The story
The Coach, located at 3 West Street in the bustling town of Marlow, is a welcoming one-starred Michelin pub that serves classic and inventive food. Part of the Tom Kerridge Group, it offers a relaxed, informal atmosphere where everyone is welcome. The focal L-shaped pewter bar and cosy interior create a genuine pub feel, while small TV screens allow guests to catch the latest sports.
Leading the kitchen is Head Chef Brad Cacela, who has been with the Tom Kerridge Group for over eight years, previously serving as Senior Sous Chef at The Hand & Flowers. This is his first head chef role, and he brings new dishes to the menu while leading a talented kitchen team. The Coach’s small plate menu showcases traditional British classics with a contemporary twist, served as and when they are ready.
The Coach offers a cosy and relaxed setting. Bar stools face directly onto the open kitchen, giving diners front-row seats to all the culinary theatre at the pass. The restaurant also features a semi-private dining room and offers Dine & Stay experiences. A carefully crafted wine list sits alongside locally brewed beers and ales. Breakfast is served on Saturday and Sunday on a walk-in basis, with options from a hearty full English to lighter fare.
The lunch and dinner menu changes seasonally, but signature dishes include The Coach Caesar Salad, Braised Lamb Shoulder with Smoked Onion, and The Coach Chicken Kiev with English Green Asparagus and Wild Garlic Emulsion. Rotisserie options like Jerk Spiced Monkfish and Sherry Glazed Whole Stuffed Quail are also available. For dessert, the Alphonso Mango Rum Baba with Vanilla Chantilly and the Warm White Chocolate Chip Cookie & Marshmallow Pot are standouts. The Coach is open every day except Tuesday for lunch and dinner, with reservations taken up to three months in advance.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
High quality cooking
3 Rosette Award for Culinary Excellence
Take a peep into the Coach and you might be misled. This 'welcoming and friendly' town-centre venue – one of four Tom Kerridge establishments in Marlow – still has all the trappings of a bustling boozer. There’s attractive green tiling on the walls, a fine choice of local ale on the handpumps, seating on red leather banquettes or bar stools, and even a few TV screens (on mute) tuned to sports channels. However, it's the food that takes precedence – and classy food at that. Tables can only be booked on the day (apart from weekend breakfasts, when it's walk-ins only). Try to bag a seat near the open kitchen, where head chef Sarah Hayward creates a repertoire of small-plate dishes that arrive as and when they’re ready. A velvety little helping of watercress and Jersey Royal soup might kick things off in summer, served with a wondrously light Parmesan-topped cheese scone with ham-hock butter. Likewise, mushroom ‘risotto’, topped with more Parmesan, had an intensity born of culinary skill and training. It also revealed Kerridge’s low-carb convictions, with slivers of mushroom taking the place of rice (and there’s no bread on the menu). An inspection meal continued with highs and lows: half a barely cooked hispi cabbage with a salad cream and pork-puff topping was surpassed by roasted sea bass with cockles, saffron potato and a mouth-wateringly savoury bouillabaisse sauce. Flair was most evident when it came to dessert: a sublime choux bun arrived with a creamy yet tangy filling of mango and coconut (the accompanying custard-like pineapple rum sauce was scarcely needed), while a rich chocolate and orange sponge with chocolate sauce was enhanced by the bitter notes of marmalade ice cream. To drink, the pithy wine list holds much of interest (including whites from Syria, Greece and Norfolk) and there’s a short selection of inventive (if pricey) cocktails too. Service from polite young men is well-meaning, though a few extra training sessions wouldn’t go amiss. Nevertheless, it’s the bonhomous vibe that keeps this Coach on track.
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