Hart House 2.0
I first reviewed the Hart House in Fleet back in April 2018. Since then it has been taken over by Portobello Brewing and they kindly got in touch with me asking if I would like to review them again to compare experiences.
Upon arrival…
After a reasonably effortless venture up the M3 we arrived back in Fleet and re-entered the Hart House. The general layout of the restaurant and bar not surprisingly hadn’t changed, but the tables and chairs were different along with more subtle floor tiles, but it was also good to see that the original grand spiral staircase was still in place. We were greeted by our host Jade who looked after us during the visit and were shown to our table.
The experience…
Hart House have a selection of menus. A lunch time menu with a smaller offering, an evening menu with a larger choice of items including a selection of small plates, plus a Sunday menu offering the classic roast, along with a children’s menu. They were also participating in Veganuary, but luckily no plant based chicken or other pretend meat, at last a vegan menu that just described genuinely delicious sounding vegetable dishes.
As we were visiting on a Saturday lunchtime, we opted to also choose from the Bar Snacks menu to make up a starter. They were offering a choice of three bar snacks for £15.00 and this worked perfectly. We decided upon Beef Short Rib Croquettes with a Mushroom Ketchup, Halloumi Bites with Honey, Chilli & Coriander plus Hoi Sin Pork Belly Bites. The pork belly won hands down, moist and mouth-wateringly moreish.
For mains I chose a gently spiced Sea Bass with Curried Lentils and my wife opted for the Roasted Butternut Squash with Quinoa & Rocket. The sea bass flaked perfectly with a crispy skin and tenderly cooked lentils. The roasted squash was from the Veganuary menu and was rich and substantial.
For dessert as we were both pretty full and not wanting to waste food, decided to share a Lemon Meringue Cheesecake accompanied by Vanilla Ice Cream. It was a well balanced dessert, allowing the sharpness of the lemon curd to cut through the sugary indulgence of the cheesecake topping. It provided the required degree of comfort to be able to stand up and leave the premises without feeling like we were both carrying food babies.
Final impression…
Before leaving I had a quick look around and was pleased to see they still had their function room called Hart Heights at the top of the spiral staircase. This is available to book for private occasions such as birthdays, bar mitzvahs, baby showers etc. etc.
Overall I went away more satisfied than I did from the first visit. It is a slightly more polished operation and food proportions were still generous, but not wasteful. Staff is friendly and pleasant as you would expect.
We dined as guests of the Hart House, but as always all editorial content is my own. Featured image credit Hart House.
Hart House, 335-337 Fleet Road, Fleet, Hampshire GU51 3NT. Tel 01252 267020
