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This review was undertaken on
Monday, July 14, 2008.
 If
you have seen adverts in the local press for The George Inn,
there’s a good chance your first instinct will be that this is a
“pub somewhere near Woburn.” If you pay a visit and eat in their
restaurant, you’ll soon realise that this is no ordinary pub.
Nor you will probably feel like you are in a pub at all once sat
in their cosy restaurant which offers a taste of Italy. This is
quite a unique dining experience, with the option to have a
drink at the front of the house next to a pool table, or make
your way to the back where you will find a delightful and
inviting conservatory. Welcome to The George Inn, one of the few
independent Italian restaurants in Milton Keynes.
My guest and I decided to have
a drink in the bar area first and make our menu choices here
rather than wait to be seated. This allowed us to have a
relaxing drink and take our seats when our food was almost
ready. All menus are freshly prepared at The George, so be
willing to wait for your food to be cooked.
Food
I started with the Oven baked field mushrooms, stilton, parma
ham and toasted pinenuts (£4.95). This dish is full of flavour,
incredibly fresh and all the ingredients combine to perfection
to create an immensely tasty dish. The stilton has a real kick
to it. My guest looked on enviously at this well presented
starter but I was not in the mood for sharing.
There could not have been a
greater contrast between this starter and that of my guest’s who
plumped for the Scallops baked in shell, with lemon grass,
chilli and smoked bacon (£6.95). This was not the sexiest dish
in the world to look at and whilst the scallops had a lovely
texture, more of everything was required to bring this starter
to life.
For mains I opted for Porcini
Ravioli (V) with garlic mushroom dressing (£11.95). My guest
opted for the Tiger Prawns Linguini, cherry tomatoes, French
beans chilli, garlic and parsley butter (£12.95).
My ravioli was simply out of
this world. Incredibly tasty for a dish of this type, the pasta
was fresh and melted in the mouth and the dressing was to die
for. With plenty of Portobello mushrooms, this was a first class
dish that really did offer that taste of Italy. I would put this
down as a “must have” for anyone who likes Italian food.
 My guest’s Linguini was also
very well received. With plenty of generously sized prawns that
were very meaty in texture, crunchy beans and tomatoes that
popped when bitten into, this colourful dish offered everything.
Another outstanding course that we would happily recommend.
My guest opted for the
selection of cheese and biscuits (£5.95) to finish and our only
criticism here was that we did not know what cheeses would
arrive. I opted for the Chocolate Bomb, chocolate ice cream and
chocolate sauce centre with real Belgian chocolate coating
(£4.95). As a self-confessed chocoholic this dessert was never
likely to disappoint and this was a more than enjoyable
conclusion to my meal.
Décor
The George is a traditional looking pub with a small bar at the
main entrance and various seating available for those just
wanting a quick drink or a snack. The restaurant is situated in
a large conservatory to the back with approximately fifty
covers. There is a massive contrast from the pub side to the
conservatory which looks and feels like a restaurant. With the
blinds pulled half way, there is an almost homely feel about the
place.
Atmosphere
Visiting anywhere on a Monday is probably not the best time to
judge the atmosphere of any location but this is definitely a
“friendly” place with welcoming locals and is the place to go
and relax and simply enjoy good company.
Service
You could not fault the service that came with a genuine and
glowing smile. The team at The George know their food and what
they are serving. Prompt and attentive, with impeccable timing
if you needed anything, we left a tip on top of the normal
service charge because we had enjoyed our meal so much. |
