The Pass — Restaurant in Horsham

The South Lodge is a truly lovely experience one I would suggest to anyone. However be sure to eat in the hotel dining room itself and avoid The Pass. The wait staff is poorly trained and quick to interrupt the dining experience often pushing their way into the table. This would be acceptable at a local pub but not appreciated in what should be a fine dining experience. Nonetheless as a diner you should allow for the staff having an off night. However combine this with the lack of quality in the courses makes for a different story. We opted for a dine on the night after valentines with a 7 course meal. The opening course was a forgettable paste in a small core like shell. The second an oyster which was lovely with a complex set of flavors. The table bread was delicious. The butter plain. The next course was a lagistini lobster in a seaweed gel with caviar which was not particularly memorable and had a musty fish after flavor. This followed by a absolutely bland pasta dish that might have come from a grocery store food counter. It had next to no flavor at all. At which point we went to order another glass of wine and asked for a sweeter white wine. The gentleman we asked proceeded “explain that people don’t drink sweet white wines” (this after our first glass which was a mellow Riesling) and if we wanted sweet we should just order lemonade. A rather embarrassing treatment in the midst of crowded restaurant. Certainly not treatment I would expect at 120 quid a plate. The final straw was the wagyu beef that came next. Overdone and stringy would be the most charitable way of describing it. At which point we opted to pay the 249 quid and depart. Honestly the pub in Horsham where we ate lunch out performed The Pass both in the complexity of flavors in the food and the friendliness of service. The only thing worthy of a Michelin in our experience was the price. On the other hand the dining experience and food quality in the main restaurant far surpassed The Pass and is easily accessible as it’s just...

The Pass is a small space, with a large glass wall that stands between the restaurant and the kitchen. An intimate restaurant, offering a unique dining experience for up to 28 diners. You sit at the high-topped tables to watch Ben and his young team prepare and then proudly serve a seven course tasting menu.

The meal starts with a complimentary glass of fizz and a selection of tasty snacks. The first course is a scallop dish with hokkaido squash, espelette pepper,coppa ham-almond. The next course was a show stopper of a Celeriac dish like no other we have ever encountered. Royale - beef cheek-hen of the woods - truffle with a beef fillet-smoked emulsion tartlet on the side. As well as a glass of broth with fresh bread and cultured butter. The rest of the courses arrive in quick succession, delivered by chefs who explain each component. Day Boat Turbot,leeks- squid- dulse - white asparagus, Ridgeview sparkling. Venison,roast loin - liver dumpling - bitter leaves hazelnut-artichoke-redwine. A course of 3 cheeses. Desserts were Rhubarb,ewe's milk curd - rose- yoghurt. Chocolate Délice,caramel- hazelnut-raisin. Just when you thought it was all over, there was a selection of Petit Fours with a sorbet on the side.

There's not many hotels that can boast three award winning restaurants, of which this is their flagship. That has just retained its Michelin Star. The food was faultless with staff, charming,and...

This was the best meal I have ever eaten.

Firstly Ben Wilkinson at the pass is quite a new restaurant and a lot of these reviews are not reflective of this as I believe the restaurant has changed a lot since Covid. It has recently won a Michelin star and the current menu is deserving of this.

My wife and I had the 7 course tasting menu which was exquisite. The layout of the restaurant is also carefully thought out with glass surrounding an intimate setting so that you can watch the courses in the kitchen being prepared. Every course is completely unique and is delivered and explained to you by a different chef, who all rotate around the tables which I particularly liked.

The food speaks for itself. I won't list every course but the standout was the beef cheek and celeriac. Absolutely divine. The snacks which come before the first course were also out of this world.

We didn't opt for the wine pairing but enjoyed quite a few cocktails instead, all which were faultless.

The only downside to this is how full we both felt at the end; a very nice problem to have.

Having been to other Michelin star restaurants the Pass for me is the best so far, and the chilled out setting I actually prefer to something grander.

Overall an exceptional experience that I couldn't recommend...