Horto Restaurant

I cannot rate Horto higher than the five stars given but I would gladly give it ten stars. We had the pleasure of eating there on their first night of opening since COVID restrictions were lifted. From the professional welcome received from the Restuarant Manager Rory to being the last table to leave we were overwhelmed with the level of service from the whole team and the standard of the food. The menu description does not do the food justice. Their angle is to avoid the norm of Starters, Mains and Puddings and go for a selection of small plates seasonally lead with fresh ingredients from their own kitchen garden. It's suggested that you chose 4 plates per person but as there was a total of 9 on the menu we decided to go for one of each to share per couple. Each dish seemed to surpass the last one, the flavours and textures were fantastic. The Chawanmushi (smoked eel, peas and wasabi) I would have never chosen in a million years but turned out to be the best thing I have ever tasted in my life! Thank you to Rory and the team for making our experience so memorable. We will be back!!
Jan 2nd, 2022

Visited for both lunch and dinner during the same visit. Lunch menu is very overpriced for what it is. They have a captive market so feel they can charge what they want but 20 for a bowl of Tom Yum soup, a Salmon salad, or a Lentil Dahl is far too much. Similarly, 14 for a simple cocktail and 12 for a piece of cake seem over the top. The food itself was ok, but I've eaten much better and at a better price at both Rockcliffe Hall and Seaham Hall spas. Evening menu is much better though not as good as when I last visited in Feb 2020. We both had the tasting menu and thoroughly enjoyed it. The price has gone up over 50% since Feb 2020 and is now above some Michelin starred restaurants I've eaten in (Hrishi in the Lake District for instance). For some reason they've also stopped the wine pairing. Overall I'd give the evening menu 4* and the lunch menu 2*.
Apr 19th, 2023

Food : 3/5 | Service : 4/5 | Atmosphere : 3/5 More
Mar 24th, 2023

Food was delightful, but just wanted to mention the lovely waitress Tiria that served us on Friday night. She was very professional, yet showed such an interest in our day, it really made our stay even better!
Feb 6th, 2023

Food was interesting and tasty, though the BBQ lamb course I had was tad too salty for me and the lamb itself was small. Service was friendly but was unfortunately slow and not as attentive as it should be for this price point.
May 12th, 2022