Rose and Crown, Wimbledon Village

Review date: 2nd July 2006

We took lunch in the Rose and Crown pub in Wimbledon Village yesterday. The pub itself is a bit of a locals pub but less so during the Wimbledon Tennis season.

The contrast between the two meals we had was quite startling and indicates an unreliable kitchen to me.

The Sausages and Mash was actually good. Not startling so - but good. Three decent sized "Cumberland" sausages and a good sized portion of mash. Not the best sausage and mash I ever had, but certainly a "would have again" sausage and mash. Mash was actully consistent throughout and slightly creamy, but not too much. The onions, however, weren't caramelised. Not like what it said on the menu. Not quite sure where I've tasted that gravy before either - could it be from elsewhere like a supermarket?

On the other hand, the Steak and Mushroom pie was, frankly, disgusting. I have no idea what the chef was doing when he put together this concoction. The mint sauce was applied to the extent that any flavour that existed from the meat (or the few mushrooms that existed) was utterly drowned out. It seems that the meat was simply there for a bit for a bit of texture and decoration. The crust of the pie, however, was average. The carrots had their flavour smited in a salty butter oil combo. Charming I'm sure. And the "Farmer Chips" - well, they looked nice and crispy on the outside but they were just plain and ordinary potatoes that had been fried in something that makes them look brown. Blah!

As a Youngs pub, the Rose and Crown offers a standard range of Youngs beers, including Ram Rod, Special and Ordinary bitters. As we were heading off to a party we didn't sample any beers to discover how well they are kept but from prior experience, they are kept well.

The Rose and Crown, in keeping with many of the Wimbledon Village pubs, is on the expensive side of things. The Bangers and Mash came in at 7.50GBP and the pie at 9.50GBP. Frankly, on the basis of this performance my Wimbledon Common boundry dining shall be at the Fox and Grapes on the other side of the common which, if I remember rightly from my Wimbledon days, has a reliable and very good quality kitchen and at comparable prices.

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