Riverside Brasserie RIP?

As for evening meals, why bother when you can either eat on board,
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.
A.The blimming washing up, thats why :)

and

"a whole host of places just an hours cruise away in Windsor"
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B. Because Windsor is full of rough types and an its blimming hour to get back again afterwards :)
 
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Must admit I was surprised and a little sad to find out on Saturday that the Brasserie was dead. I've eaten in there quite a few times and both the food and service were always excellent. Certainly not a cheap meal but very good none the less and a venue I'll miss.

Whenever we were there, they always seemed to be really busy and we've been turned away a few times due to them being fully booked, they even offered to do us a take-away one evening when we called at the last minute. I had assumed that being so busy they were doing well but I guess they were only open a few nights a week and then closed most of the winter, so no money coming in but the bills keep adding up. They were talking last year about expanding and adding a bar, which would have been handy.

Surprised at the comment about being turned away because of wearing jeans, as thats usually what I was wearing when I went there...

When it comes to a replacement, I can understand the call for a cafe style place for breakfasts and lunch but when it comes to evening meals, if its not serving something better than I could knock up on the boat, then can't see why we'd bother going there. Doesn't have to be quite as expensive a proposition as the Brasserie was though but can't lower the standards too much and let the riff-raff in, this is Bray after all... :D
 
I'm not a Bray resident but have visited by car and boat, have to say I'm surprised it survived at all, no passing trade, a portacabin atmosphere next to cranes and boat bits, located at the end of long unwelcoming road with speed bumps and lots of private marina signs. Not exactly where you would expect to find an upmarket restaurant, why would you even stop in your boat with so many other options nearby, looked at the menu/prices a few times and just walked away.
 
watson1959 said:
They should have taken a lesson from the cafe/bistrot on the waterfront at Benson.

I hadnt been there for some years but during last summer a business contact who lives locally suggested we meet there for a discussion and coffee. I must admit my first reaction was 'eh??...he must be kidding.' How wrong I was.

There's now proper tables & seating outside for around 30 covers and at least the same inside. Very good menu, excellent coffee, spotlessly clean and with very polite service. The place is packed. Benson is way off the main traffic centres but this place has built a solid business through very good products, pricing and service. They have free wifi and the place was crowded by 1pm. We now meet there regularly, referring it to is 'the Benson HQ'....and we're not the only ones having business meetings there.

I cant get my head around a site which has a captive audience (like at a marina) not making the effort to capitalise on that as a foundation. That said, the hospitality market is full of people whose sheer arrogance (ignorance?) means that they prefer instead to 'sell what they want, when they want and to whom they want' as opposed to creating a business which people will make an effort to go to. I suppose they just have naive dreams...as opposed to a business plan.

Shame really....I'd love my own place like that.........
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Also agree have eaten there a couple of times and its always busy.

I guess the difference is that it is adjacent to quite a busy road so will always attract passers by and also its not sited in an expensive marina.....
 
Chris_d said:
I'm not a Bray resident but have visited by car and boat, have to say I'm surprised it survived at all, no passing trade, a portacabin atmosphere next to cranes and boat bits, located at the end of long unwelcoming road with speed bumps and lots of private marina signs. Not exactly where you would expect to find an upmarket restaurant, why would you even stop in your boat with so many other options nearby, looked at the menu/prices a few times and just walked away.
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Think I might be missing something. What are the "many other options nearby" with boat access?
 
Chris_d said:
I meant why would you choose to stop at Bray marina for an overnight with Windsor and Maidenhead as options.
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Don't think I've ever considered Maidenhead a real option for an overnight stop. Anywhere on the river is a fair way from town centre and, apart from the Boulters Restaurant no food/beverage options to write home about.

As Apollo has said (make the most of this Mike, I'm agreeing with you !) Benson and Bray are chalk and cheese. Benson is very much a greasy spoon type establishment, close to the road, with a hire base next door providing a steady stream of changeover punters every weekend during the summer. The roadside proximity almost makes it a transport cafe year round. Unless its improved a lot it's not on my list of meal-stop options.

