The White Horse, Westbury-On-Trym, Bristol

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Blackthorn _ left this review about The White Horse

A street corner, high street pub that has been extensively refurbished since my last visit, it now seems to concentrate much more on the food side of things (indeed their website describes them as a gastro-pub), and it is in places quite unrecognisable from it’s previous incarnation. The higher level room to the right in particular was once a rough and ready public bar with darts board and projector screen, but is now something of an elegant dining room.

The pub is a good size and consists of a number of different areas. To the left is what might be called a private dining room, with one very large circular table taking up almost all the available space. Next to this was a cosy snug type of area and beyond this the central part of the pub with the bar counter. This too is quite cosy with flagstones on the floor, some wood panelling on the walls as well as exposed stonework and an old cartwheel on the wall. The restaurant area is up a few steps to the right and this had a sloping ceiling with a galleried landing overlooking it. The flooring here was wooden boards whilst the paintwork was contrasting shades of khaki green. A few mirrors were on the wall at one end and there were various other bits and pieces around including a lamp made from part of an old bicycle frame, a bookcase made from various sections of pipe work, an old microscope and even a rocking horse on the landing.

Food was a step or two up from your usual pub grub, but the concise menu still offered dishes such as fish & chips or a steak & mushroom pie, although most prices were around the £14 mark. My Confit belly pork with rosti potato, pak choi and Chinese 5 spice sauce was a decent enough dish and I would happily return to try something else.

Beers on tap were just Butcombe and Jail Ale, although ciders were well represented with Thatcher’s Gold, Mortimers Orchard, Old Rosie and Orchard Pig Philosopher. Gins seem to be something of a speciality here with numerous options available and there was even a gin of the week and a cocktail of the week. Some of the prices seemed a little steep with a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc coming in at over £9, for example. This is a tricky one to mark – the actual drinking part of the pub I quite liked, but there is perhaps a little too much emphasis on the food to make it somewhere to stop regularly for a pint.

On 18^th February 2016 - rating: 7
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