At the Hare & Hounds, the goal is simple. To give diners quality food and drink in a casual, comforting setting. And, based on its Bib Gourmand and endless features in guides, that goal is being achieved every service. The menus here change twice each day, as the focus is on locality and seasonality. You can choose the format, from a la carte to a nine-course tasting menu. There is a lot of range in the dishes, so we recommend going all out with the tasting menu with wine pairings for the full experience.
A sample tasting menu from the Hare & Hounds will tell you all you need to know. It kicks off with malt sourdough and house focaccia with cultured butter, followed by an oyster with rhubarb granita. Heading towards the heartier portion of the evening, diners can expect a truffled celeriac and mushroom tart followed by cuttlefish ravioli. The main event, however, might be a 60-day dry-aged raw Welsh black sirloin with pickled mustard seeds, beef fat chip and cured egg yolk. Switching back to seafood, steamed brill with leeks and clams could follow before switching back to a roast and braised Torgelly Farm lamb with mint sauce. Diners can expect dessert to keep up the energy with dessert, which typically features the likes of a champagne rhubarb souffle, followed up by petit fours.
The a la carte menu is a more pared-back affair, featuring starters like crispy pig cheek with chicory, mustard and pickled apple; smoked eel with soda bread, pickled forced rhubarb and horseradish or raw fallow venison with pickled walnut and beetroot. Sides match the rest of the excellent British food, including purple sprouting broccoli with anchovy, cavolo nero with roasted squash and deep fried new potatoes in garlic butter. The Bib Gourmand represents The Hare & Hounds well: extremely good food, priced affordably.