Inn On The Lake Godalming — Restaurant in Waverley

My oh my what a shame, twice before I visited this place and had a wonderful time and a wonderful meal this time. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said first of all I will admit we were there a funny time of the day. I think we arrived at 2 o’clock That said the place was pretty empty. Zero atmosphere ! luckily the weather was nice so we found a table outside and an umbrella. It seemed OK . we chose from the set menu which was a bit cheaper but less options than the main menu however, given the quality of the food that arrived I’m glad we didn’t go for the more extensive more expensive menu.

I must say the lady that took my order and who took payment was very nice and I will say she did offer a 50% discount on our mains which is quite frankly we’re not good but due to our hunger we ate them anyway ( they were edible just over cooked , mostly! I ordered a pate for starter, which was the best thing that came out of the form dishes, even though it was good the bread that came with it as usual, with these types of starters was not enough, and it was very over toast, the other starter Salt-N-Pepa, squid and again I will carry out this with. I’ve recently come back from a two week holiday in Manorca whether the salt and pepper squid was wonderful here. Sadly, the salt and Pepper squid was not wonderful. It was overcooked very rubbery. I’m pretty tasteless of the mains. I ordered a buttermilk chicken burger, and upon ordering I did ask if it came in a brie bun as I don’t like brioche buns the lady said no I don’t think so. It’s a seeded bun to which I said great. I don’t like brioche buns and ordered the burger. You guessed it. It came in a brioche bun, not only a brioche bun, but it was also very, very very over toasted brioche bun that was essentially hard. The chicken inside was as overcooked as the bun and was very dry. The best thing about it was the ginger bits in the relish and the chips actually weren’t bad the only great thing with this dish what’s the tomato relish onto the steak sandwich? Should I say fillet steak sandwich? There was belly enough fillet steak in the sandwich and what fillet steak that was in the sandwich was very very overcooked and quite hard and chewy. The sandwich bread was again toasted way too much and the rocket and horseradish was let’s say not well distributed within the sandwich and from having a bite of the sandwich with no horseradish to the next bite the sandwich with nothing but a spoonful of horseradish that came as a bit of a shock to my wife’s taste buds who doesn’t particularly like horse radish drinks were OK. I had a neck oil which is always a good point and as I said, the lady who served us was nice enough, even though she didn’t know what a bun was, and she did give us a discount at the end when I had my satisfaction, but the two members of staff that served us, an older man and lady who seemed very dressed down for the occasion to the point where I honestly didn’t think they worked there. They look like they may have just found some ill fitting clothes at a charity shop!( yes I know there are some great charity shops) they just didn’t care at all about their appearance, and quite frankly came across like they did not give a flying%#*^~}} Honestly, not sure what it was all about won’t be going there again it’s a shame because it’s very local, but unfortunately, unless things change staff and quality of food this will have been our last visit at this...

Thank you & thank you....

This is not only the find of the trip, but the best find of the last 5 years of travelling. First, after 5 nights in 2 other 'luxury' 'exclusive' & 'smart' hotels, we thought this would be a disappointment, or at least be a little old and shabby ... How completely wrong we were. We were welcomed by Nicky, (more later) 2 hours before check-in, and while the room wasn't quite ready, we were offered somewhere to store the bags, a huge sofa to relax on, and truly outstanding food. After a week of meetings, slight disaster at one location, and then a non-stop 16 hour day in London, this was a super suprise. Nicky manages the whole hotel and restaurant with the pure class, cool and confidence that only comes from many years dealing with passengers on 'The World's Favourite Airline', and I haven't met a better manager in the last 20 trips. And that right across the board, from Gastro pub to Country club to 5 Star London landmark. She makes everything seem like it isn't the slightest of bother, delivers exactly what is offered or promised, and from our 48 hours with her, truly cares about her team, the hotel and of course the guests. When we were given our room, the suprise continued, not only freshly refurbished, but not a single item that didn't work, the latest Samsung Smart Hotel Tvs, and decorated in a fun and modern way. And then the bed. ... the bed was larger, better dressed and presented, and more comfortable than any other in my last 5 trips to the UK. And while there are no baths in the hotel, the shower was super modern, wet-room style, with separate rain shower head and hand shower. And to top it off....immaculately, almost compulsively clean. With no corners cut.

So, as far as the hotel, the welcome, the room, the food and the service..... truly 5* quality, with countryside pub charm, for distinctly 1-2 star pricing.

And then the above and beyond..... unfortunately we experienced a medical issue on day 2, which meant plans were changed and help was needed. Again, no question, just hugely knowledgeable assistance, wonderful British humour, and nothing but offers to help.

After 7 hours at a local, hospital, during which it was confirmed it was a false alarm, we returned for a final supper, to find the restaurant overbooked and completely full, and yet they squeezed us in, the food was exceptional, and we were hosted by a recent 23 year old University Ecomonics graduate, Mathilda (perhaps without the h), who was just spectacular as a host, but again, someone who truly cared about the service and the guests, even though I guess she will be at a very well known bank or consultancy firm very soon. My point being she had no reason to be brilliant, as so many waitresses just do the job, but she was outstanding, articulate and nothing was too much trouble. Thank you....

I normally write 3 lines, but Nicky, her whole team, and the gentleman who's name escapes me who gave us a run through of the room, deserve better. Recognition at being truly world class, caring, and at the same time, making sure the business runs smoothly and efficiently.

Early check out, with a superb breakfast, and we were gone... but I will now use this as my GU7 base.....

Many people over complicate a review. But this will end with the same words it began...

Me and my family visited the Inn on the Lake for a much anticipated Christmas Eve family reunion and what we hoped would be a special and memorable lunch.

Our experience couldn't of been further from our expectations ! We were shocked and appalled by the service and the food.

We called in advance to let the restaurant know that half of our party was vegan with one vegetarian. The person on the phone assured us that this would not be a problem and that there would be plenty of options for us to choose from as you would expect from a establishment like the Inn on the Lake.

the restaurant was busy as you may expect on a public holiday but it was no where nearly busy enough for the chaos that followed ! We had to order the same thing multiple times, on one occasion I had to ask five time for my glass of wine ! (yes I was counting by this point...)

Those in the vegan party were served sad tomato soup with out a garnish as a starter, for the main the vegans ordered a vegan pizza (a normal vegetarian pizza without cheese) which we were once again assured wouldn't be a problem with a side of seasonal greens which we specifically asked to be cooked in olive oil not butter. When the pizza arrived we were speechless ! It was an undercooked pizza base covered in raw white flour without any tomato sauce and just a few strings of old onion and a a cherry tomato cut in half as a topping, there was so much flour that the guest who attempted a slice got his face covered in flour !! (see image attached)

To make things worse the seasonal vegtables came smothered in butter which was a real shock to the long term vegan who took a bite before realising the mistake.

The kitchen staff couldn't hide their distain or total inexperience in handling people on a plant based diet, it was a real let down.

The manager in the end took the vegan meals off the bill ( it was undeniable that they simply weren't edible!) but it wasn't enough, the meal was ruined, four guests went home feeling hungry and all considering very disappointed. One of the vegan's said that in their six years of experience eating out as a vegan they had never had a comparably bad experience !

the waitress did her best to fix things up but the lack of communication between team members and one terrible (or overworked !) chef was what really brought this experience...