The White Horse & Griffin-Whitby, North Yorkshire

I should start by saying ‘the White Horse & Griffin is a very nice restaurant in the centre of Whitby-North Yorkshire’. We’ve enjoyed several meals here, some with our young children and we’ve always found the food and service to be very good. So when my wife and I, found ourselves looking for somewhere to eat, on a wet, November afternoon in Whitby, we decided on the White Horse & Griffin because it was a safe bet. I’m always cautious with lunchtime menus, but was easily persuaded by the simple ‘Cod &Chips’ sign in the doorway.

I do remember having the same meal in the same establishment with the entire family and it was wonderful; crisp beer batter, fresh fish, great homemade chips and mushy peas that were piping hot and almost liquid. That was during the summer; in November things had obviously changed somewhat. We were the only two punters in the restaurant during our meal (no surprise for a mid week I suppose-at least they were open!) The extremely professional waitress did a lovely job on the service front. It was just the food that let them down.

They do have a nice trick up their sleeve by serving you a small taster of the day’s starter. On this occasion a small bowl of pumpkin soup, which was delicious. The main course proved a disappointment. The batter was wet and stodgy; the fish inside the stodge was almost non-existent. The chips although home made were few, only the mushy peas made an impression. Should I be surprised or even disappointed for a midweek meal? Well, just like everyone else, we work hard for our money, and for £20, this was well below the standards we’ve come to expect from this place. My wife thinks the fish was from a box, although I’m too sure! Was it bad enough to complain? -I don’t think so; although the only thing it achieved was to make a wet day even more miserable. Sorry, I don’t like leaving negative feedback and this was after all, only one bad meal out of several other visits that were really good!

£20 for two including drinks. Not too expensive, but we won’t hurry back out of season. However, on its day, it’s second only to Greens. I should mention the queue outside the Magpie was down the steps.

FOOD 4 SERVICE 8 VALUE 5 REFER 2 TOTAL: 19 AVERAGE