One of Reading's newest eaterires (Giraffe Restaurant (Reading))

Member Name: azana

Product:	Giraffe Restaurant (Reading)
Date:	16/05/09 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: relaxed atmosphere

Disadvantages: nothing fancy

Giraffe Restaurant in Reading opened in December 2008, and being
situated on the riverside at the Oracle Centre, it is surrounded by a
plethora of other restaurants from Japanese to Italian via fast food.
I suppose in this mix Giraffe could be described as a bit of
everything, I personally think that Giraffe restaurants are a nice
place to eat, this branch being no exception.

The brand started out in London as far as I know, and I used to eat
regularly in the Richmond branch which was non-smoking for the sake of
the food back in the days before that was law. The vibe of the brand
is world food with music in the restaurants to match.

The Reading venue is in a rather potentially soulless, being a rather
high ceilinged new building, however with good use of decor and rather
bright orange accents, artwork and funky chairs they have managed to
make it seem quite welcoming. There is a bar down one side of the
restaurant and along the back you can see some of the dishes being
cooked, all in a quite busy atmosphere - when I have eaten there the
mix has been families and the work crowd - I tend to eat there during
the day or early evening so later at night there may be a different
vibe.

The food:

You can see the menu online at www.giraffe.net, but there is a good
mix from burgers, club sandwiches, salads, enchilladas, pizzas, pasta
and lasagna. They do a lunch special for adults which I had on my
most recent visit. AT £6.95 for a drink and club sandwich and wedges
this is very good value. they also do a brunch and specials from
5-7pm where there is a deal for a starter and main for £7.25, which
seems quite good value to me.

It is slightly high end diner food with a "world" twist - so dips and
sauces for example, haute cuisine it isn't, but the ingredients are
fresh and it is not fussy food. There is bound to be something to
suit every taste.

The children's food is particularly good - far from being the usual
nuggets and chips there is a good range of actual fresh ingredients,
salmon fillet for example with mash and vegetables, there is also brunch, good old sausage and chips or veggie sausage and chips and burgers. Enough fresh vegetables to make a welcome change with enough chips and the like for kids to be attracted to the food. All this is £5.50 for a meal, drink and dessert. The plastic giraffet stirrer that comes with the drinks seems to be a winner with my kids!

Generally I think the food is good, and everything is well prepared and portions are on the generous side.

Service:

Service at this restaurant has always been very good when I have eaten here. The staff are friendly, helpful and efficient and quick to serve you with a smile. There are high chairs available and colouring for children - though not child sized cutlery, the restaurant is child friendly rather than being child dominated.

Overall:

This restaurant provides a pleasant eating experience and is good value for money. I quite like the world music and funky atmosphere and always enjoy my meals here. You can sign up to the newsletter at www.giraffe.net.. If you are shopping the Oracle I thoroughly recommend Giraffe as being a nice place to stop for a break.

Summary: contemporary restaurant with a good choice of food