According to their website The Swan is a privately owned boutique hotel, a warm friendly 'local', and a superb restaurant serving carefully sourced seasonal food. All this at the edge of the stunning Surrey & West Sussex countryside border.
The menu at The Swan is a superb array of classic dishes; choosing what I wanted was nearly impossible!
After a lengthy period of deliberation I left my final decision-making moment until the waitress arrived to take our order (I needed the pressure). I opted for the beef carpaccio, rocket salad, shaved parmesan and truffle oil. The key to a dish like this is the quality of the meat. Full of intense beef flavour, and literally melt in your mouth, it was clearly from great stock. The fresh peppery rocket, salty parmesan and the rich truffle oil (of which there was the perfect amount) all complemented the meat perfectly.
For my main course, I had initially decided on the calves liver but made a last-minute change to the pan seared scallops, potato roti, black pudding, pea puree and a chive beurre blanc. It was the right decision. The scallops were light, delicate and cooked to perfection. The black pudding spicy and earthy. The potato roti, crispy on the outside, soft and fluffy in the middle, and full of flavour. The chive beurre blanc also added a delicious richness to the dish. The only small criticism of the dish is that the pea puree was slightly lost amongst all the other punchy flavours, but when tasted on its own is was beautifully smooth and seasoned well.
After 20 years running one of London's 'best kept secrets' - The Swag and Tails pub in Knightsbridge - the owners decided to create a cosy and luxurious pub in the beautiful Surrey Hills, and with recommendations in the Harden's and Michelin guides it seems as though they are doing something right.
Fresh local ingredients, tasty classic food, in a wonderful setting. This is pub dining of the highest order. read more