The Dozen at The White Horse

Gutted I booked this for mother’s day, redeeming factor of a free plant however.

The food wasn’t great, service wasn’t great! Really wouldn’t recommend the roast.

What a shame that this newly refurbished establishment did not put as much time and effort into its staff training and customer awareness that it did into its decor! Our experience included extremely long wait times (despite being one of only two tables being occupied), spilt wine with no apology or compensation until we asked for it, wrong drinks, poor customer service, lack of customer awareness and attentiveness. Needless to say that we will not be returning in the future.

Chef would not allow us to swap new potatoes for fries without charging us. Seemed really pointless as some of the dishes came with a choice of potatoes. Staff disinterested in resolving the matter dispite having spent £350 on accommodation in the establishment.

We went for the Sunday lunch and the food was plentiful and good quality. Reasonable prices and attentive staff.

We were in for an early dinner and the staff were very attentive. As it got busier they were less so but it didn’t affect our evening. The food was great and they catered very well for our dietary requirements.

Delicious food in a very relaxing atmosphere, would definitely recommend

The food was lovely but...when we got to our table we got two different menus, no explanation as to why. We ordered wine which took ages to arrive because apparently the lady that was waiting our table wasn't trained behind the bar. I asked for celeriac with my sandwich and got slaw instead. We ordered fried mac and cheese balls to start, these arrived after our mains as they had been forgotten. Just to reiterate, the food was very tasty and the service was very apologetic and friendly, but there were too many mistakes made for it to be acceptable!

Thanks very much. Lovely dinner with great food. My wife & daughter particularly liked the Lamb & Lemon Posset. Will come again. Great offer.

Chose the sweet potato dauphinoise from their Veganuary menu which was very delicious. Really hope they continue to offer vegan food as I'd love to visit again in February! My husband enjoyed the herbed chicken from their usual menu. Bar/front area has more atmosphere than the restaurant area.

Not a great night; I should have paid more attention to the other reviews. Incredibly slow service considering how quiet it was and although the starters came out quite quickly the mains took forever and they forgot to give us the bill so we had to keep asking. The did say they had staffing issues but it was pretty quiet and I don't really think that's a good enough excuse.

Such a shame as it could be a fabulous place but poor staffing and cold food made this a let down.

Lovely food, excellent service

Could not fault the food but service was quite slow although when served staff very good

We were looked after by Adrian who did a fabulous job ensuring we had everything we needed food was excellent and a good selection of drinks and wine and knowledgeable staff it’s very nicely decorated I would highly recommend for drinks meals afternoon tea enjoy

We have been several times and enjoy the food but the service is extremely slow

A very pleasant Sunday lunch. The service could have been a bit better but we were there when an enormous table was in the cafe behind. We had to ask for the 3rd sharing starter as that seemed to have been forgotten. But all in all somewhere very pleasant and different to go. Have already made another booking.

Venue wasn’t aware of our Open Table booking when we arrived, were able to seat us nevertheless.

Food was ok - Sunday Dinner just needed finessing and some stuffing.

Really surprisingly very, very good!
Nice to find a restaurant that’s not a chain and will happily return to

Food good but the service left a bit to be desired.
Offered a choice of chunky chips or skinny fries, chose chunky chips but skinny fries arrived as they had run out of chunky chips. Coffee maker did not know how to operate machine properly so Latte arrived Luke warm at best and several minutes after the cappuccino.
No bread with either the garlic prawns or the smoked salmon starters

What a shame, we had great expectations about our dining experience. Very smart restaurant, and innovative decor. Staff were smart except the very tall gentleman with the scruffy ponytail, and shirt hanging out. He told us that the Australian Sauvignon Blanc had run out, and wasn’t sure about one of the Ale’s. The waitress that took our orders was efficient, but omitted to tell us that certain things had run out, and still brought the dish, minus a main ingredient.

The salad with the avocado was missing the avocado. The burger with beef, tomato and bacon, was missing the bacon. The risotto was hard, and just warm. The only one of us that had a good meal was the person having fish and fries. He actually had fish in the batter. Two of the party thought about having peach cobbler for their desert, but were told they had run out. Our table was booked for 7pm!!!!!!! Not sure we will be going again. It would have been lovely to have a local restaurant to regularly frequent, and recommend.

