A Touch of Novelli at The White Horse

Jean-Christophe Novelli's cachet has risen considerably since he starred in Hell's Kitchen on TV & now he's spreading his wings further by launching what is the first of several planned gastropubs around the country. There's much to like here, too: the 19th-century premises have been given a bright & contemporary makeover, the sage green dining room boasting chandeliers & clever spotlighting, with the lounge bar decorated in dramatic shades of red. Cheery, efficient service & a well-chosen wine list, with a good selection by the glass, are further pluses, as is the appearance of some long-standing Novelli signature dishes. The four-hour braised oxtail, rubbed with liquorice stick, & accompanied by white almond & cauliflower mash & dried pancetta is a case in point: full of well-balanced flavours, lovely textures & cooked to perfection. We also greatly enjoyed one of our starters: chargrilled baby squid, salmon & king prawn lemongrass kebab given an enticing partnership with beetroot & blood orange oil. Sadly, though, not everything is so elevated. Diners are initially faced with the tricky task of breaking bread that's quirkily baked & served in a terracotta flowerpot. And our other starter of grilled Iberico ham & sweet Picarde chicory pancake with oven-glazed cauliflower mornay was heavy & disappointingly bland. Fish, meanwhile, dominates the main selection &, although our roast sea bream with chorizo oil & spiced baked aubergine, was perfectly acceptable, there was nothing exceptional about it. Similarly, desserts failed to set our pulses racing: coconut risotto pudding with vanilla foam & Szechuan roasted strawberry sounded thrilling but turned out to be nothing more than a stodgy rice pud.