May 9, 2014

The Red Lion Horsell

Some glorious mid-week sunshine had the Red Lion’s patio calling our names and off to Horsell we went. Set on Horsell High Street. Large car park.

It’s BBC’s James Cannon’s favourite Surrey restaurant for good reason. The whole pub is beautifully maintained and tastefully decorated inside and out, with not so much as a throw cushion out of place. It’s smart and stylish yet comfortable.

Inside you’ll find several well appointed rooms with exposed brick, an open fire and some inviting sofas and chairs. It’s a thoroughly modern gastropub, there’s no “stuff on the walls” here and it’s nice and bright.

Outside is even better, with gorgeous flowers everywhere you look. There’s a good sized enclosed patio arranged around a couple of nice trees and heaps of flowers.

Behind the patio is a large secluded garden with plenty of picnic tables and yet more flowers.

It’s certainly one of the best lunch menus around and the regular menu is good too. The menu is wide enough that it’s impossible not to find something you fancy. The real challenge here is choosing just one thing. All of the food is freshly prepared. The service is friendly and welcoming.

We both elected to have sandwiches, the sandwiches here are a notch above your regular sandwich.

Marie had chicken, pesto mayonnaise, red peppers & spinach. The bread was lovely and the contents full of flavour. It came with a not very exciting salad. She looked longingly to Lynn’s chips and realised she made the wrong choice of sides.

Lynn had steak, onion marmalade and wholegrain mustard served on ciabatta. It was a nice solid satisfying sandwich. Good chips, she had to eat them quick before Marie could steal any.

It’s difficult to say anything negative about The Red Lion, it’s just a lovely place with lovely food.

Menu	5
Food	4
Decor/Ambiance	4
Service	4
Value	4
Total	21/25

High Street, Horsell, Surrey, GU21 4SS Website – www.redlionhorsell.co.uk
Dogs welcomed in the garden

May 7, 2014

Pinnock’s Coffee House

We were out to celebrate Lynn’s birthday and with miserable weather forcing us indoors we opted for one of our favourite cosy spots, Pinnock’s. Located in one of Ripley’s ancient buildings, on the high street near the intersection with Newark Lane (beside the Thomas Ford and Sons.) It’s easy to miss as the sign can be hard to spot. Street parking is usually easy to find.

Downstairs is a perfectly nice (big wood) tables and chairs cafe but upstairs is the real treat. Set in the rafters, the beams divide the area into roughly six sections. Each has its own individual comfy sofas, chairs and low tables, think charity shop chic. A book exchange corner and boardgames to add to the charm.

It’s super cosy and sweet and quirky. It’s hard to feel stressed inside Pinnock’s, as it’s such a relaxing environment. The service is welcoming and jovial. A visit here is a bit like wrapping yourself in a warm blankie.

For days that are too nice to sit inside, there’s a cute little patio area out back (we couldn’t get a photo because it was chucking it down.)

This is your proper coffee house and consequently they take their coffee seriously. You won’t find any of the bog standard dark roasted joe here. For each cup, beans are ground fresh and brewed using the slow drip method. Pinnock’s is all about the subtle flavours of the bean. Too bad we don’t drink coffee, but we had Clare with us to give a verdict. She approves.

Tea drinkers don’t despair, they do a proper cup served in a proper cup. The selection of leaves is as wide as the selection of beans.

The food menu here is more interesting than your standard cafe fare and everything is homemade, which automatically makes things more appealing. The portions are generous and the side accompaniments are tasty.

For her celebratory lunch, Lynn chose the Smoked Mackerel Pâté – Homemade pâté served with a marinated tomato salad, potato salad, green salad, coleslaw and brown toast. It did not disappoint, the pate was lovely, fresh and vibrant with nice sides.

Even before we arrived Ann was craving quiche. Fortunately the quiche of the day was brie and roasted vegetables, flavours Ann loves. It was deee-licious.

Marie and Clare both opted for wraps. Both looked identical so we only took one photo.

Marie had the roasted vegetables with homemade houmous finished with balsamic vinegar. Basically Marie orders anything on a menu with balsamic vinegar (including ice cream) but it was hard to detect it in the wrap. It and the sides were still yummy.

Clare had the free range egg mayonnaise with rocket salad. A good egg salad is underrated, but it’s the kind of thing you (or at least we) don’t bother to make at home so it’s a real treat to find a good one. We’ve decided that next time we come we’re all ordering the egg salad wrap.

If you have any room left (we didn’t) they also sell a variety of homemade cakes and treats. Poor Lynn, no cake for her birthday.

Pinnocks is such a special spot that we may well regret sharing it. Whether you come for breakfast, lunch or an afternoon treat, it’s sure to give you a break from the daily stresses of life and a chance to recharge your batteries.

Menu	4
Food	5
Decor/Ambiance	5
Service	4
Value	4
Total	22/25

High St, Ripley, Surrey, GU23 6AF www.pinnockscoffeehouse.com/
dogs are welcome inside in the upstairs and on the patio

April 3, 2014

The Mute Swan

Our first blog post! We may be new to blogging but we are by no means new to lunching.

For our first review we chose The Mute Swan in Hampton Court. Located opposite the entrance to Hampton Court Palace, with pay and display parking out front.

Upon entering we were immediately drawn to the spiral staircase. We settled on a table upstairs and loved the airy space with views over Hampton Court Palace and the River Thames.

Staff were knowledgeable and polite. There was no need to ask someone to come take our drinks or food orders. Our waiter was familiar with the menu and able to make recommendations. The drinks arrived almost immediately and there was a nice amount of time between ordering and the food arriving.

Lynn and Ann opted for the Pan fried king scallops with pea purée, crispy parma ham and caper and herb dressing from the starters menu with a tomato, rocket and parmesan salad and chunky chips for side dishes. In our excitement over the beauty of the scallops’ presentation, we completely forgot to take a photo of them. Instead they were quickly devoured. Along with a side bowl of some of the best chunky chips we have ever tasted – super light and fluffy inside and crispy on the outside.

Heavily influenced by the bright blue Mr Clucky’s Chicken Van we passed on the way to the restaurant, Marie’s menu selection was not as wise. She opted for the roast chicken and tarragon mayonnaise on granary bread, which wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t special. Although the radishes in the accompanying salad were a delightful addition.

Then we looked at the dessert menu. Mmm mmm mmm. We could not resist, we wanted it all. After much indecision we opted for two lemon and passion fruit meringue pies with warm berry compote and one hot waffle with caramelised banana, toffee sauce and salted caramel ice cream (they were happy to do substitutions.) And this time we remembered to take photos.

Sadly our meal came to an end. The décor and ambiance were so lovely we could have quite happily sat there all day.

The Mute Swan surpassed our expectations, it is definitely the best place to eat near Hampton Court Palace. We would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone, for dinner or lunch. In fact Ann has already reserved to go back on Easter Sunday.