Dissapointing!
The Unicorn is described as The Best Pub in the Village on a sign outside, but given it is the only pub in the village of Cublington this isn't such a difficult standard to keep up. It also has the claim to fame of being a two AA Rosette award establishment, but it wasn't living up to these expectations on the night we visited.
The pub itself is a really good example of a village local. It even sells a small selection of food items and stamps which is a great service. Nicely old fashioned with low beams and a large beer garden at the rear, it was busy when we arrived in the early evening and remained so until we left. If you want to eat, I strongly recommend booking in advance. The menu is interesting with a good selection of dishes and reasonable value given the level of cooking: starters cost £5-8, mains £10-23 and deserts £5-7.
I had scallops and my partner had leek and smoked cheddar tart with watercress and garlic salad cream. The scallops were very well cooked; the cheddar tart could have done with a little more kick from the cheese but was pleasant.
Mains were less successful. I had slow roast pork belly with mashed potatoes, braised red cabbage, sage and cider jus: the pork was excellent, but the whole dish and particularly the potatoes were not that hot. My partner had grilled lemon sole with new potatoes, wilted spinach and lemon caper butter. She had requested it filleted, but there were lots of small bones and given the subdued lighting in the dining room these are only discovered when they are in the mouth. Once again the whole dish wasn't particularly warm.
The pudding sounded interesting, so we tried caramelized apple tarte tatin with honycombe ice cream (their Americanized spelling not mine) which was rather chewy; toffee and date pudding with clotted cream and toffee sauce where the cake was rather dry. I suspect both had been over microwaved.
Overall we enjoyed the pub, general style and atmosphere, but the food consistently disappointed which is a real shame. We were going to return with some friends, but not now. We may give it another try in a little while for lunch and see if it fairs any better. read more