Saturday did not go as planned, I ordered sunshine and instead got rain, great for the grass but not great for my dinner date with my husband.
We’d planned an evening just the two of us with no children to “The Hangout” at Donnington Hotel, it’s an outside dining space under a canopy where they serve stone baked pizzas and burgers alongside a selection of salads and sides.
Then, a couple of hours before we were due to leave, hubby started feeling unwell and took to his bed and in stepped his replacement, my daughter Tia, always a good dining companion.
We left Tilehurst and headed down the motorway, it was about a 20-minute journey and easy to find the hotel, just a five minute drive once you exit junction 13 of the M4. There is plenty of parking at the hotel. “The Hangout” can be entered directly from the car park via some back steps but because this was our first time we went through the reception of the hotel and through the restaurant to our dining area.
There was an outside bar and the outside kitchen, including the pizza oven on wheels so that it can be maneuvered to accommodate the changing weather conditions. It’s a really good size space and after talking to one of the team I learnt that during covid the space was created by the members of staff, all taking to digging back the boundary to create what is now “The Hangout”, a labour of love.
We sat near the kitchen and Tia wrapped herself in one of the blankets which were scattered around the table. The friendly staff brought us a one page menu and we ordered our drinks.
A non alcoholic Strawberry Mojito, a non alcoholic Espresso Martini and a carafe of water.
I’d already looked at the menu earlier in the day and knew I was going to be choosing the warm flat bread served with Hummus, Olive Oil and Balsamic, £8.50 and Tia choose the Halloumi spiced fries, £9.
Both of us choose the wood oven, hand stretched pizza, mine was with caramelized onions and goats cheese, £18 and Tia had Margarita, £15. We ordered some sides not realizing how big the pizzas were going to be, the Burrata, tomato olive oil salad, £9.50 and the warm potato, chorizo and red onion tapas, £9.
It wasn’t long before food started arriving, the flat bread, the salad and the Halloumi fries.
I don’t know if you would agree but sometimes the most pleasant things to eat are the most basic, done well, leaving you wanting more and more. A couple of things I wasn’t expecting, the halloumi fries, these often come as big chunks in other restaurants but at “The Hangout” they were sliced into what I could only describe as a French fries and carefully seasoned so as to not be over powering and came served with a sweet chilli dip.
My burrata was delicious. Every mouthful I had a little taste of pesto oil and tomato felt like a refresh of the taste buds. The presentation was something special as well with tomato cloud on top made from tomato juice. It was nice to alternate between the salad and the potato and chorizo tapas, if there was one small critic from Tia, it would have been to have had a little more chorizo in the dish, I thought it balanced well.
Our pizza’s arrived to the table, first the margarita, a few minutes later the caramelized onion and goat’s cheese. Because we’d ordered the other dishes we could have shared a pizza I feel. It was sliced into eight generous pieces, and we ended up only eating half and then taking half home. It’s always good to have this option.
I loved the tomato base, and the portion of onions was perfect.
The head chef Darren Booker-Wilson came and spoke to us while we were dining, his love of food and passion for delivering the dining experience radiated from him. It’s always great to have a chance to speak to chefs, he had a busy restaurant inside, a 2AA rosette award winning, but took the time to come and check on us and explain some of the decisions with the menu.
We finished our meal off with a dessert each. Sticky toffee pudding served with clotted cream ice cream, £9.95. It was so light, the chef told us he uses a secret ingredient and Chocolate Brownie Millie Feuille, £9.95, served with some strawberries and Chantilly cream.
I would recommend booking if you are planning to visit yourself, they open “The Hangout” Thursday – Saturday, noon until 6pm now and have some events happening over the coming months starting on 21st June – Summer Swing.
The Hangout can be found at Donnington Valley Hotel, Old Oxford Road, Donnington, Newbury, RG14 3AG. 01635 551199.
