Coach and Horses Steakhouse

Eastgate, Honley, Holmfirth, HD9 6PA

The bill

Tel: 01484 661871

Website: www.coachandhorsesbistro.co.uk

Opening hours: Lunch 12pm - 2pm (Mon - Friday) Dinner 6pm -9.30pm (Monday - Saturday) Sunday 12pm - 7.30pm

Children: No children’s menu

Disabled access: Main entrance is ramped for disabled access

The bill: £48.75

I CAN see why the Coach and Horses Bistro has recently been renamed as a steakhouse – it’s a meat lover’s paradise.

The short menu in the Honley restaurant is packed full of juicy locally-sourced meats cooked simply and to perfection.

What better place to take a carnivorous boyfriend such as mine?

Liam’s eyes lit up when we agreed he could splash out on the 8oz prime fillet steak.

His verdict? “This is one of the nicest steaks I’ve ever tasted,” he said between meaty mouthfuls.

And trust me, Liam has tasted a whole lot of steaks in his time.

I can always bet when we go out to eat that he’s going to order a steak or a mixed grill.

“And it’s cooked to perfection – just what I asked for,” he said.

However you like your steak cooked, there’s nothing more infuriating than ordering a pricey piece only for the chef to go and ruin it.

Our minds wandered back to a holiday in Hungary when we had to send a steak back four separate times after a request for a medium-well cooked steak kept being served blue.

But nothing was lost in translation with this medium-well cooked steak at the Coach and Horses.

Liam reluctantly cut me a teeny weenie little slice from the edge to try.

It was delicious and tender and simply cooked with just a hint of black peppercorn.

As my dad would say – it should be good food for the price! It didn’t come cheap at £19.90, but in my opinion was well worth the treat for those who are into their meat.

The cheapest steak on the menu is the 8oz rump at £12.50 otherwise there’s the 8oz venison steak (£18.50) the 8oz sirloin steak (£15.50) and the 8oz rib-eye steak (£16.00).

The meat is all prime 28 day-aged and is locally sourced from the award-winning Hinchliffe’s Butchers in Netherton.

I ordered the Cajun spiced corn-fed chicken breast (£9.00) for main which just like the steak was cooked to perfection.

I’ve found so many times that when you order chicken at a restaurant the chef is so scared of undercooking it and poisoning you that it ends up coming out to you like a piece of shrivelled dry rubber on a plate.

This Cajun chicken was tender and lightly spiced but could have had a bit more of a kick to it for my liking.

As with all the main meat dishes it was served with a perfect-sized portion of tasty golden hand-cut chips, a grilled tomato and dressed salad.

Diners can order a home-made sauce, from peppercorn to spicy tomato, to go with any meal for an extra £1.

Our waitress said the spicy tomato sauce went particularly well with the grilled swordfish steak. (£11)

The Coach and Horses is definitely not one for the vegetarians, although there was one veggie option on the menu – a mushroom stroganoff. (£8.50)

It seems the restaurant, recently renamed as a steakhouse, has concentrated on serving great quality meat cooked beautifully and simply.

For starter I ordered the pâté (£4.50) which was lovely and smooth and came with warm freshly-toasted bread garnished with salad.

Liam opted for the soup of the day which was summer vegetables – a generous serving of thick and creamy soup.

For pudding I had the lemon and lime tart (£3.95) which was divine.

It tasted more like a cheesecake than a tart but I didn’t care what it was, it was scrumptious – drizzled with a raspberry coulis and served with a jug of cream.

Liam had a large piece of caramel shortcake (£3.95) which he polished off in no time.

The decor at the steakhouse is understated, fresh and clean with comfy seats.

We took advantage of the great wine offer – a free bottle of wine per couple with any two main courses running from Monday to Saturday, 6pm to 7pm.

We were served a Merlot Veneto from North East Italy which was a delicious full-bodied red.

On Sundays you can buy a full roast dinner.

While on Mondays customers can buy one steak and get another half price between 6pm and 9.30pm – maybe a good time to treat yourself to the prime fillet?