Review of: The Wavendon Arms, Wavendon, Milton Keynes

4/5 (minimum 1)

by tom on 13 Mar 2007

A traditional roadside pub in the village of Wavendon, on the edge of Milton Keynes, that has recently been refurbished to the point where once inside you wouldn't even guess you were in a pub. They've done a fairly tasteful (if slightly over the top) job. Personally I think it goes a little bit too far, but whether or not you like it depends on how you feel about old pubs having such major surgery.

Inside there is a large dining area which is clearly the target market, and it is lovely and light and open, which on a sunny day is wonderful. The tables are comfy and simply done and I was really impressed by the menu when I saw it; every section contained numerous dishes that looked appealling, from pizzas, pasta, and salads to more substantial meals.

The blue cheese tortellini I ordered came in a creamy basil and walnut sauce, which was fairly tasty, however the tortellini itself was mediocre. If I hadn't ordered it, I wouldn't have guessed it contained blue cheese; in fact, if the waiter hadn't said "blue cheese tortellini" when he brought the plates I'd have sent it back on the basis that there'd been a mix up in the kitchen. To my mind a blue cheese tortellini should be pungent and gooey, which this certaibly wasn't. Bland and with an odd aftertaste better captures it.

As a side dish I went for a tomato, basil, and onion salad, which amounted to one large bowl (too large, which was odd given that the reasonable £2.50 price tag) of halved cherry tomatoes, fairly thickly sliced red onion, and a reasonable amount of basil. The result was totally unidimensional: the tomatoes were too sharp, the onion overwhelming, and the quantity unnecessary. Nigella Lawson's red onion marinade for greek salad would have worked wonders; even the red onion fan in me was put off.

The friends I ate with had a decent seafood risotto, and a deeply underwhelming (and undercooked) pizza. When this was flagged up to the (fairly sketchy) waitress she tried to tell us that that was just the style; the pizzas are thin-based with tomato on top, so apparently they're bound to be a bit soggy in the base. Not convinced? No, us neither. Try telling that to an Italian.

Overall the place has a nice atmosphere, and had a decent buzz on a weekday lunchtime. The food is reasonably priced (even if it needs a bit of work), and I would go back, just with lower expectations than the management might be hoping for the place.

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The Wavendon Arms, Wavendon, Milton Keynes

4 Other Reviews, by... foodcriticMK anom jo Rallph
Tags: calm eating-out food milton-keynes pub restaurant wavendon
Homepage: http://www.thewavendonarms.co.uk/