Great food, great location! (Rose and Crown, Warwick)

Member Name: sweetpea01

Product:	Rose and Crown, Warwick
Date:	30/06/09 (64 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great food and a wonderful atmosphere

Disadvantages: Lack of parking

The Rose and Crown is a pub I visit reguarly, atleast a few times a week! Not all to eat I must admit but this is a regular meet up point for me and some of my friends. I have eaten here so many times I cannot remember and I keep coming back so it must be good!

*~*~* The Pub *~*~*

Rose and Crown is a part of the Peach Pub chain and they are:-

"The Peach Pub Company is a small group of independent gastro-pubs based in the Midlands. Sourcing, integrity, supporting local enterprise, and enjoying ourselves is key to what we do and the people we do it with. We don't want to be the biggest company; we are aiming for greatness on a small scale in each pub every day. They are locals for locals, all with their own character and not part of a fake chain".

Rose and Crown is nestled in the corner of Warwick's Market Street right in the middle of the town centre. Ideally located right in the town and it's easily accessible from both junctions 14 and 15 of the M40 and also the A46 from both Coventry and Stratford. You are ideally situated about 5 minutes from Warwick castle and 5 minutes from Warwick racecourse.

The pub is a quaint little place with a wonderfully cosy atmosphere. The pub is alot more modern on the inside with beautiful luxorious patterned flock wallpaper in silver and contrasting poppy red walls. The pub goes for a modern look but with a rustic twist. In the bar area you have lovely long wooden tables with large leather sofas and in the dining areas you either have the usual tables and chairs (all a mixture and not one the same!) and also a selection of booths which look out onto the pubs private garden area.

Out the front in the summer they have a small selection of tables and chairs so ideal for a relaxing drink in the summer.

One thing to note about this pub is the lack of parking. The pub does not have its own parking area but Warwick does have a few small car parks and road parking all within walking distance of the Rose and Crown. But please note parking needs to be paid for and a ticket displayed.

The pub also has an attached bed and breakfast. It has five ensuite rooms available and I believe current rates during June-Aug are about £75.00 per night and that is based on a double room for 1 night.

*~*~* The Menu *~*~*

The Rose and Crown always reguarly update their menu to keep it fresh and seasonal. Fortunately I have eaten here quite a few times as I work in Warwick and everytime the menu is certainly inventive with many delicious sounding dishes!

Examples of the current dishes (June 2009)

Starters - Twice-baked Cheddar Soufflé, Tomato Salad & Warm Basil Dressing £6.00
Summer Salad of Chicory & Green Beans, Warm Poached Egg, with or without Crispy Serrano Ham £6.50

Main - Roast Rack of Cornish Lamb, Chive Crushed New Potatoes, Chorizo & Sun-dried Tomato Dressing £16.50
Char-grilled Tuna Steak Niçoise £13.00

Dessert - Summer Pudding, Clotted Cream £5.00
White Chocolate & Passion Fruit Cheesecake £5.00

The menu as I said changes frequently. The menu I have given examples from is the main dinner time menu however there is a seperate menu for breakfast and lunch which are served in set times. If you don't fancy having a full dinner here and fancy a light snack there is a deli board where you can have a selection of cheeses and meats.

Even though the menu is constantly changed the chef manages to create wonderful dishes time after time and they are always inventive and definately eye pleasing! The pub will quite happily cater for children but there is no seperate childrens menu, they also have to choose from the main menu so it may be best to look at the menu before you go! However the dish they choose will be half the size of an adult portion and will also cost half the price!

*~*~* Beverages *~*~*

As with most pubs the usual soft drinks are readily available and I dont think I really need to list what drinks are stocked but you get the idea! Coke, orange juice etc!

Wine, now this is a topic I like! The wine list is quite extensive and if you are unsure a member of staff will no doubt be happy to help you make a decision and will also give you free tastings if you can't make up your mind! But not all wines are available by the glass!

White - Grenache Blanc/Chardonnay, Les Vignes de l'Eglise France £3.75/ £5.30/ £15.50
Unoaked blend of traditional Southern French grape with Chardonnay - good with Caesar salad or on its own

Rose - Fairview Rosé, Charles Back, Western Cape South Africa £4.75/ £6.50/ £19.50
Who'd a thunk it? With careful blending, South Africa's "national" grape, Pinotage, makes a really nice strawberryish rosé

Red - Merlot, Ladera Verde, Central Valley Chile £3.50/ £4.90/ £14.00
Very quaffable everyday Merlot - typically smooth & gentle

The above is just a sample from their long wine list!

*~*~* The Staff *~*~*

I have been going to the Rose and Crown reguarly for about 3 years and the staff do come and go quite frequently but that is mostly because they come from other EU countries and are just working to earn money before they move onto something else. So you really don't see the same faces more than twice at the most. However the staff generally are always friendly and welcoming and are quite happy to help you if you have a query about something.

The only time you will notice the staff are not on their best behaviour is when it's quiet and when there are only a few customers in the pub. They will tend to stand around and chat and sometimes you can go unheard until you go up to them! But on the whole they are incredibly helpful and always seem to have a smile!

*~*~* Opening Hours *~*~*

The pub I believe is open daily from 8am (breakfast starts) and I would presume the pub is then open till about 11-11.30pm. Obviously there will be a cut off time for food orders and I think this is around half 9/ 10pm.

*~*~* Pub Details *~*~*

30 Market Place, Warwick CV34 4SH

Tel: 01926 411117

Email: roseandcrown@peachpubs.com

Website: www.roseandcrownwarwick.co.uk

*~*~* My Overall Opinion *~*~*

I have been coming here for about 3 years and never have I had a bad meal. The staff are always well presented, the pub is always clean. The food is always fresh (the chef insists on local and fresh ingredients) and is always well presented on the plate. It tastes wonderful and will happily fill you up. Portion size is always important to me and they certainly don't skimp on this! My friends and I have been coming here for so long and have never had a bad experience. No doubt I will be continuing to come here for the years to come! The website is always up to date and its nice to read the blog and to see whether there are any events happening. And the best thing of all is that the prices are very reasonable so you don't feel like you've just burnt a hole in your pocket!!

Summary: Great for a meal or just for a drink!