THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com  created by Valerie Martin, contains scenes from her home village of Findon, West Sussex, U.K.

A JUNE LUNCHTIME AT THE BLACK HORSE

check out the menu on www.mountainrangerestaurants.co.uk

Copyright Valerie Martin 2006



 

Over to Nish the restaurant critic....

 

1st June 2006

Valerie,

Today I decided to try The Black Horse, Mountain Range, Restaurant and Bar.

First of all, I wish the old wooden Black Horse sign was still there. Somehow The Black Horse, with a daft looking mountain range sign just isn't the same.

They have done a lot of work on the inside of the premises. The public bar with the snooker table is gone, it has all been opened up and looks rather like a large dining room now. The decor definitely doesn't give me the impression of an English pub. I suspect that is intentional.

There is an adequate range of beers and cider on tap. The usual tasteless Stella lager.   London Pride, Harvey's Sussex and Guinness are the "real ales". I would like to see them put a couple of local beers, for example Hepworth's from Horsham and Arundel Brewery from, well, Arundel, on also. I thought the beers on tap were a bit expensive.

My partner and myself had the steak ciabatta and lobster bloomer which we divided up so we could sample both. They were excellent, just the right sized proportions with the option of chips or salad, both the chips and the salad were very nice.

Disappointingly the coffee doesn't come with free refills unlike some other establishments locally.

The service was good.

I will go back for an evening meal. I am intrigued by the prospect of cooking my own meat or fish course on a hot piece of granite brought to my table.

Interestingly the skittle alley is still there.

All in all a ten out of ten for the food. But a little pricey.

Nish.

Nish Vardy, Findon Village, West Sussex.

 

It's worth mentioning that the restaurant was empty of diners..... and rather disappointingly barely a handful trickled in at lunchtime today.

No paper serviettes here..... but linen napkins are provided at the table..... a nice touch and impressive for the old Black Horse that I remember of yesteryear.

The restaurant is clean and airy.... but the décor is not impressive and bland.   The service was good.   Toilets are excellent.

The menu is considered to be rather confusing..... too many mountain range names muddled in with the dishes on offer..... the diner is not sure if one is eating Alps or pasta.  A more straight forward menu selection would be appreciated I am sure.

The fare was thought over priced for what you get.   A steak Ciabatta £7..... a steak sandwich with comparatively thin steak with lettuce, tomato, beetroot, mushroom and onion mayo.    A lobster bloomer £8. ..... a lobster sandwich comprising some chunks of lobster with avacado salsa, rocket and airoli.   

I understand that one of the choices is "Hot Rocks"....yes, you can cook your own choice of meat or veg at your table and pick a rub or dip.     Your choice is then cooked on a slab of granite pre-heated to a high sufficient temperature and brought to the table.  I'm not quite sure how this works..... if you've experience it, please let us all know the result.    It is pointed out by the establishment that this little operation of cooking your own meat is done "at your own risk".    Interesting?

The main mystery still remains..... where did the carved black horse sign disappear to.    There seems to be no sign of it in the new Black Horse.  Shame.

Plenty of empty parking spaces at the Black Horse on the left.   Findon High Street..... looking north.


A solitary customer props up the bar.... smoking allowed here.... but it is right next to the restaurant.

 

The old skittle alley doesn't appear to have improved.

 

The  restaurant void is of customers and it is 1 p.m.

 

Sampling the outside seating in solitude at the Mountain Range Black Horse at lunchtime.

 


2nd June 2006

Hi Valerie

What a wonderful report on the Black Horse Inn......

Terry

Terry Walls, Canberra, Australia.


 

 

 

2nd June 2006

Hi Valerie

Black Horse

Fascinating to note that there do not appear to be two matching chairs in
the restaurant - or am I mistaken?

Regards

Bruce

Bruce Elston, Gaborone, Botswana.

 

 

Well spotted, Bruce..... go to the top of the class.    You could even gain a gold star if you continue at this rate.   While mentioning school, the dining chairs do look to be a job lot (an odd assortment) and some appear to be old school chairs with a ledge for keeping scholars 'books.   

I thought it an odd touch for a re-vamped restaurant.... perhaps it is to add a quaint village touch.... but not quite sure where it fits in with the mountaineering theme.

I'm still waiting to hear from someone out there who has had a hot granite meal.

Meanwhile.... here is a reply from the Manager of the Black Horse.....

 

Hi Valerie,

Black Horse

Dear Valerie,

If it is possible I would like to reply to the review for The Black Horse posted on your website. I am happy for you to publish my reply.

It’s probably easier to answer the points raised as they occur through the review:

Carved Black Horse   When we took down the Horse it was in a very poor state of repair, we are currently trying to have it renovated so that we can put it back in a prominent position (we love the carved horse too!)

Real Ales:  The Black Horse is on an Enterprise Inns Lease and much as we would like to feature local beers we are restricted on our beers to their range.

Free Refills: We do offer free refills on our filter coffee and indeed on our Coke, Diet Coke and Lemonade if you eat.

Good service  Thanks, we pride ourselves on friendly efficient service.

Hot Granite  cooking Our ‘Hot Rocks’ are a fantastic way to eat great produce.  In both of our restaurants it is one of the most popular items on our menu.

Skittle Alley  We were never going to get rid of the Skittle Alley; in fact we have completely renovated the room and added leather furniture.

We can also now take up the Alley and put down rugs to turn it into a great private function room.

We even swap the score board for a picture to make the room more inviting.

10 out of 10 bit pricey   Great to get 10 out of 10 for the food. We believe that you get what you pay for, all our food is fresh cooked and we buy top quality produce.  We know that you will taste the difference.

Empty of Diners  We had only been opened a month and we do no marketing for a couple of months so that we can make sure that everything up to standard before things get busy.

Real Napkins  Thanks I hate paper napkins too.

Décor Bland Wow, the company I use to source all my artworks will be very disappointed; we have 34 pictures ranging from small to a 2 metre square satellite picture of the Dolomites.

We have 13 fossils and rock cross sections and two cabinets full of Mountain artifacts.

We also totally rebuilt two fireplaces with drywall rock blocks, one has a huge granite block set into the face.

I know that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but most people love the new look with beautiful wood floors and slate tiles.

Menu Confusing   It is a very extensive selection. I do take you comments on board.

 Our waiting staff are always very willing to help you find your way around the choices.

Hot Rocks Own Risk   We obviously have to put a disclaimer on the menu as the rocks are very hot, but they really are very easy to use and the waiting staff explain everything.

There have had no problems at either of our restaurants.

Black Horse Mystery   Hopefully we have solved the mystery. I will let you know when we have a date for the Black Horse’s return.

I hope that we will have the opportunity of meeting in the near future,

Sincerely

David Downard

C.E.O. Mountain Range Restaurants

 

Yes, I'll pop in, David.....I can look up the menu on  www.mountainrangerestaurants.co.uk and you are all invited to do the same.

Continue if you would like to read I Could Eat A Horse.

 

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THIS IS FINDON VILLAGE — www.findonvillage.com is a continually growing record created by Valerie Martin exclusively for documenting life in Findon.

 

E-mail: valeriemartin@findonvillage.com