This week, I was lucky enough to be one of the first to see inside the newly refurbished Black Horse Pub in Great Linford. They treated me, my husband and a couple of friends to a three course meal, so that I could let you know what we thought of it.
The recently refurbished Black Horse Pub is already one of my favourite pubs, and is my go-to option when I’m meeting friends. It already looked pretty good, so I was curious to see how they could make it better.
Inside the Refurbished Black Horse Pub and Restaurant
It still has the rustic features it’s known for, like the beautiful flagstone floor in the bar area. The design team have brought it up to date in a stylish, yet cosy way that really appeals to me. I can see myself sitting in front of one of the roaring fires this winter, sipping a delicious cocktail or two.
Outside the Refurbished Black Horse Pub and Restaurant
The deck overlooking the canal has also had a revamp, and several of the tables are covered by really pretty open greenhouses, decorated with plants. Don’t they look gorgeous? I’m sure these will be very popular in the summer.
One thing I think they should look at is improving the lighting of the sign as you turn into the pub. It’s really hard to spot, and even though we know exactly where the turning is, we nearly drove past.
Drinks atย the Refurbished Black Horse Pubย and Restaurant
We started off with drinks at the bar, and were impressed by the Gin flavour station. I chose gin and lemonade and went to add my own ingredients to customise my own cocktail. Yum! The Black Horse Pub has loads of gins on offer, alongside a great wine list and lots of beers on tap.
Food atย the Refurbished Black Horse Pubย and Restaurant
We had sharing platters of appetisers but I personally wasn’t a fan as they were a bit exotic for my rather limited taste! There were mini fish and chips, breaded brie, duck salad, scallops, pork belly, and lobster cakes amongst other things.
I tried the ones I liked the sound of and they were nice, but I was really keen to get on with the main event, as it was already late.
Starters
My friend thought the garlic pizzette we shared for our starter was a little dry. The flavour was good though, and we just left the edge with no topping, which was the slightly dry part. The boys were a little surprised that their starters ofย prawns with a chilli dip were chilled, but they liked the flavour.
Mains
Two of us chose rump steaks with twice-cooked chunky chips. They were really flavourful and cooked exactly to our order. We were saying we always judge a restaurant by the steak and The Black Horse Pub did not disappoint. My side of mac and cheese was delicious.
I was disappointed the there was no Bernaise sauce available, even though it was on the menu. I had red wine jus instead, which was nice, but not my favourite.
Ryan had the chicken, leek and creme fraiche pie which he said was really good. Our other friend had the pork ribs which he liked but said could have been slightly more melt-in-the mouth.
Desserts
The desserts were definitely the highlight of the meal. My friend and I shared the amazing chocolate bombe. This rich dessert has sticky toffee pudding and peanut butter cream inside, served with hot salted caramel sauce, and bourbon vanilla ice cream and popping candy.
Seriously this dessert is so delicious, we were just sad we didn’t have space to eat a whole one by ourselves. Ryan had cheesecake and our other friend had a very mango and berry-infused twist on Eton mess. They both proved to be winners.
Service was pretty slow, I presume due to the new menu and amount of guests. We were starting to get a bit tired by the end, as it was a ‘school night’ so we skipped after dinner drinks.
The menu at the refurbished Black Horse Pub and Restaurant is inventive, with a good mix or traditional food and more unusual dishes. I presume that’s thanks to theirย new Head Chef Denes Bias, who’s worked in theย industry for 7 years, including at The Wavendon Arms.
