Review: We tried The Oarsman and its new terrace in Marlow

The owners Nigel Sutcliffe, who previously worked with Heston Blumenthal and was previously managing director of The Crazy Bear Group, and James Mclean, who started his career winning Young Chef of the Year, have worked together for over 20 years and continue to improve the popular venue in Marlow.

Nigel has been a wine connoisseur for many years and this is evident from the wine list which includes a wide range of choices with some rare wines.

We sat outside on the newly opened terrace, enjoying the top-quality food in the outside seating area.

Guests can choose from a traditionally-formatted menu and then accompanying larder, charcuterie, or cheese selection.

To start we tried the ‘Hand Picked Crab, Watermelon and Avocado’.

The starters

This was a real eyecatcher with the crab was placed on a slice of bright watermelon.

It was really light tasting fresh and acting as a perfect starter.

Also to start we opted for the ‘Steak Tartare, Croutons, Smoked Egg Yolk’.

The croutons were thin and crispy with a touch of salt, perfect for spreading the steak tartare.

The steak tartare itself tasted great alongside the smoked egg yolk which added a twist to the popular starter.

For our mains decided on the ‘Pork Chop, Hispi Cabbage and Nduja’ along with the ‘Fried Fillet of Cod, Seaweed Chips, Peas, Roast Lemon Purée'.

The mains

On the side, we went for the ‘Crisp Potato with Chilli and Aioli’, which tasted as good as it looked and only left you wanting more.

The pork was beautifully cooked falling apart with each bite.

The hispi cabbage added a wonderful crunch along with a kick of spice from the nduja on top.

The fillet of cod was also cooked to perfection in a delicious batter and came with traditional mushy peas and a refreshing lemon puree.

For pudding, we tried the ‘Banana Set Cream, Dolce De Leche, Banana Fritter’ and ‘Mascarpone Ice Cream, Granola, Plum Soup’.

The desserts

Both of these were a great way to end the night with the highlight being the banana fritter sat on top of a luscious set cream.

Overall, it was clearly obvious that every aspect of the food had been thought about in great detail.

The staff were a delight to speak to and had incredible knowledge of each dish and wine on the menu.

There was a great atmosphere on the terrace with everyone undoubtedly enjoying their food.

Opening a restaurant in Marlow can be tough with the likes of Tom Kerridge, Atul Kochhar, and the popular The Ivy in the town but The Oarsman is living up the heights as they close in on their one-year anniversary.