The Black Rat - Winchester Review

The Black Rat
88 Chesil Street
Winchester
Hampshire
SO23 0HX

Phone 0871 961 0764
Calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras

Type of Cuisine Modern British
Chef Philip Storey & Chris Bailey
Number of Covers 40

Lunch 12.00 - 2.15pm Sat-Sun
Dinner 7.00 - 9.30pm Mon-Sun

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Review of The Black Rat, Winchester

For years this was a run-of-the-mill Winchester boozer (the Kings Arms), but of late the seventeenth-century building has been transformed into a restaurant with strong British leanings. Chris Storey is well-known locally (he used to run the nearby Chesil Rectory) and he has teamed up with chef Chris Bailey and front-of-house manager Christien Hay (ex-Peat Spade Inn, Longstock).

The comforting interior (wood beams, exposed brickwork) makes a pleasing backdrop for food with some interesting and unusual accents. A salad of duck gizzards might appear with foraged mushrooms, watercress and soft-boiled egg, while roast quail is given a Middle Eastern slant with preserved lemon, figs and honey.

Main are equally diverse, taking in anything from saddle of Alresford venison with spring greens, beets, radish, celery and buckthorn to hand-dived plaice with fennel, Chantenay purée, squid, mussels and Indian spice. After that, how about cherry and almond clafoutis with clotted cream? The 80-bin wine list is a good mix of Old and New World labels.

Also featured in: Good Food Guide.