1912 Brasserie Hobure Naish in New Forest

This is the first time we have been able to book the brasserie here thanks to Covid. The entrance via the clubhouse almost made us turn back, with rubbish strewn over tables and the floor, but as we wound our way through a more mellow bar area, we eventually came to this bright and modern restaurant. Too bright really and the room would really benefit from dimming the lights and real candles on the tables, so it felt more like a brasserie than a café. That said, it is surprisingly attractive and pleasantly furnished. The menu is not as published online, which was disappointing, but the options were interesting. We shared a Garden platter and a family platter and also had one soft shell crab and a lamb kofte. The Garden platter was very good with light felafel, tasty onion bhajis, and really good home-made hummus. The family platter was also very good apart from the Calamari which were very rubbery. The softshell crab, which is rarely seen in local restaurants, and the kofte were good too. Most had burgers and chips for mains which were ‘yummy’ both chips and burgers. The tuna steak was enjoyed but was said to taste like beef! I had the South Asian curry. It looked really dull with no attempt to make the dish look attractive. A pile of boiled rice on the plate and a bowl of curry with a handful of chopped cooked chicken thrown in the top and not even stirred in. However, this was gorgeous and one of the most flavoursome curries I have eaten. The waitresses made us laugh as there were three Sauvignons on the menu and we chose the Chilean. The waitress wasn’t sure if they had any and asked for our second choice, so we picked the New Zealand. We got the Australian, but it was fine so we didn’t say anything. We ordered a second bottle and this time we got the Chilean wine! This was a very pleasant meal and with a bit more atmosphere this would be a very good night out. I think the menu is perhaps a bit dear and too fancy for the residents as there were only three tables taken – they need to push this place some more with a few specials nights maybe?