Kirsty Archbold-Laming
+5
Amazing delicious food that you don't find very often, such an array of flavours, even down to the bread at the start (squid ink and beetroot...), beautifully presented and the staff could not have been more courteous. Strongly recommend booking a table, even the garden area is catered for, not a place to take children due to the menu choices, best saved for adults only
The food was sublime with amazing local produce, surround by a fantastic setting and wonderful service. I would highly recommend a meal here. The best meal I have had in Winchester.
Amazing food and service, attention to detail was great and the food was so delicious we felt bad eating it!!
Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a romantic evening with super tasty and fancy food.
Excellent. Worthy of the Michelin Star. Relaxed atmosphere with excellent service from very knowledgeable staff. To start we had the Spiced beef short rib and the Crispy quail egg - both of these dishes were very good. For mains we had the Poached half lobster - this was excellent - and Three bean chilli. We finished off with the Cheese board. All washed down with a bottle of Sancerre and a couple of ports! We will be back.
Everyone at our table commented that the food was very tasty, from appetizers to desserts. Lovely service from all the staff. However I do not recommend eating here if you are vegetarian, or in my case, don't eat game-y meat.
Anniversary meal. Service was professional and of a high quality. Unpretentious with emphasis on great quality food and an excellent selection of Gins. Highly recommend it.
Superb food and drink. Relaxed atmosphere. Lovely friendly staff. Lovely quirky surroundings. Will go again. Thanks to everyone at the Black Rat.
We had a lovely evening. Perfect service, lovely food and wine. For sure one of the top three restaurants in Winchester, I would truly recommend this and one other for a special night out ... thank you The Black Rat.
Went there with my hubby, Mum and Dad. Absolutely loved it - the food was excellent, the service great and the restaurant itself really charming. Good price for the lunch menu, and decent wine and very extensive gin menus. Already looking forward to our next visit :-)
Ate in the garden, in cute African type hut (with heating). Food was delicious, especially the pork belly with black pudding. Squid induced bread was a delight and the marvellous different breads and biscuits, with the cheese board were to die for. Exceptional service and very pleasant staff
I was taken there by my sister/bridesmaid as a surprise mini (her and me) hen do.
What a treat! Innovative dishes cooked and served to perfection. Nice and attentive staff. We had a fantastic time and could not believe that we had been there for 3 hours by the time we left.
You feel so welcome and the ambiance is very friendly and not stuffy.
This is definitely worth other visits. :)
We were lucky enough to get a last minute table on Sunday lunchtime. The meal was lovely, from the bread to the pudding.. just fine dining with friendly professional staff making the dining experience perfect. It made our weekend. Ill look forward to having an evening meal at the Black Rat soon. Thank you too all the staff for a lovely afternoon.
Great food, great venue and really friendly helpful staff. Asking about allergies was such a good idea as I am very allergic to shellfish.
The quality of the food, the great service, the knowledge of wines (and gins) all made for the perfect birthday lunch. This is one for the return visit - and who knows , maybe even try a couple more of their venues. Big thanks to all the The Black Rat for helping to make my day so good!!!
The food was delicious and well presented, lunch menu reasonably priced, staff were excellent would definitely go back again.
A real gem. Very special food in a very special restaurant. Lovely service and the best ever beef carpaccio. And try the beetroot meringue!
I've been for a nice lunch twice now. We went to the black rat for lunch again last month, and very nice it was. We sat outside in the Safari huts as it was nice and sunny. We have some very tasty and refreshing food. I just wish I was not driving so I could have had a nice white wine too. I think it would be nice to have a nice long evening with friends next time.
Went to The Black Rat for our anniversary recently and was not disappointed.
The staff were very attentive and professional.
The food was absolutely stunning. This was our first time eating food of this level and it was such a great experience.
My personal favourite was the cucumber sorbet with compressed melon balls, which was out of this world!
Dining in the evening we received a first class service, very attentive staff.
The food we had was excellent and of high quality.
We had a very good and enjoyable evening.
