Rose and Crown, Enfieldback to pub details please note - reviews on this site are purely the opinion of site visitors, so don't take them too seriously.
The Rose & Crown is one of those hidden gems that you really want to be the one to say ‘I found it first’. Not sure I can stake that claim just yet, but I’m working on it! I have to confess that I was a little dismayed reading some of the reviews and comments and at first was a little unsure that perhaps this place was suitable at all for me or my readers. After delving a little further into the history I learnt that the Rose & Crown was once owned by the grandparents of Dick Turpin and rumour has it that he once used the pub as a secret hideout. The Rose & Crown has been taken over recently by new management and has a new chef so I decided to see if anything had improved from the negativity previously experienced by others.
Being situated at the hollow between Whitewebbs Park and Hilly Fields means there are fields to explore, parks to roam and adventure trails to be discovered and you can use the Rose & Crown as a starting or finishing point. First impressions are good, the outside has clearly had a spruce up and looks fresh and inviting. Once inside you are overwhelmed by the character features, the ambience and admittedly it does look a little tired on the décor front, but this is easily forgotten. There are little nooks and crannies everywhere with adequate seating for either the casual drinker, the tourist, the family or the diner. The staff are helpful, warm and welcoming and I started off the review by speaking to both the chef Dave and also to Mark who manages the pub. Both are hugely optimistic about which direction they want the pub to go in and Mark has fantastic ideas as to what he would like to do to improve the décor and make it more inviting to new customers (not that this should put you off, I will definitely be coming here again and soon!). One of the many reasons I wanted to review the Rose & Crown was because of the negative comments made about the food and not being known as family friendly. Let me start by dispelling both! Not only is there ample space for families away from perhaps rowdy individuals but there is an outside seating area and adequate seating for dining as well. The menu changes on a predominantly daily basis but the basic staples which are firm favourites with regulars tend to stay put. For my review I had a taster session to experience as many options as possible (not being greedy honestly..) and I wasn’t disappointed! The starters consisted of Grilled Halloumi, a ‘shot’ of sweet red pepper dip, crispy spiced chicken wings, king prawns with diced pancetta and fried bread bruschetta with cherry tomatoes, garlic and herbs. Let me say on record the ‘taster’ plate should be an option on the menu - it was to die for, give the diner a taste of everything! The prawns were the juiciest, plumpest prawns I’ve had and the pancetta was a divine accompaniment, whilst the Halloumi had been grilled with just enough of a bite and went perfectly with the shot of red pepper dip! I could and should have finished the entire plate but at least I know what to order when I go back! The main course was just as good and for some food, which I used to think I didn’t care for too much, I found myself enjoying everything wholeheartedly! The sea bass was incredible and served on a bed of Mediterranean vegetable with a small round of rice and anchovies. This was seasoned beautifully and fell apart, I hadn’t expected the anchovies to work well, being fish with fish, but it jut gave it the edge it needed. The most surprising thing on the plate was the Goats Cheese served with finely sliced beetroot on top of fried bread. The flavours of the goats cheese with the sweetness of the beetroot and exquisite and the fried bread is that guilty pleasure you just want more of! After devouring this I had a taster portion of the beef cooked in a rich red wine sauce and served in a giant Yorkshire pudding, the taste was rich and velvety and seasoned perfectly, my one little criticism is that the Yorkie was bought and not made - if you can create perfection in every other dish, do the same with the Yorkshire pudding! I can’t even begin to tell you about dessert (yes I made room!!) A gorgeous vanilla ice-cream served with a strawberry sauce and crushed meringue on top, warm, thick waffles with a rich toffee sauce, strawberries sliced finely and served with a coulis and little cubes of jelly made from cranberry and vodka - (oh my god this was the icing or should I say jelly on the plate!) Finally, and believe me I ate the lot, the apple crumble was the most amazing finale I could have asked for. With a perfect pastry base, thick chunky apples and topped with the finest buttery crumble, I couldn’t fault any part of it!
Overall, I had a fabulous meal that cost considerably less than any 5* establishment, the staff were amazing, friendly and couldn’t have been more helpful. An absolute must for all my readers whether taking their family or their friends!
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A great building, the beers is well kept and often interesting choices are on offer.
food is good.
quiet in the evenings, but busy at lunchtimes
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As mentioned by the reviewer below, a superb former coaching Inn with bits of the building dating from the 1700�s with some historical connections to Dick Turpin.
It�s an OK pub and as mentioned the beer choice is a bit limited, Fullers London Pride and Deuchars IPA on my last visit if I remember correctly. Has an extensive food menu, and although I have not eaten here, plenty of people do.
There is a decent garden area round the back and it�s location opposite Hilly Fields makes it an ideal place for a mid walk stop if you are doing the Hilly Fields / Whitewebbs crawl.
And to answer Staligrad , not it is not 1.3mile from Gordon Hill station, its well under a mile by road and less if you walk straight across Hilly Fields. It�s because B.I.T.E have got the post code wrong.
The correct one is EN2 9AJ.
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Lovely building with a good but slightly less impressive pub tucked away inside it. Should by all means be something like the quaint country village pub that it looks like from outside and if it was would fill a nice niche in the Enfield pub market. Instead it's a fairly bog standard local that looks nicer than it is. Worth a walk about inside to look at the building itself and the drinks aren't too bad for quality or price (if a little underwhelming in terms of choice), food (if they still do it) was always pretty good if memory serves me correctly and always seemed reasonably friendly, but with the superior Fallow Buck a short(ish) walk up the hill, it's better just dropped into for one or two along the way rather than being a destination to head for.
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Nice country pub in semi-rural setting, ideal if you've just had a stroll through Whitewebbs Park. Friendly staff and well kept beers.
BobOs - 23 Aug 2008 10:36 |
theres no way that the rose & crown is 1.3 miles from gordon hill station....!
its ok though...!
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