Restaurant Guide

Pan fried duck breast and stir fried oriental vegetables in an orange and ginger dressing and river views are on the menu at The Island, situated on Caversham Bridge. Picture: Mike Englefield
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Island Bar and Restaurant, Caversham Bridge

By Tom Fahey
03/03/2010

You’re walking through town, hungry after extensive retail therapy, you see Nandos, Pizza Express or Wetherspoon – it could be any of them.

You know what you’ll get, what you’ll pay and the entrance is right there in front of you.

You’re walking home over Caversham Bridge. You see The Island. Is it a boat? Is it a floating function room? There’s no menu shown. What sort of food do they serve? How much is it? You don’t know. You feel uncertain. You have to walk over a mini-bridge to find out… so you keep on walking.

Some eating out decisions are easier than others. No one can fail to notice The Island, but how many people have actually been curious enough to cross the bridge?

Originally, The Island was a bar downstairs and a fancy restaurant upstairs. Now the restaurant has been integrated with the bar and the upstairs is a function room.

The bar is a bar. There is a good range of cocktails and a good wine list. The whole point of it is that you’re on the river, and the view is more pleasant than the view from Friar Street.

The food is just above pub level and priced to match with generally very large portions. Burgers, steaks, chicken breast, pasta, seabass and duck – you’ll know where you are with the options.

Butternut squash soup (£4) was a well-made winter warmer and came with assorted breads.

Goat’s cheese came grilled and melting over crisp toast with a few roasted red peppers and rocket (£5.90).

Duck breast (£15) was a light effort served with a whole host of crunchy, stir-fried vegetables including carrots, bean sprouts, baby corn and pak choi. An orange and soy sauce completed the French-means-Chinese theme.

For the more adventurous eater, The Island has just started serving ostrich. Far from the usual “tastes like chicken” affair, ostrich steaks (£16) are more akin to venison, served just past pink with a meaty, gamey flavour.

Chocolate brownies (£5) were served on kebab sticks with a strawberry, marshmallows and two pots of chocolate sauce, while a rich, gooey, chocolate pudding (£5) came with a dollop of cream.

While not personally my cup of tea, The Island’s food is at the same level and price as HaHa! or Old Orleans but, unlike many chains, The Island cooks everything from scratch on the premises.

The portion sizes are generous, the combinations tried and tested, and the view is fantastic – a special occasion venue without the special occasion prices or over-fancy, tiny-portion food.

Yes, it takes a bit more conscious decision-making to do it but why eat by the river when you can eat on it?

Contact Details

Telephone: (0118) 947 9530
Website: www.islandbar.co.uk
Address:
Pipers Island,
Caversham Bridge,
Caversham

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I would strongly urge anyone not to bother going to this bar/restaurant. I recently hired the downstairs for my wedding reception and the owner allowed members of the public and his friends to drink at the private reception which I had actually paid £500 to hire. I asked several times for them to leave as it was very embarrassing for myself and my guests but the owner was not interested in my complaint and continued to serve people. Also the toilets were in a very bad state of repair. There is absolutely no customer service at this location. Avoid at all costs. I have also eaten there before and that was also very poor. Great location dreadful Management and Service

louise richards
19/09/2011 at 15:09

Island bar & restaurant has been through a culinary renovation in providing authenticity. The Bar was converted into a Tapas Bar, while the Restaurant is serving Modern European with a Mediterranean twist. The Barbecue was the biggest wow factor in providing a rich selection of healthy options. And least but not last, the Vegans will have a generous selection of authentic Mediterranean dishes