The Wavendon Arms — Restaurant in Milton Keynes

The Wavenden Arms is what I would describe as a quintessential classic British Pub. It's not pretentious, nor does it pretend to be fine dining or ala carte. Normally, the sign of a good pub is usually how busy the carpark is when you pull up. Well, the carpark was pretty busy, to say the least, when I arrived, which in my opinion is always a positive sign of a good pub.

This was the first time I had dined at the Wavenden Arms, but I had done my homework for reading reviews and checked the menu before I arrived. What I saw on the menu impressed me, especially by how they have used seasonal produce within their dishes such as rhubarb, artichokes, and asparagus, too. Also, the selection of fish on the menu was very pleasing to the eye, such as prawns cooked in their shells, scallops, and sea bass alike.

On arrival, we were greeted warmly and promptly shown to a corner table that had been reserved for us. Our table was nicely secluded, which I liked and was out of the way, which added a little more privacy to our dining experience. However, the lighting over our table could have been a little better as we felt a little in the dark, which became somewhat problematic for the older members of our party to read their menu's!!

However, my review is based on my honest opinion on the service and the food. Firstly the service was very prompt and friendly. Due to the enthusiasm of our conversation, the waiter was very patient with us and did not rush us into ordering, allowing us time to browse the menu, even though the restaurant/bar was busy.

For my starter, I ordered the Pan Fried Wild Scallops. The scallops were beautifully caramelised on both sides. The flavour combinations through the dish were balanced beautifully. For my main course, I ordered the Pan Fried Sea Bass fillets with extra prawns and scallops. The sea bass wasn't dry and was cooked beautifully, with every other component on the pate complimenting the delicate flavour of the sea bass, which was never in danger of being overpowered. If I had one small criticism of the dish, it was that only one of the fillets had crispy skin. My close friends ordered the Gammon and Chips and the Chicken Liver Parfait, which they both polished off in next to no time. I would deffinatly return to the Wavenden Arms again in the future. For anyone looking for food cooked with fresh seasonal produce, then I suggest you give the Wavenden Arms a try. The Wavenden Arms gets 'the Less is more', principle of simple...

What with high rental prices/fuel/cost of living, my partner and I are on a very tight budget. We haven't been out for lunch in years. So in June we decided to plan a walk down to The Wavendon Arms for lunch. We both knew it was going to be a bit expensive but we were really looking forward to this visit. Big mistake. How anyone gives this place 5* is beyond me. Yes its a nice pub. Comfortable decor, nice toilets and location. But you certainly pay for that. When we got there (12:45) there was no one at the bar. We then went to the restaurant booking desk. Still no one there. We were then made aware of the barman waving to us. No hello, how are you, can I help. Just a look as if to say, 'what do you want?' my partner explained we had a table booked but one in the bar. He waved his hand towards a table and said 'there's your table'. And went back behind the bar. My partner and I looked at each other and said which table was he on about. Pointing at an alcove my partner said, 'do you mean this table down here? He said 'if you want, you can sit anywhere'. What's the point of booking then? Great start. Went back to the bar to get some drinks. Contactless wouldn't work until I put my pin in. White wine spritzer with soda water instead of lemonade and a pint of Perroni, £12.45! Including the filthy glass. Ordered half roast chicken and sirloin beef roast dinners. The cost was £33.90. I honestly believed it would be nice. To say it was a disappointment is an understatement. The only good part of my chicken roast was the gravy. I'm not kidding. The chicken came in two parts. The leg part was barely lukewarm but at least it was fairly moist. The breast/wing was dry and lukewarm. I thought it was strange that the bread sauce was covering the breast part of the chicken instead of in a pot for you to add if and when needed. Obviously a failed attempt at disguising the dryness of the breast. This was in my opinion yesterdays chicken reheated. Now for the roast potatoes/parnips/Yorkshire pudding. All reheated. The roast pots/parsnips were soft, brown in the middle. Not at all crispy like they'd just come out of the oven. And again barely lukewarm. Same with the stale tasting Yorkshires. I left most of mine. My partner ate more than me, mainly because she was famished. Total visit cost was £46.35. Shocking waste of money. Terrible service/over priced, barely edible food, we will not be...

Had high hopes given the menu and pricing for this place, but unfortunately the experience left much to be desired.

The physical experience was underwhelming. I initially liked the decor, however, as we sat and had time to look around, the physical space seems unkempt; many many cobwebs in the rafters and skylights, water damage/ damp dropping from the ceiling to the left of the fire place, scuffed and oily paint that could use touching up, and dirty edges where the table is bevelled.

While the photos certainly come across as a well presented expensive dish, both my main and starter were bland and left me wanting.

The bao bun was underfilled with meat and over filled with lemongrass and veg, and had very little taste of the hoisin duck at all.

The main (pork belly and scallops) was also very disappointing. The scallops were two small medallions, fine, but not worth the £3+ they charge. The pork belly strips were dry and shredded better than they cut. The entire plate is drizzled in a red wine based sauce which tasted burnt to me and effectively worsened the dish in its entirety.

I will say the dauphinois were the star of the show and were lovely, and the shard(?) of pork crackling was alright, considering.

My companions food was also a far cry from the description; the starter felt microwaved, it was very tough for chicken. The main (burger) wasn't served as it was requested (we wanted upgraded fries), the burger was over cooked and covered in a terrible fake cheese sauce, bun was also dry (odd considering the sauce).

Overall the prices were 30% higher than felt suitable and the wait times were frustrating considering it was a Tuesday Eve at 5pm; we waited for 50 minutes between starter and main.

Would I encourage friends to try this? No, sadly, while it presents well, there is very little positive about...