Disappointing Boxing Day lunch

It’s Boxing Day and we’ve booked to go back to The Rendezvous in Westerham for lunch.  We’d been on Boxing Day a couple of times, four or five years ago, so we’re quite looking forward to it.  And when we’re able to find a parking spot really close by, we’re in a really positive mood.

It’s a very attractive place, with lots of light from the big windows, clearly French but without being clichéd. There are about 4 or 5 other couples in when we arrive – all of whom turn to stare at us as if we were aliens!  We have between us halved the average age in the room – yes, even us! -  and this seems to be an unwelcome intrusion!  God knows what would happen if a 25-year old strayed in.

We are given a nice table by the window, where I can watch the excitements of Westerham pass by – two dog-walkers in an hour. The table is quite small, cluttered with cutlery glasses, a Xmas table setting and the basket of bread – hardly room for the wine and water.   The bread is lovely, pain rustique-style, auguring well for the set meal to come (at a very reasonable £25 a head on Boxing Day).  The wine list is on the pricey side, but we manage to find a Picpoul Pinet Clos Isabelle for £24.

B orders the scallops (supplement £3) to start, while I go for the mushroom risotto.  This comes nicely dressed with pesto and parmesan slices. But from here it goes downhill – we’ve both ordered the roast pheasant for main course – big mistake!   When we came a few years back, D had ordered the pheasant and remarked “it wasn’t very gamey” – when we sympathised she said “No, I don’t like it gamey!”.   Well, this time made up for it. Both our portions were dry, tough and with a harsh tang. The roasted root vegetables did nothing to lift it, and we both had to leave it half-eaten.

No comment from the waitress, presuming I guess that our teeth weren’t up to it.  Dessert was a little better – a crème brulée, was tasty but not bruléed enough; the ice hockey puck of Christmas pudding was lighter than it looked, but nothing special.

The place has filled up while we’re there, with a few other tables of people under 80. But it’s not what you’d call “buzzy”!   There’s a cover charge of £1.50 each (worth it for the bread I suppose, but only a 10% service charge, which for Boxing Day is impressive, making the total just £92.  But such a disappointment.