The White Horse

“You cannot be serious” I muttered to my friend who had suggested this as a lunch venue, remembering the one and only time I had been in this previously grotty, soul-less pub. “No, no, it's really changed” she enthused shoving me through the doors before I had chance to turn and bolt in the opposite direction. How right she was; walking in I experienced that ‘messiah’ moment, normally reserved for participants in home makeover shows. A wow factor indeed.

Fortunately we had booked as it was pretty busy relatively early on in the lunchtime period. We were seated immediately by very friendly staff – indeed all the waiting staff were efficient, friendly and helpful. My friend, from a previous visit, recommended main courses only given portion sizes and she was not wrong. Her burger was huge and my warm chicken salad was certainly an ample lunch dish. Both were very well executed and presented – particular mention has to be made of the chicken which was the tastiest and succulent piece of meat I have eaten in a long, long time. Another huge plus point is that most of the wines are offered by the glass – as City lunches aren't what they used to be a glass is sometimes all we have time for and it was refreshing to be offered something other than the standard Pinot, Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

The only downside to our meal was the inconsiderate large party behind us who managed to squeeze about 14 people onto a table designed for 8! Their whooping and yelling at every new arrival to their party was an unwelcome distraction but given the amount of alcohol they were shipping in, it was clear that they had no thought for any other diners in the vicinity. A shame but more a comment on the behaviour of some people these days rather than a direct fault of the pub itself, although perhaps they could have done something to deter the crowd that at times gathered around the table. That said, the food and staff are such that this will be added to local lunch venues and recommended accordingly.