The two Sunday lunch roasts were well presented but not hot and the portion size was not overly-generous. The superfood salad main course was missing two key ingredients of quinoa and avocado. The ordered second bottle of sparkling water never arrived. On the plus side, our waitress was friendly, the surroundings were stylish and we had plenty of room at the table. It was surprisingly quiet for a Sunday lunch time.

Disappointing. The menu selection is limited and on the day we went several items on the lunchtime menu were "off". We asked for bread, olives and oil in place of any other starter. The bread was rock hard - literally unchewable. We went on a Monday and I seriously wondered if the bread was left from Sunday or even Saturday. Our comments / complaints were received with little more than indifference. The food was OK but not exciting. A glass of wine was spilt over us. We finished with coffee but wondered if we should have gone to Costa instead. Disappointing.

A very strange evening. We were originally shown into the back canteen like restaurant which was very noisy. The front restaurant which we asked to be moved to had one occupied table in it although it was clear the couple there were having problems. Neither of the staff members seemed to be equipped to be doing their jobs. Limited menu where everything was an extra. In today's world of readily available on-line reviews, it is surprising that this restaurant is able to attract any customers. It is a shame that such an old established venue in the middle of such an attractive market town has been expensively refurbished to produce such a poor quality dining experience.

Pleasant meal, service was friendly and young staff very nice but they were not well organised and we had to wait a while for one of our party o be served with their main course plus had to wait for a second glass of wine and at one point were also given a red wine when had ordered white.

Food excellent. Service was pretty good, but excellent by our young friend from Poland(?), who used to be at Café Rouge, and also exceptional by the american girl, Anniston(?). She was extremely kind and good with our two grandsons (who I'm afraid were not always on their best behaviour). These young ladies made it a very enjoyable occasion for us. Thank you.

Richard Gilbert

Pleasant staff but had to ask 3 times for bread, otherwise very attentive. Reasonable menu selection with some interesting options. Good wine selection. Will definitely eat there again.

We parked the car in the courtyard and entered the building from the back. There was nobody at the Reception desk and we wandered around trying to find the way into the Dozen restaurant with nobody to ask (we have known the White Horse for 50 years and we knew where the dining room was). The place seemed completely deserted, and not even any guests. Eventually we rounded a corner and found the new bar area and so to a table.

Starters were good, but the pork loin was overcooked, dry and tasteless. Then there was no dessert suitable for my lactose-intolerant husband - no fruit salad or poached fruit.

The service was quite good, but over-enthusiastic and rather juvenile for our elderly taste.

We had been prepared to give the new place a go, but were disappointed.

Souless, cold restaurant. A shame as the pub/bar area looked charming. Lamb dish ruined by strong mustard sauce. Pork tough with undercooked roasted vegetables.
Won’t be going back

Food was good the service was a little slow and disorganised. Menu had a good selection of traditional and new.

It was not very clear that for Sunday lunch that you had to have all 3 courses and pay the full price when we only wanted 2 courses. Also my main course came with potato but no other vegetables which seemed rather mean. Otherwise service was friendly and efficient.

Very tasty meal! Four of us enjoyed our different meals and we all said they were delicious.
The service was excellent.
Only downside is that most of the veg/potato etc were extra to the main, which made it more expensive than other places.
We would go back.

We booked a table for two, our Wedding Anniversary. Initial drinks were fine and the staff attentive. However the menu was so restricted that my Wife said we could get a Salad anywhere. To be fair when I first saw the Menu I thought there must be a Specials board somewhere, but no. Ther was no Chicken Dish, or Pasta, or special pie, or something of the day even, ( and all this nothing was going to cost a bob or two!) I noticed another couple in the restaraunt and by their demenour I guessed their disappointment was mutual. They left. After a momment of angst we we both agreed that we would leave also. Paid our Bill and left a small gratuity..... enjoyed our Anniversary else where. But I really wanted to try it here... maybe next time?

Service was a bit slow. Wrong starter was prepared. Coffee took a while to arrive but overall food and portions were good.

Service is very very poor.
My partner is gluten and dairy free, spent 10 minutes in discussion with a waitor about his menu options (which wasn’t that much of an option) for his main meal to show up covered in cheese. Took a further 15-20 minute wait for his meal to arrive. They did take this meal off the bill (when i requested it to be) and got a free drink. Food was mediocre too on this occasion although the lamb i have on a previous trip was very nice. They need more work on the waiting staff as they seem very inexperienced.

