The Black Horse, Reigate
Dinner for four - Saturday 21 September 2024
Here is a venue which gives much pleasure to thousands every year.
Unfortunately our experience ultimately left a bad taste.
Our welcome and subsequent service from staff was great.
The atmosphere of a packed Black Horse on a Saturday evening might challenge those seeking a quieter night's dining. No problem for us - we are happy to enjoy ourselves along with other people enjoying themselves!
The unacceptable element arrives with the food. This is essentially pub grub and ingredients are not necessarily going to be the very finest. Meat cuts and fish are certainly medium quality at best but sympathetic and skilful cooking can compensate for this. Sadly those who Heartwood Inns describe as 'chefs' showed little understanding of their task. Pork belly suffered from the lack of finish which would have balanced out what was simply overpowering fattiness. My chalk stream trout was a horrible affair. Instead of a thin, light crust from pan frying, the surface of the fish had been transformed into hard, jagged shards. Like an attack of multiple bones from a badly filleted fish.
Overcooked, chewy prawns and a sirloin steak which needed longer resting completed the damning evidence of a kitchen team who don't particularly care.
When part of the hospitality on offer relies heavily on presenting a decent eating experience, it should be a given that attention to detail and consistency are involved. The Black Horse kitchen have a lot of catching up to do.
Our visit tallies closely with the summary created on Tripadvisor by AI, based on recent reviews.
No, we didn't complain to anyone on the night. It seemed pointless. Previous reviews have informed the venue of their shortcomings but management appears happy to provide second best.
Our infrequent visits over years are very likely to end completely now.
Service charge, eh?
Fairly distributed?
Well, let’s hope the ‘chefs’ (poorly trained cooks) were offered a fairly tiny proportion of our gratuity.
…
UPDATE
General Manager, Dan, reacted calmly and generously to this review with his invitation to return for a complimentary meal.
I’m considering my options…
Dan’s response to my Tripadvisor review