Restaurants

With its gleaming dark wood flanks, the Horse is a well-groomed beast. You’d never mistake it for an ordinary boozer, even before reading the menu – what with the huge candelabra, ornate mirror and cantering horses behind the bar. This equine-themed sister to the Black Sheep pubs (near the Oval and at Crystal Palace) has Black Sheep bitter on draught, alongside Belgian brews Hoegaarden, Leffe and Staropramen. The lunch menu is extremely cheap – all dishes are £3.50 or £4.50 – yet has a gastro slant. Spicy thai chicken curry with rice was a modest portion, not over-subtle in flavour, but great value. Portobello mushroom burger with onion marmalade and gorgonzola was a challenging contrast of flavours, the nicest being sweet red onions. It arrived tepid, with rapidly cooling, skin-on fries, but our complaint yielded a hot replacement served with good grace by the friendly staff. Dinner is fancier and pricier. Fried mackerel, organic salmon, risottos and seasonal salad starters precede mains such as crispy pork belly (with champ and summer veg), aged Scottish steak, or new-season lamb. Our witty pudding of caramelised peaches with Tic Tac (orange flavour) dust and pistachio ice-cream was marred by one half of the fruit being under-ripe.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008