Do you like Masterchef? If the answer's yes then you'll love The Pass. By dining within the kitchen, by having TVs focused on the chefs at work and by being able to walk up to the pass where the plating is done, the whole experience is akin to being on the set of a show like Masterchef and of course... unlike sitting at home in front of the TV here you get to eat the delights that have been made up. Wonderful! After hearing good things from Yee Gan, we actually went on a whim. Waking up on a Sunday morning and booking through the Opentable app that's within this very webpage you're reading. Within a few hours we were seated for Sunday lunch choosing which tasting menu to go for and what wine to have. Nice to know that great Michelin-level dining can be a last minute decision. Without going into too much long-winded detail we went for the 5 course Sunday lunch tasting menus, added the optional cheese course (goats cheese and apples in various forms - a must!) and also got the amuse bouches, all in all giving us 7 courses each. We alternated the options on the menu so we could taste everything between the two of us, and the diversity was outstanding in both ingredients, textures and cooking techniques. All-in-all, this 2 hour long lunch with 14 plates, a wine and a beer came to 108 pounds for 2 of us. Incredibly reasonable for the standard of cooking, service and the theatre of the kitchen. read more

After a slight hiatus due to both of us travelling, my fine dining companion Gemma G and I were trying to decide on our next culinary adventure when the publication of the the Michelin Guide for 2012 a few weeks ago solved our problem - The Pass restaurant at South Lodge hotel near Horsham, located between our homes was graced with its first Michelin star and I'm sure all you Yelpers know the joy of discovering somewhere new to share with others South Lodge hotel is one of the stable of luxury hotels belonging to the Exlusive Hotels group and I've enjoyed a lovely meal at the Latymer restaurant in Pennyhill Park hotel, one of their sister hotels. The hotel is located a few miles off the A23 and it's quite an exciting drive through country lanes to reach there (well, I don't have a red sports car!) The exterior and reception area immediately transport you back to an era of Edwardian/Victorian country house elegance with high ceilings, dark wood, plush furniture and furnishings. As we were a bit early, we had a drink in the lounge, which had the perfect comfortable pampering surroundings to sit and catch up Reluctant to spend £8.50 on non alcoholic cocktails, we were impressed by their range of unusual fruit juices and enjoyed fresh, fruity strawberry and pear juices. At the appointed time, we were led to our table and as mentioned in her review, Gemma and I were both stunned when we stepped through the door into The Pass. The restaurant menu does describe dinner at The Pass as a 'dramatic dining experience' and I can assure you that it is no empty boast! For those of you who want to experience that same impact that we experience should not read the next 3 paragraphs of my review as they will contain spoilers Being foodies, we should perhaps have been forewarned by the name of the restaurant - for those of you who don't know, the pass is the part of the kitchen where all elements of the dishes are brought up and plated by the main chef. Basically, they have created the most amazing dining room I've seen because it's not just like being at the chef's table but in fact being right in the heart of the kitchen where you can see everything happening and in case you can't, there are TVs on the walls showing you different areas of the kitchen at work. If you're interested in how kitchens function, this is heaven! Everything is sleek, modern and shiny with bright lights (great for photographing food!) in contrast to the rest of the hotel. The hotel website certainly doesn't sell the dining area as much as it could They offer 5,6, and 8 course tasting menus. Obviously, Gemma had to force me to have 8 courses (not!) 1. Canapes Parsnip crisps, breadsticks, truffle dip & cheese puffs were a good munch while we looked at the menu 2. Amuse bouche Array of pumpkin - caramelised pumpkin covered by pumpkin soup topped with pumpkin crumble. Nice start to the meal 3. Salad of beetroot with poached egg The beetroot was turned into so many textures - crisp, ice cream, soil to cover the egg amongst others. I'm still intrigued how they cooked the yolk so precisely 4. Crab tortellini with smoked sweetcorn & mushroom The tortellini was fried and packed with lovely fresh sweet white crabmeat. I was glad the accompaniments didn't overpower the crab 5. Pressed pork with pickled apples, hazelnuts & goat's cheese Nice flavours but the pork was a little dry. Nothing a little sauce wouldn't have fixed 6. Scallops in crushed chickpeas, licorice puree & pickled pear Interesting combo. Scallops cooked perfectly & went well with unusual partners 7. Onion preparations with herb crust & goat's cheese Humble onion given new life! 8. Fillet of beef, mustard gnocchi, red cabbage & cauliflower cheese puree The melt in the mouth sous vided beef has made my mind up to buy my own sous vide water bath. Stunning and my favourite dish! 9. Fennel brulee, lemon curd, raspberry sorbet Lovely creamy just set custard topped with delicate disc of sugar. It was hard to defnitely identify the fennel but the star was a great sorbet 10. Rice parfait, chocolate ganache, raspberry gel, marzipan & basil ice cream Each element was prepared well but I wasn't sure which was the best combination. Surprise of popping candy! It was a fantastic meal of different flavour combinations, all expertly plated up Service was top notch & friendly and when we were told to feel free to pop up to the pass at any time, we didn't need a second invitation! Matt Gillan, the head chef, was wonderfully modest about his star (he was busy scrubbing the stove when we visited - leading from the front!) He really took time to indulge the food geek in both Gemma & me and trust me when I say that we covered all topics from his favourite kitchen toys to other Sussex eateries to his cookery CV. He also had time for a picture & to sign Gemma's menu Now, I wonder if he was serious in his talk about Guildford lacking a top class restaurant & my suggesting that he fill that void.... read more

