The Coach and Horses Pub and Dining Room

The restaurant is at the back of the pub bar, which seemed ok, good layout and environment, not particularly convivial due to small number of slightly po-faced customers. The dining room is bare and rectangular, warmed up by red decoration and enough accoutrements. The atmosphere was relaxed, a nice hubbub of conversation thankfully not reaching the decibels exerted by the SW residents who live and eat round my way. The waiting staff were readily available, relaxed and pleasant. Food was mainly bold and good. For starters I had ham hock, brown shrimp and monk's beard salad which was great, a well-balanced assembly. Good quality oil and generous parsley knitted it together well. Monk's beard is a fine tubular sea-weed, just in case you get introduced. Friends had a delicate almond soup and a gutsy anchovy/ manchego/ toast combo, both good. Wines appeared to be good value, though I defer to my more learned colleagues on that one.

Mains were a veal shank pie, confit pork belly, and a cod/ morcilla dish. My pie was the worst of the lot unfortunately, underseasoned, with a bland tomato sauce overwhelming the underwhelming veal. A non-descript pastry top completed the impression of a dish that hadn't progressed far enough from a Harvester version. The fish dish featured a perfectly timed, chunky piece of cod, with good, though slightly too chunky, morcilla. The pork belly was predictably rich (not sure belly needs the confit treatment) but was certainly moist and had good flavour.

One course of four cheeses was generous in the extreme and enough for 4 of us.

Then the clock struck 11 and we were treated to the full lights on pub chucking-out regime. No lee-way to finish up in our own time, we were shepherded into the bar at 11 and were firmly asked to leave 20 minutes thereafter. We'd finished our drinks by this point and were standing by the door waiting for someone to leave the loo so didn't feel like we were getting too much in the way.

Shame, really, as the kitchen seems to have a good thing going. Have been pushed out the door of many a pub, isn't quite the same experience in a restaurant, whether it's attached to a pub or not.
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Adam B
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Saturday, June 07, 2008

Coach and Horses is perfectly tucked away in Farringdon, parked nearly behind the Observer newspaper - it is a true gastropub and although we were expecting more of a lazy Sunday lunch we were presented with a menu with 4 options per course. The Cold Almond Soup was absolutely delicious and opting for Pork Loin for the main, I was certainly not disappointed. Two of four of the party opted for the Polenta, Caponta and Gorgonzola vegetarian option and it was beautiful. The service was unobtrusive but friendly and prompt.

I would certainly go back and throughly recommend this place.
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psikodude - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Monday, June 02, 2008

Having just read a recent (feb 2008) review I must disagree with some of the comments made.I took three friends for dinner on Friday 12th April, and enjoyed an outstanding meal, starting with bread, three types, which were faintly warm from the oven, and were utterly delicious, what's more the butter (keens salted farmhouse butter, i'm told) was simply perfect.

I had a pizzetta with roasted cep, confit potato, reblochon cheese and white truffle oil, which was really good and a great combination of flavours, others ordered jellied hamhock, with rhubarb cheese ( a post-war british rationing recipe, apparently), potato, wild garlic and parmesan soup(silky and moreish) and a fabulous dish of anchovies, red wine soaked goats cheese, aioil and soldiers.Quite honestly as good as I've eaten in so called gastronomic restaurants at twice the price.

Our main courses were again exceptional - salt-cured duck breast, morcilla, puy lentils, and a dressing of veal jus, olive oil and amontillado sherry.....which was a serious piece of cooking. A roasted skate-wing, with shrimp butter, chips and watercress salad was so fresh and simple, it won us over completely.My companions ordered line-caught mackerel, with pea-shoot, smoked bacon and new potato salad, (again perfectly simple, but perfectly executed.) and an unusual veal shank pie, different but gorgeous.

We had little room for pudding, but the peanut butter ice cream and jam tartlet was something to rave about, totally delicious.we sneaked in a cute little chocolate and lavender cake with whisky cream, and i'm glad we did because

it was really something for the tastebuds to sit up and notice.

Our waiter informed us there's a new chef(of six month's so not that new, actually) and he's really settling in well, I could only concur.

Service was prompt, polite and inobtrusive, and the wine matched the food very well indeed.SO, I recommend this place wholeheartedly, you can't please everyone, but you can have a good go at it.
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robert henson - View all reviews by this user
Overall rating
Food 10 | Service 9 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 10
Tuesday, April 15, 2008

I went there for pub lunch with some of colleagues. Fancy sounding dishes on the menu. After bit of explaination about what they are, I ordered (some kind of cheese) and spinach pizzette. Which wasn't that good and I find everyone else dishes were also small size portions. which makes it little bit over priced. I don't like their idea of bread (looked like loaf bread but wasn't).. they could improve on that as well... To be honest I didn't enjoy my food at all. but in fairness, everybody else liked their food. I wouldn't recommend pizzete from that place. friendly staff and good atmosphere.
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Jay
Overall rating
Food 2 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 6 | Value for money 4
Friday, March 28, 2008

i have just had a fantastic meal, one which could compare to any west end restaurant. the thing is it was on a back street in, of all places, Hammersmith. the chefs food was quite fantastic, with no pretention, just pure flavour and talant. god bless restuarants such as The Capenters Arms. it was not to full but i fear this will not last. go now while they still have the space!
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 7 | Value for money 8
Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Very well prepared and tasty pub food. Decent service and nice relaxed athmosphere on Sunday afternoon.
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Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 8 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8
Saturday, December 23, 2006

I went on 10th October 2006. Difficult to fault this gastropub - leaves the Eagle, Duke of Cambridge, Elk in the Woods, Gunmaker standing: good service from a very friendly South African lady, who knew her wines (unfortunately service dropped off sharply after she disappeared half way through the meal); imaginative menu, fairly priced. Excellent wine list. Good decor too - modern, not contemporary, with a slightly dreamy 1950s-1970s feel. Highly recommended.
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Neil
Overall rating
Food 8 | Service 6 | Atmosphere 9 | Value for money 9
Thursday, October 12, 2006

I went here after my graduation as it was recommended in the Time Out guide. The food was excellent - a whole Sea Bream at a bargain price of £12 was perfectly cooked. The meal was excellent, as was the wine and the atmosphere.
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Mark Baker
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 7 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 9
Monday, March 27, 2006

definitely disagree, never believe the timeout when they say its the gastopub of the year. Its not. They can't makeup their mind whether its a pub or a restaurant. Too smoky and if you want to eat on a friday night avoid it. The quality of the food is never consistent, portions vary in size depending on the chefs mood. Some of the staff is so unfriendly.
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David, East London.
Overall rating
Food 3 | Service 5 | Atmosphere 1 | Value for money 3
Tuesday, January 31, 2006