The Bray restaurant is miles from any passing traffic - they haven't even got (maybe not allowed?) any eye-catching signage on the main road. To suggest that berth holder custom could sustain the place is wishful thinking. Knowing the marina management, I cannot believe they are not considering every angle in terms of tenancy arrangements, including realistic rent - they have every reason to want the place to market the marina itself. On the other hand, I can fully understand if they do not wish it to become another "Bounty" and I suspect there would be opposition from local residents if that were even suggested.
 
What are we going to do? that's the Bray Brasserie closed, The Two Brewers closed, The Showboat closed and OTT. Just leaves the Bounty, The flower Pot and The Ferry for us locals. A bit further Boulters and The George and Dragon
 
Aquafan said:
What are we going to do? that's the Bray Brasserie closed, The Two Brewers closed, The Showboat closed and OTT. Just leaves the Bounty, The flower Pot and The Ferry for us locals. A bit further Boulters and The George and Dragon
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Showboat has a new tenant called "John", lets see what happens
 
"Benson is very much a greasy spoon type establishment" - I would disagree with that comment. It does do breakfast, but also has a very large menu offering decent evening type meals all through the day.
 
thamesS23 said:
"Benson is very much a greasy spoon type establishment" - I would disagree with that comment. It does do breakfast, but also has a very large menu offering decent evening type meals all through the day.
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He he , this is Tone you are talking to, he don't do cheap joints!
For rest of us - I agree its not a greasy spoon.

Hadnt remembered OTT, yet another one in a "marina" that's died.....

Impressed how fast Harleyford has found a new tenant, maybe they took a view on it...good luck to him - I need my Friday night local feed.
 
thamesS23 said:
"Benson is very much a greasy spoon type establishment" - I would disagree with that comment. It does do breakfast, but also has a very large menu offering decent evening type meals all through the day.
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Agreed certainly not a greasy spoon, they descibe themselves as a Brasserie! Place is an absolute gold mine right on a prime Oxford to Henley road popular with tourists, cyclists, bikers, walkers (Thames path goes through it!), in fact the only people who don't use it much are boaters as there is rarely space to moor.
 
thamesS23 said:
"Benson is very much a greasy spoon type establishment" - I would disagree with that comment. It does do breakfast, but also has a very large menu offering decent evening type meals all through the day.
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Having now taken a look at their website - http://www.waterfrontcafe.co.uk - it looks as if it has changed considerably since my bad brekkie experience some years ago. My point was that it was not trying to be an upmarket type establishment and is in a location that can attract considerable passing trade.
Has mooring availability improved if you want to stop for a meal?
 
boatone said:
Has mooring availability improved if you want to stop for a meal?
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It used to be possible to get in there on a regular basis but now it is full of the Le Boat hireboats, might be better mid-week but you can't rely on finding a space has to be a spur of the moment
thing, bit like the Bounty.
 
Windsor is good, either the 'Coffee shop mooring' by the bridge, or the Island. The Brocas is finished...

Upstream, Cookham is fine. Boulters is owned by an arrogant guy who has no business sense... :-)
 
The full english breakfast at Boulters is poor but bar meals and the restaurant meals we have had have been first class!

They could of done a better job dredging the moorings but otherwise no complaints!
 
Chill said:
The full english breakfast at Boulters is poor but bar meals and the restaurant meals we have had have been first class!

They could of done a better job dredging the moorings but otherwise no complaints!
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+1 for those sentiments, Geoff. Had several really good dinners at Boulters, but really not keen on the moorings and seens several boats using their props as dredgers!
 
Full English in the Riverside park at Maidenhead is not too bad and fairly cheap, we always moor in front of the park and use either the cafe or Boulters. There is also
a Thai and a couple of Pubs. Its not the quietest mooring with the road but we have stayed overnight many times there.
There is also a little cafe on Boulters Island with a Bird sanctuary and gardens, there is stuff there which I think gets overlooked.
 
Chill said:
The full english breakfast at Boulters is poor but bar meals and the restaurant meals we have had have been first class!

They could of done a better job dredging the moorings but otherwise no complaints!
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The food at Boulters varies. We had a lovely meal downstairs once, but then a few weeks later, some 'Thrice cooked Chips and a burger' was horrible. The Burger was packed full of so many Herbs it was truly vile, while the Chips were just rubbish...

My particular comment however, was aimed at the fact the owner would not consider knocking a couple of quid per head off a Thirty person cruise booking. When you consider the guests would consume £XXX worth of booze, this was a very very silly decision!
 
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