Latest Restaurant Review – The White Hart (Ironbridge)
The White Hart is a popular Bistro and Café Bar located on the picturesque Ironbridge Wharfage, a stones throw from the leafy banks of the River Severn and the historic iron bridge.
The White Hart is a popular Bistro and Café Bar located on the picturesque Ironbridge Wharfage, a stones throw from the leafy banks of the River Severn and the historic Iron Bridge.
A short walk from the waterfront through the large courtyard terrace takes you to the main entrance, inside the sensitively renovated interior is warm and welcoming with a relaxed classical elegance, retaining echo’s of this 18th century Inn’s historic past. The well stocked bar takes centre stage, to the right is a relaxed lounge area complete with feature fireplace and comfy leather armchairs. To the left of the bar is a delightful bistro style dining area, which comfortably seats around 70 diners with a mix of intimate tables for cosy private meals and open areas that are perfect for larger groups.
An exciting new addition to the White Hart family is the Number 9 café, which is located to the right hand side of the courtyard, and again offers lovely views over the waterfront. This newly renovated bright and bijoux café is open from 9am till 5pm and offers a selection of light breakfast options (served between 9am – 11am) and a full lunch menu (served between 11am and 5pm) including a wide choice of soups, sandwiches and tapas, a range of hot and cold drinks and a tempting selection of cakes.
We visited the White Hart on a weekday lunchtime to sample the Bistro lunch menu; the Bistro offers both a set lunch menu, with the choice of either two or three courses and a wide choice of individual dishes, with options to suit all tastes and appetites.
On arrival we were shown to a lovely corner table and were served a large bottle of chilled water and a selection of fresh warm bread and butter to enjoy whilst we perused the menu. To start we opted to share the Ham Hock Terrine, with Sauce Gribiche and Sourdough Toast (£6.50). The starter arrived quickly and was attractively presented, the ham hock terrine had a nice chunky texture with a delicious salty yet sweet flavour, the sauce gribiche was the perfect accompaniment adding depth and flavour to the dish and the sour dough toast was perfectly fresh and fluffy.
For main course I went for the Home Made Fish Finger Ciabatta, Tartare Sauce and Fries (£6.50) and following a glowing recommendation from our friendly waiter my Mom opted for the Sirloin steak (£18). The steak came served with chunky hand cut chips, roasted tomato, and a wedge of crunchy baby gem lettuce with blue cheese dressing. Mom thoroughly enjoyed the steak, commenting that it was perfectly cooked and meltingly tender, the hand cut chips were chunky and crisp on the outside and hot and fluffy on the inside, perfect!
My fish finger ciabatta was tasty and filling and made the perfect lunchtime treat, the fish fingers were tender and flaky with a golden crunchy coating, served on a soft fresh ciabatta with tangy tartare sauce and crisp lettuce. They came with a dressed mixed leaf salad a side of coleslaw and a basket of skinny fries, this simple rustic dish was delicious and perfectly executed, so much so that I’ll definitely be returning for another one soon!
Ordinarily I would refrain from indulging in dessert at lunchtime, but in the interest of providing a full and in-depth review, I quickly opted for the Chocolate brownie with vanilla ice cream (£6) and Mom chose the sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce and vanilla ice cream (£6). Well after the first bite I knew I had made the right decision, the chocolate brownie was dense and gooey, drizzled with a rich warm chocolate sauce, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream adding a cool freshness to the dish, it was a really lovely ending to a fabulous lunch. Mom’s sticky toffee pudding was equally indulgent and satisfying, with a delicious toffee sauce poured over a slice of moorish sponge and a scoop of creamy vanilla ice-cream to cut through the sweetness.
The White Hart already has a great reputation in the area as a dinner destination but today opened my eyes to what a great lunchtime venue it is too… fancy a quick sandwich and a coffee? Number 9 café has got it covered! Prefer a long lazy lunch over a glass of wine? The White Hart Bistro offers that and more. I can definitely see myself spending several lunchtimes enjoying a delicious meal whilst watching the world and the river go by at the White Hart this summer.
Reviewed by Charlie Scott & Lynn Roulston
