The White Horse Otterbourne — Restaurant in Winchester

If vastly overpriced, cremated burgers, and four chicken wings passed off as "Poussin", is your thing, then you won't be disappointed. If, however, like me, you prefer your beef to taste of something - italics are sadly lacking here - be cooked without being set alight or served in a bun that clearly suffered the same tragic fate, and you prefer your poussin (French for young chicken and usually served in its entirety) to have the standard two wings, two legs and breast, instead of the four wings, no breast, and one leg it was sent out with, (where did they source it, Chernobyl?!) then I'd probably stay clear. The crispy cabbage turned out to be soggy, and looked suspiciously like it might belong to a slightly different plant family known as lettuce. The dog enjoyed the burgers though. She'd probably have done a better job of cooking them, too. The menu looked impressive but gave one false hope, you can dress up the name of the dish and hope some folk won't notice it's just chicken wings on a sad lettuce leaf, but some will. I'd change the wording to something more in keeping with the very substandard offerings provided and stop trying to be something you're not (I believe you suggest Mediterranean cuisine?!) Average at best, extremely poor at worst, and horribly overpriced. If this was my local I'd be worried about local house values plummeting, especially with one of the lovely clientele lighting up a huge spliff right by the play area for the kids playing on it to inhale. Delightful. Steer clear would be my...

A Hidden Gem in Otterbourne

I had a meeting at a lovely spot in Otterbourne, Hampshire, and from the moment I arrived, I could tell this was a refined place. The elegant chandeliers with candles and the interesting selection of cars parked outside hinted at its charm.

As I stepped inside, I was greeted by a beautifully arranged display of candles, candle holders, artisanal mugs, and boxes of sweet treats. It felt like walking through a boutique, and to the left, there was an inviting little shop with colorful, eye-catching items that made me pause and browse.

Moving further in, I found an intimate room with a cozy fireplace and comfortable armchairs—an ideal setting to lose track of time. The space had different sections, each with its own character, including a low-ceilinged area leading to the café.

At the café, a stunning display of round cakes caught my eye, and my daughter immediately chose the carrot cake. The counter also featured beautifully dried fruits—slices of oranges, lemons, and limes adding to the charm. I ordered a herbal blueberry tea, served in a Japanese-style metal teapot with a terracotta orange cup that perfectly complemented the deep color of my tea.

To my delight, there was a cabinet filled with books and board games. Later, we ended up playing several rounds of Mikado, something I hadn’t done in years—it was such a wonderful surprise!

I would highly recommend this place for meetings or gatherings in the Chandler’s Ford and Otterbourne areas. A truly special spot...

Overall this restaurant was OK. The ambience is good and even though it was quite busy, it wasn't too noisy. Our waitress was very pleasant and seemed keen to help, however the food took an age to come - we didn't time it but it must have been at least 45 minutes from ordering to our food arriving. Our waitress didn't chase up the kitchen staff until we mentioned it - and then the food arrived within 2 minutes! My steak sandwich was OK, although it was missing the cheese and it was stone cold, but I didn't complain as I wanted to eat with my family. My mother's sandwich had sirloin steak that was so chewy she left half of it. The other 2 meals were good, but the "small plate" that my wife had was REALLY small! Be warned! Thankfully she ordered a bowl of French fries. Desserts were good and coffee was excellent. Maybe it was a bad day in the kitchen but I will think twice about going back.

17th May update

We revisited the White Horse for a quick lunch and had a very good meal - Moules Marinere with frites and sourdough toast. Perfect for a sunny lunchtime! Following our previous visit the manager (Genevieve) gave us two vouchers to compensate for the rather poor lunchtime experience and although we didn't use them this time, we will go back again in the future, which is a great improvement on how I...