Restaurant Search

Select

Where Where Bath Berkshire Brighton Buckinghamshire Cornwall Devon Edinburgh Hampshire London Manchester Newcastle Oxfordshire Paris Suffolk Surrey Wales Yorkshire

Food Style Food Style Afternoon tea American Argentinean Asian British European Fine dining French Gastropub Hotel Indian Italian Japanese Michelin-starred Middle Eastern Romantic Seafood Spanish Thai Ukranian Vietnamese

Recipe Search

Select

Meal Meal Canapé Cocktail Dessert Main Salad Starter

Ingredients Ingredients Amaretto Apples Artichokes Asparagus Aubergine Avocado Bacardi Bacon Banana Beef Beetroot Blackberries Blackcurrants Blueberries Bourbon Brandy Brie Camembert Carrots Champagne Cheese Cherries Chicken Chilli Chocolate Chorizo Ciabatta Clams Cocoa Coconut Cod Cointreau Coriander Crab Cranberries Crayfish Cream Crème fraiche Cup cake Dried fruit Figs Fish Garlic Gin Ginger Goat's cheese Golden syrup Grapefruit Grapes Ham Haricot beans Honey Hot chocolate Ice cream Jack Daniel's Jam King prawns Lamb Langoustines Lemon curd Lemongrass Lemons Lentils Limes Lychee Mango Martini Mint Mozzarella Mushrooms Noodles Nutmeg Olives Onions Pancetta Paprika Parma ham Parmesan Parsnips Partridge Passionfruit Pasta Pastry Peaches Peanut Peanut butter Pears Peas Pistachio nuts Plum Pomegranate Pork Port Potatoes Prawns Pumpkin Raspberries Raspberry Red peppers Rice Rum Salad Salmon Sambuca Sausages Scallops Seeds Shallots Sherry Smoked salmon Soup Soy sauce Spaghetti Spare ribs Spinach Spring onions Strawberries Sweet potato Swordfish Syrup Tandoori Tea Tomatoes Venison Vodka Waffles Whisky

Coach and Horses

• Print
• Share
• Comment

Experience a gastropub that really lives up to its name

Where: 26-28 Ray Street, Clerkenwell, London, EC1R 3DJ, 0207 278 1478

East End pub, East End grub? Not on your nelly - you won't find a whiff of jellied eels or pie and mash here. This is part of the new breed of up-and-coming gastropubs - and it doesn't just call itself that to sound good, it really is good. Fantastic, in fact. From braised lentils with Romano artichoke and poached duck egg to spiced Aberdeen Angus meatballs and salt cod fishcakes, the menu is imaginative, sensitively-sourced and mouth-wateringly enticing. We started with mussels in a sherry, parsley and garlic sauce, followed up with suckling pork belly (boyfriend) and organic salmon with sampire and jersey royals (me). Silence ensued (apart from the constant hum of our mmmm's), until we'd both gobbled up every last delicious morsel.

But is it expensive? Considering the quality of the food, not at all. The most expensive thing on the new lunch menu is £12.50. In an attempt to show that you can enjoy a well-priced, fabulous, freshly-cooked lunch - instead of frittering your money away at Pret - it offers three £4 dishes plus a pint, a glass of wine or a soft drink for £10. Or, you can buy an £8 dish plus a drink for the same price. During the week, the menu differs every day, to keep it fresh and exciting.

Who goes? Nestled neatly behind the Guardian and Observer newspaper buildings, lunch times are buzzing and full of professional types. But, with a fashion college nearby, too, it atttracts a pleasant mix of people. It has an authentic 'pub' feel - this is not a flashy bar - and it's all the better for it.

What's special? A family-run gig, you can really feel there's heart and soul behind this place. After talking to the super-friendly owner, Giles, I was left in no doubt that what appears on your plate is the result of a lot of hard work, skill and tender loving care,

Need-to-know? Two things: you can't leave without trying the peanut butter ice cream (delicious), and, if you're looking for a nice quiet lunch, go on Sunday when the work crowds are at home. (Note: special offers only apply during the week).

Review by Ruth Doherty

Release date: Thursday 3 July 2008

• Next Review

  

  Asia de Cuba Read more...

• Last Review

  

  Browns Bar & Brasserie Read more...

Navigation

• Home
• News
• Fashion
• Beauty
• Health
• Celebrity
• Competitions
• Travel
• Lifestyle
  • Issues and Campaigns
  • Directory
  • 10 Best
  • Ethical living
  • Recipes
  • Restaurant reviews
• Community
• Mctv
• Subscribe