When the gastropub concept was first thrust upon us, many of us where confused as to what to make of them. It was a case of trousers or jeans? A fancy glass of vino or a good pint? Best behaviour or boisterous fun? And then there was the food. Pubs up and down the country were eschewing traditional British fare for Continental dishes, usually with disastrous results. Fortunately, things seem to have gone full circle and pubs have realised that all they need to do is provide top quality, simple British food. The Crown is such a pub.
Set in a grand Victorian building next to Victoria Park, the interior is a warm, inviting place to meet for a drink or a meal. There are loads of cosy couches and large tables to congregate around, whilst those after a more formal affair can choose to dine in the smarter dining room upstairs. There’s also a balcony to enjoy the views of the park during sunnier weather. The wide range of drinks includes everything from Adnam’s and Doom Bar on the pumps to a respectable wine list.
Punters have a choice of a light bar menu and a proper dinner menu based on top quality ingredients cooked simply and well. Starters were a generous serving of pleasantly salty Ham hock and a conversely tiny and dry Mushroom tart; I knew I should have gone for the Pork rillettes which I spied a neighbouring table enjoying! For mains, my Lamb was superbly cooked and served with delicious potato boulangere, whilst Mr Kooper’s Sea Bass was a gorgeous piece of fish which again had been well cooked but was served with a somewhat bland risotto. For desserts the Apple & pear crumble was actually half a poached pear and half a poached apple, served with a generous mound of perfectly crumbly crumble and a side of custard; looked contrived, but was actually totally scrumptious.
Overall, with its friendly and comfortable venue and some good grub The Crown sets a good standard for what the modern gastropub should be providing.
Food: 3.5/5
Venue: 3.5/5
Value: 3.5/5
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Priya, MyVillage
The Crown - delightfully located opposite the green grasses of Victoria Park.
Dotted with art deco novelties and smothered with warming colours. Quiz nights on Monday usually throw in some ambience, but it will be their plumping menu that will keep you clinging on to their premises.
A must to sample is their Oyster Mushroom Tart, Roasted Shallots and Toasted Almonds along with their Grilled English Asparagus, Balsamic Glaze and Red Pepper. An ideal pairing to kick off your dining onslaught.
Main courses, the Pan Fried Sea Bass doused in a zingy Broad Bean Sauce will have you pining for more. And one to corner is their Marinated Salmon Fillet and Mango Salsa. Both completely unchallenged in price (between £12-15) taste and presentation.
With a tantalising dessert list on offer (making our selection an arduous task), we finally opt for the, Iced Chocolate and Bailey Parfait, which beckoned second helpings.
Whether for a few tipples or some gastro munch, The Crown will be a visit lingering on the palate.
I�m a big fan of the Morgan Arms, the Crown�s sister pub, so was looking forward to eating here when it opened recently.It�s taken a couple of months to get round to going there because it was so busy with interested locals at first, and they (rather arrogantly) decided not to have a booking policy.But now the fuss has died down, I�ve been twice (and both times it's been pretty empty... now I know why).The first time I ate there for lunch I was unwell so just wanted something small and healthy - but the only thing on the menu that came under that description was the parma ham, strawberries and balsamic vinegar. It was tasty enough but an incredibly mean portion. My mum and boyfriend had fish and chips which they liked well enough - but then, how hard is it to get fish and chips wrong?Then I went back the night before last for dinner, and had a dreadful experience. My starter - tomato, mozzarella and basil salad - had tons of very under-ripe green tomatoes, and barely any basil. My boyfriend�s soup was broccoli soup with a blob of stilton in the middle, and neither of us was offered any bread. So far, so average. But the problems really started with the main courses. I ordered a seafood risotto which was so indescribably awful that I couldn�t eat it. I have to tell you that this is the first time that has EVER happened to me in a restaurant - normally I am a dustbin for food, even if it�s not that great. As I�m not the type to complain, I tried to hide the fact I hadn�t eaten anything by putting my napkin on the plate, but the waiter came and told me the kitchen were asking if there was a problem as they�d noticed I hadn�t eaten it. That�s a sign of a good restaurant. However, after telling the waiter how awful it was (soggy, very over salted, very fishy, couldn�t taste the crab or the mussels for the overwhelming taste of seawater - basically they put far too much fish stock in and it hadn�t absorbed properly!), we got the bill and I had been charged for it! Unbelievable.My boyfriend�s main course, the only vegetarian option on the menu, was a few salad leaves, two huge lumps of goats cheese, and six pecan nuts.The waiter is lovely and the building has been decorated beautifully, so I really wanted to like the Crown, but I will not be going back.Needless to say, we didn�t stay for the unimaginative puddings (lemon tart, ice cream, creme brulee, yawn yawn).Very disappointing.
Just read the other reviews for this Pub and they are so different from my experience, so thought i would re-address the balance.Tried the new Crown for Sunday Lunch, we sat upstairs on the terrace. The Staff were friendly and we were all pleased with our different dishes. The house red and white is very drinkable. I especially was very satisfied with my Beef roast dinner. Our waitress was very friendly and really helpful. For pudding we opted for the cheese board, which was a little disappointing, could of had a better assortment of cheeses. I felt that it was fairly priced and we all shall be returning. The no child policy after a certain time...I can understand is annoying for some people, and I guess only time will tell if it's the right decision. However some parents...and not all! do not control their children in public, and so disrupts other peoples enjoyment of a meal out.
Although we had read Molly's review before going to The Crown we thought we'd give it a try. We took our little boy along to meet a group of six friends for lunch but at 3.30pm we were all asked to leave (rather rudely) because we had a toddler with us. In our opinion this was not only foolish behaviour but more to the point (as Molly suggested) a foolish policy - we won't go back.Suffice to say that if you have children with you, if you like good food or a friendly service then don't go to The Crown!
I generally got the impression that children were not welcome. I hope for their sake this is not the case as if they've checked their demographic they would find the area is teeming with young families who still like to eat out! I went to this place with high expectations. Sadly these were dashed almost upon entry. We took our baby with us for an early evening meal at around 6.30 and were told NO KIDS AFTER 7 downstairs, oh and by the way there are no highchairs. So, we had to carrythe pushchair up to the restaurant and leave our baby in it.The starters were ok. Field Mushroom soup and Liver. The mains were less satisfying. My husband was asked how he wanted his lamp steak cooked but I was not asked about my burger. When they arrived the lamp steak was too thin for it to matter, whereas the burger was big and juicy and a choice would have been nice.The service we had was officious. That's the only word that I can use. We won't be rushing back