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The plates are a peice of art. They are presented with colors, textures and layers and it is definitely an experience to be here and do the tasting menu. The restaurant is half dining and half open kitchen layout where you can see very close of their mastery and process of preparing the food. We did the 6 course tasting menu and it was very beautiful to see and interesting to taste. Honestly though the food itself- the beginning 4 course (even the assorted bread plate) was too salty for me. While the visual beauty and vast texture was there, the saltiness really took away from the opportunity to taste the actually flavors of the ingredients I still give 4 stars for the service and presentation and what could have been a more delicious meal without saltiness. & also with accommodating /amazing flexibility with people who have allergies or dietery restrictions. read more

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The Pass has been on my "to do" list for quite some time, and on gaining it's first Michelin star this October it was propelled to the top! Joined by my fine-dining companion, Yee Gan O, we had previously discussed whether we would be partaking in the 5, 6 or 8 course tasting menu - um, there is only ever one answer to that question, it's going to be the 8!! The restaurant is based in the South Lodge hotel, an impressive Victorian country house situated on the outskirts of Horsham. We arrived early and were sat in the very old fashioned lounge to enjoy a pre-dinner drink. It had great ambiance, with dark wood, a large fire place and heavy fabrics. We were taken through to the dining room at the time of our reservation and it was simply Wow! The Pass dining room is literally on one side of the kitchen, giving you the opportunity to watch you meal being prepared and cooked. I have heard of the Chef's table, but this was the first Chef's dining room that I have ever come across. The space is small but contemporary, a perfect contrast to the rest of the hotel. The Maitre D explained what was going on in the kitchen and told us that we were free to wonder up to the pass at any opportunity to chat to the Chef about out food. Two experienced Chef stalkers such as myself and Yee Gan were not going to pass up (pardon the pun!) this opportunity! The Chef , Matt Gillan, and his team were amazing, and happy to chat at length while they prepared our food. There would certainly be no room for any Gordon Ramsey-esq behaviour in this kitchen! On to the food itself. It was a magnificent array of culinary delights, presented beautifully and with great flavour combinations. It was a joy to demolish every course! Appetiser: Breadsticks, parsnip crisps, sour cream dip. Amuse bouche: Pumpkin crumble with and almond oil. 1: Salad of beetroot, constructed multiple ways, served with a poached egg yolk rolled in beetroot soil - how they managed to poach just the yolk is entirely beyond me! Immense flavours of beetroot throughout the dish. 2: Crab tortellini with smoked sweetcorn and mushroom. 3: Pressed pork with pickled apples, hazelnuts, and goats cheese - the pork was slightly dry but the combination of textures was immense. 4: Scallops on crushed chickpeas, lemon and liquorice puree and pickled pear - unusual combinations but worked really will with the perfectly cooked scallops 5: Onion preparations with a herb crust and goats cheese 6 Fillet of beef cooked sous vide, with mustard gnocchi, red cabbage and cauliflower cheese puree - my favourite course, the beef was so tender and full of flavour. 7: Fennel brulee with lemon curd - couldn't really taste the fennel but the brulee was deliciously creamy and the raspberry sorbet accompaniment packed a punch! 8: Rice parfait - served with chocolate ganache, raspberry gel, marzipan and basil ice cream. One of the best savory ice creams I have ever tasted. All washed down with a lovely glass of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, although I have to admit, this one glass cost more than I would usually spend on a bottle!! Overall, an absolutely stunning meal with great service. Matt and his team are thoroughly deserving of their Michelin star. I want to go back again next weekend!! read more