Thoroughly recommend the dining experience to anybody, and have no hesitation to return
Simply exquisite. We tried and enjoyed new flavours that pushed us out of our comfort zone and we loved each bite. A wonderful anniversary dinner đź’–
Wonderful restaurant. The standard of the food was very high as you would expect. The selections of gin available was great and I really enjoyed trying some new varieties. The service was very good and the staff attentive. The set lunch menu is reasonable especially given the quality of the food and how tasty it was. The setting is a little quirky as it is an old building and the restaurant appears to have been a old pub or tearoom at some point.
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Had an absolutely fabulous meal here last night. It’s far from full so far, following all the COVID lockdowns, but the food was just perfect. First thing they bring was bread…two pieces each: a ciabatta and a black bread (coloured with squid ink). Hard to get a good photo of the black bread as it is soooo black but both delicious and unusual and this set the tone for the rest of the meal. Starters were “Barbecued quail breast, confit guinea fowl leg gyoza, soy pickled shiitake mushroom, grilled enoki, glazed bok choi, teriyaki” for me and “Citrus cured chalk stream trout, chilled beetroot & wasabi gazpacho, nasturtium leaf & herb oil, cucumber relish” for Sue. Both were perfectly executed and a very complex set of flavours that worked together superbly…the chef deserves a medal just for dreaming them up. Then I had the “Dry aged Wooley Park free range duck, honey glaze, liver & confit leg, duck fat carrot, date & Lapsang Souchong, New Forest spring greens, hazelnut dukkah” and Sue had “Dorset lamb neck, compressed green pepper & cucumber, sea beet, confit garlic & nori pommes puree, lamb bone sauce”….both of which were perfectly prepared and presented. I cannot praise the chef enough for the flavour and texture combination…just fantastic. Dessert was Meadowsweet madeleines, miso butterscotch sauce…and the madeleines were perfect. We had cheese too…a nice selection of local cheeses but the Barkham Blue was the highlight there…not something I had heard of but wonderful blue cheese. The service was not quite at the level I’d expect, given the quality of the food, but certainly not bad, and the wine list had depth. Little bit surprised that they didn’t have a tasting menu…but we’re just emerging from the COVID pandemic, so perhaps this is something that they’ll do in future…the idea makes my mouth water all over again.
We were bought a gift voucher as a wedding present and went last night. The choice of food was very varied and made the choice a little dilemma.our choices are as in the pictures and were excellent. Wine list is extensive. Attentive staff. If you like gin they have separate menu for that. Lots of different gins. It's not a cheap experience as you expect but would definitely come back, I understand they have heated outside seating so maybe try that.
If I had any criticism which I didn't really but it would be the lighting which was quite dark and it made it difficult to see what we were eating.
Been here 3 or 4 times now, most recently in May 2019 on a sat eve. Food has always been standout and certainly 1 star worthy. It’s not theatrical or molecular - what it is, is delicious, well presented, well portioned, interesting food in a cozy atmosphere with excellent, friendly and informed staff. Comparing to other 1 or even 2 starred restaurants it easily holds its own. If you’re in the local area / staying within a reasonable drive, then this is a must eat for anyone who enjoys their food. Scotch egg, rabbit, and lamb all fantastic and the madeleines are a must have (a bit of a speciality of the black rat). Extensive gin menu too here. Certainly recommend.
Delicious meal at Michelin stared restaurant The Black Rat. Couldn’t get in initially but after being on the waiting list we got a table. Food was beautifully presented even though portions were a little small. Great choice of gins too. The service was excellent.
I’ve been meaning to try this place for years and it didn’t disappoint. One of my favourite meals EVER, and the lunch menu was such a reasonable price for the quality. I’ll be dreaming of the food for years.
Celebrated our anniversary with dinner at The Black Rat last night and were amazed at the quality of the food as well as the service.
Hand sanitizer was available on entry and all staff wore masks as well as making clear the subtle differences in service that are to be expected given the pandemic however none of the changes removed any enjoyment from the experience.
Will definitely be visiting again, the food was fantastic and the place has a relaxed feeling that is perfect for a date night.
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