Look for the crowd and you'll find The Horses
This is a hot new pub we need to know about?
Yes, this is the latest, much-anticipated opening from the Public House Group. If that name doesn't ring a bell, you'll probably know one or all of their establishments like The Pelican in Notting Hill, the Hart in Marylebone or The Hero in Maida Vale.
So where is this one?
This is tucked away between Clerkenwell and Farringdon Roads. In its previous forms, it's been known as The Coach and Horses and, latterly, The Coach (when Henry Harris of nearby Three Compasses and Bouchon Rachine used to be in charge). Now it's chucked the coach away and stuck with the horses. If you're coming here by tube, the nearest station is Farringdon, just a few minutes' walk away.
How does this differ to their other pubs?
Well, for one, it's the furthest east they've ever gone (they've previously stuck to mostly west London). But it's also the group's first pub which puts seafood front and centre of the kitchen's offering.
Like many of the others, it's set across multiple floors, each of which has a different focus.
Where should I sit?
If you're here just for drinks, and you're coming straight after work, then finding a seat might be tricky. There were probably around 50 people outside on the pavement when we arrived at 6.30pm, and the front main pub space was crammed. Behind that is the first space that slides more into food territory (although you can only order from the bar snacks list down here). That's a lovely place to sit, not least because of the fun glass dividers between tables, constructed from wine bottle bottoms.
This is the back room of the pub (behind those curtains is the yet-unopened garden terrace).
On the pub's first floor is the main dining room with counter dining up by the fresh fish display and maybe eight or nine tables.
The first floor dining room
If you go up a further floor, there's counter dining up by the open kitchen, along with a large table that could seat a group of eight to ten.
The second floor kitchen counter
Finally, on the top floor, is the pub's private dining room, which boasts its own tiny pub counter.
The top floor private dining room
All the rooms have that slightly elegantly distressed look that's become a recognisable design theme of their pubs.
Ok, enough about the pub. What's the food like?
Down in the pub, there's a short list of the kind of stuff that goes well with a pint, but given a bit of a polish. So the cheese toastie is Old Winchester toast and they make their own pork scratchings. One thing we can't recommend highly enough is their pork pie, which they make in their kitchens in the Cotswolds once a week.
Pork pie with piccalilli (£10) - putting aside the fact that this is, in fact, half a pork pie, this one is a near-perfect example with great-tasting jelly and a lovely soft pack of meat inside the pastry. Very, very good. But note, this is only available in the pub downstairs.
Much of the main pub menu is seafood-focused, from the extensive oysters and smoked fish sections through to a selection of fish that changes according to what's fresh on the day. There's also a small mains offering which includes a vegetarian main of hispi cabbage with seaweed and a fish pie for sharing at £70.
Here's what we had:
A mix of Cumbrae and Maldon oysters (£4 each) served with shallot vinaigrette and a punchy hot sauce.
Half lobster (£33) beautifully cooked - we've had a fair few recently which were a bit mushy - and we particularly liked the way they'd dressed the lobster with the claw meat chopped up in the head space.
Ham hock with watercress (£15) - we made the mistake of thinking this was going to be a terrine, but if anything it was even better. A belter of a dish with a great mustardy dressing.
Potato & Wigmore pie (£25) - an excellent vegetarian pie that would go down very well if the British autumn ever really gets going.
Pollock (£23) - we ordered this as we'd been told it was grilled. But it was actually steamed, which honestly made it a bit bland. Thank goodness then for the langoustine gravy we'd ordered to go with it (we could also have opted for garlic butter, green peppercorn, among others). So a lovely piece of fish, but given perhaps too plain a treatment on its own.
Room for dessert?
On a Wednesday night the dining rooms were all packed, so we ended up moving down to the pub for our desserts, both of which we'd strongly urge you to try.
Honey and plum custard tart - a just-set tart with a layer of homemade plum jam.
Brown butter and almond financier with poached pears and toffee sauce (£10)
As this is a pub, you'd better tell us a bit more about the drink.
Obviously they have some decent beers and ciders on draft, including Braysbrook Helles, Kicking Goat cider and Portobello Pilsner. We ended up not going for pints, but choosing cocktails and wine instead. And we're delighted to report that the cocktails at The Horses are made with care, including a very well-balanced Cosmo (£14)
For the wines, there's an extensive range by the glass and half-bottles are available if you're here for a business lunch and can't go crazy. Alternatively, there are also magnums if business has been very good and you are in fact are going to go crazy. The list starts at a very decent £36 for an Amoterra from Abruzzo, and if you fancy something a bit different to go with your seafood, our Vermentino from Corsica at £62 was a belter.
Overall thoughts:
Sitting in a packed dining room on a Wednesday night, with the gentle roar of the vertical drinking going on outside as our backdrop, it's pretty clear that the Public House Group know what they're doing. Using a central design palette and the shared benefit of great produce from their own kitchen garden, there's something very soothing about going into one of their pubs.
But, with each opening, they also switch things up a gear, like the cocktail bar at The Hero, or the live music at The Fat Badger - each pub has its own distinct character. Here at The Horses, that new focus on seafood makes the menu an instant draw. But there's something about the energy of East London that also made this one our favourite so far. Obviously you should go.
More about The Horses
Where is it? 26-28 Ray Street, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 3DJ
How to book? Book online.
Find out more: Visit their website or follow them on Instagram @thehorses_ec1
Hot Dinners dined as guests of The Horses. Prices correct at time of publication.
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