The Dog & Duck
Matthewsgreen Road,
Emmbrook,
Wokingham RG41 1JT
0118 978 0544
If you’re a big fan of welcoming watering holes filled to the brim with ravishing refreshments and fantastic flavour-filled fare then the Dog & Duck will be just up your street.
Situated in Emmbrook, the traditional red brick pub and restaurant is bursting at the seams with character, from the herringbone flooring to the oak beamed ceilings.
New landlord and landlady Wesley and Victoria Tunstead took over in April and is now a family-run pub and restaurant.
As soon as you set foot through the porch entrance to the pub you are immediately greeted with a friendly warm welcome.
As well as a stunning and relaxed interior, with a separate dining area, the Dog & Duck has a beautiful beer garden, adorned with fairy lights.
Dogs are welcome and parking spaces are plentiful.
Now that the nights are drawing in and there is a chill in the air, it seemed like the perfect night to enjoy the new autumn/winter menu.
After being shown to our table and seated in the light and airy conservatory area, we couldn’t help noticing the stylish decor, with a quirky, but homely feel.
The Dog & Duck prides themselves on great quality pub food, well done, Victoria says.
“All of our food is of a high quality, fresh, seasonal and locally sourced.”
The drinks menu looked equally impressive, more than 21 speciality gins or you could choose a Brakspear brew or a glass of vino from elegant Rose to crisp dry whites or aromatic deep reds.
For starters, we decided to share.
First up were the Chicken Wings, coated in sauce of your choice of Barbecue, Piri Piri or Korean, served with celery, £5.95.
It was a good size starter portion of chicken and the piri piri sauce kicked a punch.
Next was the Pan Seared Scallops with Black Pudding and Minted Pea Puree, £7.95. Hats off to the chef, the scallops were cooked to perfection, the black pudding and mint sauce were the perfect accompaniment.
We also chose the Garlic Bread, smothered in garlic butter, £5.95. The round flat bread was enormous, enough for four to share.
For his main course, my husband chose pie of the day, steamed steak and kidney pie served with chips, seasonal vegetables and gravy, £16.25.
The steak pieces was tender and succulent and served in a rich gravy, encased in a suet pastry. It came with perfectly cooked vegetables while the mash was smooth and creamy.
I opted for the Sicillian King Prawn Linguine tossed with garlic, anchovies, saffron chilli and lemon, £14.95. I was impressed at the number of king prawns in the dish.
The saltiness of the anchovies with the sweet floral flavour of saffron was a perfect combo. The linguine was “al dente”, just the way I liked it.
Our son chose the 10oz Rump steak with chunky chips, grilled tomatoes, peas, onion rings and a peppercorn sauce, £19.95.
The portion size was definitely big enough to satisfy his appetite. The steak was juicy and tender, the chips chunky and crispy and piping hot.
The presentation was perfect, his plate was totally cleared.
And our daughter tried the Dog & Duck’s Margherita Pizza, £11.25. This was a large, thin sourdough base, hand-stretched, and topped with Mozzarella, sun-dried tomatoes and baked in a traditional pizza oven.
My husband and myself were too full for dessert. Our children however always seem to have that little bit of space left.
Our son chose the Strawberry Daiquiri Cheesecake, £5.95. It was soft and light on top, however the middle was semi frozen, almost like a strawberry ice cream with a sweet biscuit base, raspberry coulis, strawberries and fresh cream.
It was very much enjoyed.
Our daughter chose a beautifully presented Honeycomb Charlotte, £5.95, an indulgent treat for dessert lovers.
Overall our experience at the Dog & Duck was excellent.
The food was of great quality and fairly priced as were the drinks.
The service was brilliant and the ambience was just perfect.
We will definitely be returning.
CLAIRE WORSFOLD