My fish was delicious and our main waitress was delightful, friendly and charming. However, the bulk of the staff need urgent training:
-No one to greet us/take us to table,
-Tried to take bread away half eaten when meal arrived
-Tried to clear table whilst still eating
-Celeriac was cold with no refund offered
-Asked for Johnny Walker Blue in the bar and was asked by bar staff if it was a cocktail
-Ran out of requested wine but still charged for this on the bill

I went with my daughter and grand-daughter for lunch. Very smiley and friendly staff, Comfortable seating. Good selection of food on menu, although the Daily Special did not contain anything we wanted. On the whole we enjoyed our lunch.

Three of us (school mums) decided to try the food at The White Horse after reading favourable reviews in the paper. We really enjoyed the evening; The service was friendly, if a little slow at times. The restaurant seemed full and was buzzing with conversation. We were thoroughly impressed with our choices of food; Carpaccio of heritage beetroot, white crab salad followed by roast squash and sage risotto, pork belly, apple and amazing crackling and a sea bass special for the evening. We all had puddings which were equally delicious! The white wine was crisp and chilled to perfection.
We retired after dinner to sit in comfy chairs in the main hotel. Feeling relaxed after our digestifs, we were shocked to realise how late it was and reluctantly headed home!
I will definitely be back soon with my husband in tow

Had a great Mother’s Day lunch! Perfect for families!
Not sure I loved where we sat but would next time book the front with the comfy leather chairs!
The buffet was not what I expected! Too many cold meats and not enough seafood but we will def be back with a younger crowd and are hoping all to come on a Friday evening and stay the night in the hotel! Will be looking out for offers’

We visited The White Horse/The Dozen restaurant for a Mothers Day breakfast. On arrival i have to say i was impressed, the transformation and recent refurbishment is great, really looks the part. The staff where friendly and all dressed well and in keeping with the decor.

That unfortunately is when it all starts going wrong...

I had booked a table for 6 and there where only two menus on the table, when we asked for more apparently they were still being printed! We then ordered our breakfast and coffees, the coffee came promptly and was lovely but the breakfasts took over 30 mins to arrive. then when it finally arrived it looked lovely and well presented however it was all cold from the Eggs Benedict to the Full English, not good. When we informed the waiter he said OK what would we like him to do about it...? Heat it up maybe...! He then took it away and we ordered more coffees while we waited. When the food came back it was warmer but not hot, we couldn't be bothered to wait any longer so just ate it! Then about 10 mins after we had finished and asking 2/3 times our coffee arrived!

In summary i think this place could be great and if they read all the reviews and take on board peoples comments about the service then they will get there. I wont be going back in a hurry though.

The Restaurant setting is really good for sleepy Dorking - a much needed addition.
Our experience wasn't very good and went from bad to worse throughout from drinks through to main course. We spoke to Peter, the manager, who profusely apologised saying he had only started a week before, had very inexperienced weekend staff and was battling with bad communication between waiting staff and kitchen. This was apparent at other tables as well. Peter promised that things would improve and we promised that we would return.
The food was delicious, beautifully presented and very imaginative. The kitchen deserves better waiting staff!
Sort it out 'The Dozen'.
Dorking is in desperate need of this kind of middle of the road restaurant - they serve all the way through from breakfast through to dinner. Brilliant place to go to pre -theatre or for afternoon tea.
It would be a shame to lose such a value addition to Dorking's food scene.
But I will certainly be back and give them another chance.

On arrival staff were excellent found us a nice table and brought drinks and menus promptly. We were told about the fixed Sunday lunch menu but as none of us wanted this we were advised by a very nice waitress to choose from the a la carte menu, two chose the chateaubriand, two the chicken and one the fish and chips. We were then informed by a second waiter that only the fish and chips were available from the a la carte menu (begs the question of why we were give the a la carte menu). I think there were possibly other items that could be ordered but by this time we had had lost interest and left . Such a great pity that being newly opened you failed to follow the golden rule TALK TO YOUR STAFF, make sure that chefs, waiting staff and all other people involved know what they are talking about if they dont know how on earth are your customers supposed to know. Perhaps when you have sorted all this out, we might try again!. Incidentally it would have been nice of the original waitress that was trying to be so helpful at the start of this had apologised ( I think she was hiding!) I would be.