The Tiger Inn, East Dean

The Tiger Inn has a charming ambience, with an olde world style, if that is your thing. The locals certainly liked it and made repeated attempts to ambush the table we occupied. No matter we thought, at least the food had good reviews and we sat it out...and boy, did we sit. A whole hour passed while we tried to ignore the pointed stares of the locals willing us to return to our alien land (a mere 6 miles down the road!). And when our food finally arrived, it did little to allay our increasing discomfort. It cannot be described as great, even 2 pints later. Its not even very good. My husband ordered a risotto with sundried tomatoes, or so he thought. What arrived was an unidentifiable gloop onto which a deli-pot of sundried tomatoes had been tipped. That was the extent of the presentation, which sadly mirrored the taste. The hour it took to make this strange, mushy dish meant that my steak was served stone-cold and cooked to within an inch of its poor last bit of meat. Perhaps, I thought, ever hopeful, the pepper sauce offered as an extra for a staggering two pounds, would soften the chewiness. Yes, you guessed right - the cheekiness of the chef to pass off the brown slime into which he'd ground some black pepper as a touch of haute cuisine is admirable. We beat a hasty retreat (all 6 miles), leaving the Tiger Inn to its loyal clientele.

28 Mar 2009 01:14