I went for the fish and chips, driven purely by instinct, I'd taken a long time perusing the menu and really had trouble deciding, like so often, I ended up going for the dish that jumped out at me immediately. I wasn't disappointed, the size of the battered haddock was enough to draw gasps when it arrived.
I was disappointed by the lack of flavour in the mushy peas, they weren't seasoned and had congealed a little on the plate. The chips were a bit nondescript, there was potato skin left on many of them which I have an aversion to.
The batter on the fish was stodgy, it was very thickly coated and lacking the crunch that is the vital element to a really good fish and chips. When venturing beyond this outer layer there was minimal actual fish but what was there had benefited from the thick casing and was succulent and delicate.
Nibs and Noy both went for the steak and ale pie which looked great and again was a large portion. This came with vegetables, spring onion mash and more of the mushy peas.
I didn't taste the pie or Kat's goats cheese salad but the latter was apparently rather too heavy on the cheese and whilst it had a good amount of toasted nuts and seeds, it also had a liberal sprinkling of raisins, this would have been more than enough to put me off.
On a balmy and rainy evening the overwhelming memory I have of the place is that the dining room, to the rear of the pub, was stifling and sticky. We all got extremely hot and bothered, not conducive to a pleasant eating experience. The discomfort was eased somewhat by several bottles of prosecco and some melted (therefore ejaculating) white chocolate Lindt Lindor for dessert - thanks for sharing Noy. There was quite a crowd and this seems to be a pub favoured for after work drinks by the local Farringdon contingent. I would return, perhaps on a Sunday to try out the roast but I think it's first and foremost a drinking pub.
The Crown Tavern
43 Clerkenwell Green, EC1R
6/10
5 comments:
Boo, I recently used to work more or less opposite this pub *sob* and your right about it being a 'drinking' pub as opposed to an 'eating' pub.
I had a rubbish lunch in there a while back....so bad I can barely remember what it was, I've expunged it from my memory - some kind of flatbread meatball Greek thing.
Saying that, forget about the food...for a drink, it's a cracking Pub especially on an afterwork summmer evening when the customers spill outside into the Square. Hard to beat.
If you want decent food - The Eagle is 5 mins down the road.
Ooh cheers Dan, I've heard great things about The Eagle, the annoying thing about it being someone elses birthday meal is that you can't pick the venue yourself!
Still missing Clerkenwell then I see!
Few things beat a really good fish and chips. sorry this one didn't live up to your expectations. Have you ever had fish and chips at Loch Fyne??? They are awesome.
No I've not tried theirs, I have eaten there though and loved the fresh shellfish.
I love fish and chips, I'd say the best I've had in London was at Rock and Sole Plaice in Covent Garden. Must check out Loch Fyne's version, thanks for the tip!
Food has vastly improved. In fact it's now one of the best all around pubs in the area.
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