Black Market

It's taken three attempts to have a meal at Black Market. The first one was cancelled due to Covid and the second due to them not having any staff. Was the wait worth it? Yes, it certainly was. It was very quiet when we arrived around 8.30 on a Saturday evening and, to be honest, it didn't get any busier - though I suspect that is down to people still staying away from venues due to pandemic worries rather than anything else. Lovely warm welcome, with menu's brought promptly to the table. The menu and style of eating was explained - it's a sort of British version of tapa's really - so we opted for the charcuterie plate and bread for starters and then six of the main plates to share between the four of us. The food arrived as it was cooked rather than all plonked on the table at the same time which is good. All the dishes were, to be totally honest, bloody marvellous; very tasty, some were slightly quirky (but in a good way) and all arrived piping hot. We managed a chat with John the chef (think he's the co-owner as well) who helped out the lovely waitress to bring out the food. He's a charming fellow who's obviously a keen cook, willing to try different food combination, which in our case, succeeded. Criticism? Perhaps the wine list is a bit short, I don't recollect there being any French wines on there. But in these straitened times, perhaps understandable. Clean bathrooms, which is always welcome too. Will definitely be visiting again.

Great little place! I used to live right behind here and what a shame this place wasn’t here when I did! We tried all 5 of the small plates to share between two as a light meal before going to a party elsewhere. All the plates were delicious and original. The crispy salt fish was a little salty for our taste (although I guess the clue is in the name…) and our favourites were the squid and the roasted cauliflower. Attentive but not over the top service and very accommodating regarding my nut allergy. The venue and decor is lovely - the only negative is it was very quiet when it deserves to be packed!

We really enjoyed our evening at Black Market last week. We sat outside for Covid safety and found the outside area to be welcoming and comfortable. The staff were all extremely professional, friendly and genuine and the food was excellent. We had five plates between us and a desert each and it filled us up nicely. The standouts for me were the Heritage Tomato and the Chicken Kiev, and of course the desert - Death by Chocolate - wow, it was good. The glass of wine I had wasn't cheap but was well worth it - it was gorgeous. The food and service were of a high standard and the restaurant has a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. A very enjoyable night out.

Really excellent food, had the sirloin pave. Perfectly cooked. I don't usually eat sauces with steaks but the red wine sauce was spectacularly good. Just one slight criticsm was that the steak was slightly chewy, perhaps not the best cut and I was probably just unlucky, but it was perfectly cooked. Wouldn't put me off going again.

Bright, airy, clean ambience. Well polished staff with excellent, attentive demeanour. Very exacting about allergy information which was pleasant. Food was tasty (if unaventurous) and cooked to perfection. There was a robust drinks offering, with appealing and innovative non-alcoholic menu also. Our party was kept entertained by the artwork on the descent to the well-kept WC facilities. Only real downside was the "concept" of sharing plates. There was no more on my plate than if I had a plate to myself. In fact, in some cases there was less than I would expect for the price. It was confusing because orders were taken individually and delivered to the person who ordered it. But the sharing idea meant several people missed out on what they had ordered because everyone was eating it and in honesty there wasn't enough to go round. You would need a good 5 or 6 plates for yourself to feel sated. I probably wouldn't come here again unless I had to. It was a nice enough experience but we paid through the nose for pretentious plates and left hungry. (Sag aloo was a few small potatoes with 3 or 4 leaves of fresh spinach thrown on top). Not my idea of a satisfying meal out. For comparison, I've paid double at a Michelin star restaurant but it was food you could never create yourself at home, served with panache and obviously a cut above. This is what I would term "try hard" but feels like profiteering. Sorry to say so, but it's true.