Windsor's 'second most iconic building' is 'perfect' for new Test Kitchen restaurant

The couple behind a popular new restaurant and bar in St Leonards Road are urging residents to ‘go independent’ this festive season.

LEE LEE is a ‘hybrid creation’ by Milly Foley and John O'Connor, 40, which is ‘equal parts restaurant, cocktail bar and invitation-only karaoke den’, that opened in late August.

The founders of Test Kitchen initially operated as a food truck before collaborating with Patch on the Plaza until 2024, and have served their ‘food truck classics’ from the Unit 4 Windsor and Eton Brewery taproom since last year.

Milly and John have ‘furiously’ been trying to ‘get a place of our own’ after nearly a decade of different ventures, including curating the menu at The George in Eton and running supper clubs.

“I'll be honest – I've wanted 65 St Leonards Road for about 20 years – it’s where I had my first alcoholic beverage,” Milly told the Express about the former Merry Wives of Windsor pub.

“I think it's the most iconic building aside from the castle in Windsor. I love it.”

Having grown up in Windsor, Milly knew there was ‘scope to bring something new and exciting’ as the town was ‘lacking in somewhere that had energy and was independent’.

“It’s always important to me to support the independents, somewhere that has a great atmosphere and music and great drinks and great food,” she said.

“Something that had all those things I could never find in Windsor, so I wanted to make it ourselves.”

Being located in St Leonards ‘village’ was also a ‘massive goal’ as her father owned a record shop there in the 70s, and the ‘amazing community’ still retains the ‘old Windsor charm’ that she says is ‘lost’ closer to Peascod Street.

“It feels like a perfect spot for us,” said Milly.

LEE LEE serves an ‘eclectic’ food and cocktail menu of ‘global inspired food’ that ‘riffs off childhood favourites’ with nostalgic dishes.

“The food at Lee Lee is a culmination of mine and John’s entire lives,” added Milly.

“It’s sometimes inspired by my Chinese and Malaysian heritage and [or] John's Portuguese heritage, but it's always going to be food that we want to eat and food that we do eat ourselves.

“Everywhere we go, including Patch on the Plaza, we've always designed everything for sharing, and it also brings that social aspect to meals.

”We're not trying to break the mould here, but it's probably a little bit different compared to other places in Windsor.”

Professional chef John is cooking in every service, and they have a nine-strong team helping them go from ‘strength to strength’ since opening day.

"We opened LEE LEE at a reasonably quiet time of year, while a lot of residents were out of town on their summer holidays,” said Milly.

“As a neighbourhood spot, the master plan was to iron out any kinks over launch and go full throttle for Christmas.

“We have, rather enthusiastically, opened in what's widely known in the industry as ‘the worst year for restaurants...ever’, so we're really hoping that our local corporate friends will consider independent restaurants to host their big Christmas dos this year.

“We all need the support now more than ever.”

Loyal customers who have ‘grown along’ with Test Kitchen have been providing the team with ‘constructive, honest feedback’ since launch.

”It's been great. We've all learned so much, and we're going to continue to over the next kind of 20 years, hopefully, given the chance,” said Milly.

”It’s everything that I'd hoped for.”