The Funghi Club Marlborough — Restaurant in England

VERY DISAPPOINTED - I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS RESTAURANT

I was recommended this newly opened restaurant by a friend who was enthusiastic about the coffee that he was served here. The ambiance of this restaurant is impressive, but in my experience that was all about it!

Their menu had a large number of French-language words, which one would expect in a French-cuisine restaurant, but then the guests are just expected to either know what all those French words mean - or 'Google it' in the words of one member of staff. I mean sit at the dinner table and use your tablet before you can even understand what food to order?

This was very frustrating because these days it is a standard practice - not just in continental Europe - but also in other cuisine restaurants in England that you would at least get an English-language description of what that foreign dish (e.g. Japanese, Italian, Indian) actually means. (I speak 2 European languages, and therefore, I am not complaining the use of French in the menu).

For this reason alone, I wouldn't be going back to this restaurant.

But to further add to a frustrating experience at The Funghi Club, I observed that their waiters have no idea which table had ordered what meal. Waiters were going round tables and asking if they had ordered the meal that they had in hand. This is the type of service that I would expect in a "Local Caff" and it shows that there are no service standards here. Also, I was served the wrong food three times (yes!!), only to be asked by a waitress -another- time why I had rejected the food, and to explain that I was served food that never ordered.

So all the vegans, and people with allergies - watch out before you eat what is served here!

Finally, the food that I was served was lukewarm, as if it had been lying around for a while. Whilst it was rich in flavour, it wasn't something I would put myself through - to be offered half-warm food!

All in all - this beautiful and impressive looking restaurant was a disappointment when it comes to the Menu,...

We went for lunch, a party of 5. The onion soup was very good. I wanted the 3 cheese souffle but was told they had run out. So I ordered the lobster souffle instead. There was NO lobster in it! Another person had prawn cocktail which was made with bog standard frozen prawns. My friend ordered the lobster thermador. It was NOT thermador as there was no sauce or cheese. Just plain lobster. Plus he was looking forward to the celeriac remoulade, as described on the menu. But it came with grated carrot salad instead. I had the boeuf bourguignon which came with gratin dauphinoise. The dauphinoise looked old, like it had been made a previous day and then microwaved. So I asked when it was made and was told "it was made yesterday and brought in today from a production unit". I was shocked as I had been reading about the illustrious French chef and assumed that he was doing the cooking on the premises! We later checked the website and it does say that. However, if we'd known that we would not have visited. Some dishes do well being served the next day.....like onion soup, but others do NOT. And we thought it was overpriced considering that none of it was freshly cooked. The desserts though were very good.

Have read their reply which states "we do make our food fresh each day" . This is a complete LIE because it is made in a factory in hungerford the previous day and then shipped in and microwaved. Ignore all the lies about a French chef! They have also LIED about the lobster dish. The menu we ordered from said "thermidor" not half lobster as they said in their reply. AVOID THIS PLACE WHICH IS A WIMPY BAR MASQUERADING AS A FRENCH...

In July, I had a slightly disappointing visit, and so I was impressed when The Funghi Club team invited me back to try again, on the house!

Today was a sunny, Tuesday lunchtime and I chose to sit inside in the bar area for a change.

It was quiet at 12.15pm, but it soon filled up with lots of happy ladies who lunch, and some couples and small family groups. There was quite a buzz!

There is a quieter area at the back of the bar area, if you want a calmer atmosphere.

Nicole and her team were all very friendly and welcoming. There was a lot to choose from on the Menu and Specials. In the end I chose the Daily Special, which was a generously sized portion of Tuna Nicoise Salad for £16.50.

The fine green beans were cooked perfectly with a little crunch. The salad dressing was tasty. If you prefer your Tuna Steak to not have any pink in the middle, please let your Server know.

To follow, I had a Raspberry Tarte from the extensive, chilled Patisserie Selection. It was the perfect combination of a generous topping of fresh raspberries, atop some creamy, creme patisserie and a light, crunchy, pastry case.

When your Tarte pastry almost leaps off the plate at the first tap of the fork, you know it's cooked perfectly!

Thank you very much. I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch. And I really appreciate your generosity and taking the trouble to put...