See inside The Railway Hotel – Portobello Brewing's new Worthing pub, restaurant and hotel after major £3m refurbishment

The Railway Hotel served a free two-course meal and guests were invited to look around the venue, which has completely changed after a major £3m refurbishment of the former Grand Victorian, opposite Worthing Railway Station.

The floor has all been levelled out and booths have been installed, along with a range of tables and chairs. As you enter in the central door, the aim is for the left-hand side to be for dining and the right-hand side for the pub.The pub area leads out to the garden, which has also totally changed. Both conservatories are gone and instead there is a big open area with tables and chairs, set among twinkling lights, as well as a raised area with patio tables.

We took advantage of the dinner trial on Wednesday evening and chose starters and main courses. I had lamb kofta, served with tzatziki, cherry tomatores, chutney and pickled red onion, priced at £8. The koftas were soft and melted in the mouth, very tasty indeed. My friend had the crispy chicken bites, served with spicy Korean chilli sauce, sesame seeds and spring onion, priced at £9. They really were crispy and very tasty, though she could taste more black pepper than chilli.

For mains, I had the chicken supreme with gratin potato and sauté kale in a cacio é pepe sauce, priced at £16.50. The chicken breast was plump and juicy, the potatoes had a lovely crispy crust and the sauce was delicious. My friend chose cumberland sausages with horseradish mash, buttered greens and gherkin gravy, priced at £14.50, and found the sausages to be fat and tasty.

We chose a bottle of Vidal, a New Zealand sauvignon blanc, which went perfectly with the meal. On cask was Portobello Star, the brewery's own British bitter, priced at £4.40, and their brand new V.E.S.P.A. very extra special pale ale was on keg, priced at £5.90. We decided to round off the meal with a cocktail, choosing a Long Island Iced Tea at £9 and Espresso Martini at £9.50. Note the Thirsty Thursdays deal of 2-4-1 cocktails all day!

There will be an invite-only opening party tonight, Thursday, August 24, then the hotel opens to all on Friday. The Railway Hotel, in Railway Approach, Worthing, will be serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, with afternoon tea coming soon.