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Matt just won the Great British Menu so we tried the menu he did on the show. Simply stunning especially the Goat ( not a sentence you say often) read more

The South Lodge is a truly lovely experience one I would suggest to anyone. However be sure to eat in the hotel dining room itself and avoid The Pass. The wait staff is poorly trained and quick to interrupt the dining experience often pushing their way into the table. This would be acceptable at a local pub but not appreciated in what should be a fine dining experience. Nonetheless as a diner you should allow for the staff having an off night. However combine this with the lack of quality in the courses makes for a different story. We opted for a dine on the night after valentines with a 7 course meal. The opening course was a forgettable paste in a small core like shell. The second an oyster which was lovely with a complex set of flavors. The table bread was delicious. The butter plain. The next course was a lagistini lobster in a seaweed gel with caviar which was not particularly memorable and had a musty fish after flavor. This followed by a absolutely bland pasta dish that might have come from a grocery store food counter. It had next to no flavor at all. At which point we went to order another glass of wine and asked for a sweeter white wine. The gentleman we asked proceeded "explain that people don't drink sweet white wines" (this after our first glass which was a mellow Riesling) and if we wanted sweet we should just order lemonade. A rather embarrassing treatment in the midst of crowded restaurant. Certainly not treatment I would expect at 120 quid a plate. The final straw was the wagyu beef that came next. Overdone and stringy would be the most charitable way of describing it. At which point we opted to pay the 249 quid and depart. Honestly the pub in Horsham where we ate lunch out performed The Pass both in the complexity of flavors in the food and the friendliness of service. The only thing worthy of a Michelin in our experience was the price. On the other hand the dining experience and food quality in the main restaurant far surpassed The Pass and is easily accessible as it's just down the hall. read more

As good as it gets does not even come close. Matt Gillian at The Pass is in another galaxy of fine dining. We chose to indulge on the 12 course surprise menu (as we traveled the 2 hours from London we felt we deserved it!) and not a single item on a dish failed to meet the 5 star standard and service Matt and his fine team have been awarded. Personal highlights for me were the Radish/Chicken liver/Yuzu - don't you curl your nose until you have tried it! The creamy rich liver melts in your mouth which is then snapped back into reality by the crunch of a perfectly formed radish swirl - incredible! The Bone marrow/ Orzo/ Truffle combo has spoilt risotto for me for the rest of my life - al dente orzo, blended perfectly with the marrow and the scent of the truffle is enough to near send you over the edge. If I could have have seconds (and I didnt have another 10 courses to come) i would have! The team run like a well oiled machine and the open plan kitchen allows you to see the magic as it happens. The Pass is a must do for any true foodie in need of a new, refreshing and experimental experience. I cant thank the team enough for a perfect night. read more