet is in a super walking and mountain bike area, close to Reading and Henley on Thames. It has a great atmosphere, with regular live entertainment in the evenings.

There is a separate vegetarian menu, but you normally have to ask for it. They can produce good vegan food, but have also given a mixed message on how happy they are to do so. It's recommended that you always book and mention vegan food at that time. If you get an unresponsive person on the phone, don't give up, ask to speak to Emma or Paul (the owner/chef). We have recently had a chat with them and were impressed by their helpfulness.

The second OxVeg/Tvvvs get together was held there. A great one-off menu was created. They need encouragement to do more on their regular menu, so please support them. They recently purchased Profit from Emerging Dietary Trends. Something all eateries should be encouraged to do.

Reviews

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Amanda 2006-05-07 10:15:05

I was also disappointed in the Crooked Billet. We went for Sunday lunch. Contrary to their website which states that the vegetarian menu is available for all sittings, we were told only the main menu was available. There were three main-course options although one had parmesan in it. Having said that, the veggie menu on the website also lists parmesan and roquefort so am not entirely convinced of it's vegetarian credentials.

The starter and puds were very good, but my OH and I were both disappointed with the main courses. I had the mixed meze, whilst nice enough, not terribly exciting.

All in all, we weren't as enamoured as we'd hoped, so won't rush back.

Mel 2006-01-03 13:29:48

As a vegan I was very much looking forward to a meal at the Crooked Billet based on the above comments. I called 3 weeks prior to our booking and discussed my vegan requirements, my husband also called on the day of our booking to ensure that a vegan meal would not be a problem. To cut a long story short I was offered a few choices on the vegetarian menu (which only consisted of 3 items), when I asked to double check with the chef apparently he had forgotten that one dish did have egg and one had cheese in it. I then asked for an “interesting salad” as it was becoming a little embarrassing. The menu showed sides of roasted veg, chickpeas, avocado etc so I thought this might be included in my meal. I was given a green salad with peppers and tomato with a mayonnaise dressing which I sent back. My replacement consisted of a plate of greens and one tomato! A very disappointing meal with a chef and staff who obviously did not appreciate what being a vegan is. A shame, I will not be going back.

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