THIS month’s A Matter of Taste comes from the small village of Laughton, The Roebuck Inn. So attractive from the roadside, and their billboard outside boasts freshly cooked food all day, so we decided to give it a whirl.
Having jumped on the bus to Brighton from Hailsham, we hopped off halfway through.
Stepping inside, the subdued lighting and quirky décor immediately caught my attention. The creative use of metal cogs and other machinery in the wall light fittings added a unique
touch to the ambience. It was just starting to get dark outside, setting a perfect mood for a relaxing evening. I was surprised at how busy it already was. The air was bubbling pleasantly, and people were happy.
From the moment we stepped in, we were warmly welcomed by the friendly staff. The menus were presented to us in a timely manner, showcasing an attractive selection of classic pub dishes. From the ever-popular fish and chips to hearty sausages and mash, as well as tempting options like Gammon steak, haddock, tandoori chicken, and a delicious vegetarian spinach and sweet potato chickpea curry.
As I don’t suffer from any allergies or have any dietary preferences, I feel fortunate that the whole menu appeals to me, apart from a very select few items that I just don’t like. The foot of the menu states that any meal can be made gluten-free with a substitute if it’s not already flagged as such. The variety of options on their menu is impressive, especially for meat lovers. However, I couldn’t help but wonder if there could be more variety to cater to our vegetarian and vegan friends.
Back to us, we opted for a Spanish Burger with Manchego Cheese & Chorizo, for £16.50 and a selection of the Small Plates, there are nine to choose from and a selection of four Baos for a deal of three for £20, otherwise you simply choose them separately with their varying prices.
I’m assuming you can opt for a single Small Plate as a Starter and then select a Main as well, but I decided to have the Three Small Plates Deal — it was a tough decision to settle on just three dishes as there were so many tempting options to choose from. The final decision was the Salt & Chilli Squid as it’s always a firm favourite, which was served with a chilli dip, the Honey & Red Wine Chorizo bites and bread, and then selected the Crispy Pork Belly with Chilli & White Soy Dressing in a steamed chinese-style Bao bun. This combination would have cost £25 separately but the deal saved £5.
We didn’t have to wait too long for our dishes to arrive, especially as it’s all freshly cooked. The burger looked great and we’re always a firm believer that if you serve a great burger you must, at the very least, make your own slaw. This slaw was excellent, made with red onion which made it crunchy, creamy and delicious.
The three Small Plates were served, the squid and Chorizo bites on separate plates and the Bao buns were served on a slate board — I dug in straight away.
The squid was lovely, cooked beautifully, with a great crunchy crispy coating, served with some lovely coriander and chilli garnish which not only made it look aesthetically pleasing but added a great taste as well, but together with the chilli dip was just lovely.
I was a little puzzled by the Bao bun, I have to confess, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect, or how to eat it, so I simply picked it up and ate it like a small sandwich. On the menu it stated ‘A steamed Chinese style Bao bun’, but there were actually two! If I’m totally honest about the Bao bun, I didn’t feel it was necessary, and didn’t add a great deal to the dish as it was rather tasteless, I would have preferred the extra attention to have been spent on getting the pork as crispy as I hoped it was going to be. However, it tasted great, and ended up just eating the pork and leaving the bun — sorry!
Now to the Chorizo bites — the more ordinary-looking dish of the three. A small ramekin full of Chorizo with a generous amount of honey & red wine sauce. I was surprised at how delicious this was and if given the opportunity to enjoy this selection again I’d go in with the Chorizo first without hesitation.
My only comments to add would be to perhaps put the ramekin of Chorizo and bread on an oblong plate, which would add a touch of elegance and sophistication and creating a ‘wow factor’ to reel you in from first sight. The pork definitely did not need the Bao buns, simply served on its own perhaps with a few slices of apple or an apple sauce to give it an added sweetness would be sufficient for me.
The pub can be contacted at 01323 811244 and tell them you saw them in East Sussex News. Enjoy.
We send anonymous members of the team to check out local pubs, cafes and restaurants to give you an honest review. These visits are not pre-arranged, and the venues do not know they are reviewing the food and drink!
