The Sanctum on the Green restaurant is a quaint old building set in a picturesque village in Berkshire. It’s about as quaint and English as you can get and must be a great pull for tourists from overseas.
The business is partly owned by the manager of Iron Maiden, who has diversified into hospitality with some success if reviews are to be believed. They have managed to attract John Burton Race as consultant chef, which is quite a coup for a relatively new venture.
The menu is a la carte, inspired by John and executed by the resident chefs. We ordered off the “Sanctum Favourites” menu, a collection of meals that reflected the English and French influences of the restaurant and consultant chef.
We visited on a Monday night, which was obviously the chefs night off. What the receptionist taking the booking neglected to tell us was that this “Sanctum Favourites” menu was only a snapshot of the full menu.
The full menu wasn’t available on Mondays. While the selection was okay, it would have been nice to be informed that there was a limited menu. It may have affected our decision to dine there that night. Despite that, we ordered an enjoyable selection of dishes.
"John Burton Race consultant chef, quite a coup for a relatively new venture"
Our starter consisted of warm duck egg salad with Caesar dressing, smoked bacon and garlic croutons, and chicken and duck liver parfait, quince chutney and toasted brioche.
The dug egg salad was lovely. It was light, rich, and dressed with a delicate hand. The combination of egg, bacon and croutons could have tasted more like a breakfast than a starter, but it was lovely. The chicken and duck liver parfait was also flavoursome and delicious.
Main course was wild salmon and cod fishcakes with a poached hens egg and hollandaise sauce. We both had the same main course, and we’re glad we did. The fishcakes were light, crumbly and very well prepared. The seasoning was light, offering just enough to taste but not overpower the fish. The hollandaise was fresh, light, and was the perfect dip for the fish.
Dessert was crème brulee and a shortbread biscuit. The crème brulee was cooked to perfection, and was light, fluffy and tasted just sweet enough without becoming overbearing. The shortbread biscuit was light, warm and perfectly sweet.
Service at Sanctum on the Green was a little slow, despite there not being that many diners. That and the limited menu are the only criticisms we have of the place.
The Bill: £30 per head
