The Rose and Crown

First, my apologies for getting this edition of our adventure published in such tardy fashion.  I realized tonight that it is about time that I write about last week - given that we are heading out to our next restaurant tomorrow!

The Rose and Crown... the restaurant is described plain and simply on their sign below their name: "a family restaurant and English pub".  Based on the (very large!!) crowd in the pub while we were there, the sign is absolutely correct about being a family restaurant.  Every table, booth and bar stool was full - people young, old(er) and of ages in between seemed to be there.  To be honest - it was the complete opposite of what I expected.  I was thinking something more like "west end, somewhat popular pub with a 30+ crowd"... Instead, we arrived to a "west end, very popular pub with a 5+ crowd".  I actually had to wait until we were leaving to take a picture of the inside of the restaurant because until that point, I couldn't get a single shot without someones head in the majority of the frame.

Based on the sign outside, the sign also seems to be correct about being an English pub.  Now, I can't bee 100% sure about this... I've never been to England.  BUT - I have been to quite a number of pubs (the number is perhaps absurd... please don't judge - I'm a social being!) and if I was going to guess what would be on an English menu, this one had some nice highlights at very least - fish and chips just the beginning. 

Helping out the menu on the English-front: the decor. Nothing says English Pub like a nice wood bar with a couple of televisions, cozy booths and art inclusive of mini Union Jacks, old licence plates and witty posters in hues of red.  All of that said, I am basing my opinion greatly on what I've seen of "The Rovers Pub" on "Coronation Street" - but I, like many good-natured Canadians know that Corrie is real, after all... right? Uh... right?  Hmmm... moving on.  Adding to the decor during our visit - large ornaments hanging from the ceiling and fake presents attached to the walls.  Now, some might say that the following statement is because I am somewhat of a "Scrooge", but I will say it anyway: I sincerely hope that these decorations were hanging only due to the upcoming holiday and aren't part of the usual set-up. Fingers crossed!

On that note, perhaps it is time to move on to the orders of the evening.  The menu at The Rose and Crown truly has something for everyone - including a section of "Healthy Specials" for those who are "heart and health conscious".  It didn't take us long to find something appealing.  Here's how it shook down:

Tonia and I had mozzarella sticks to start. (There's always a starter, isn't there?) While we were a little surprised that the dip on the side was ranch instead of the typical marinara, it wasn't half bad. Perhaps wouldn't have been my choice if given it again, but not a complete disappointment.  The sticks themselves were obviously mass-produced-cooked-from-frozen.  Still cheesy, though... and much like bacon, in my books, it is hard to go wrong with cheese.

Following the sticks, Tonia had Halibut 'n' Chips - served with tangy tartar sauce and a lemon wedge.  I had the pub's Chicken Melt - grilled chicken served on garlic toast with mushrooms and melted cheddar on top.  Served with a side Caesar salad.


Todd ordered a Caesar salad to start and the Steak Canadian - fast fry steak served on a toasted bun with cheese and fried onions with a side of chips and gravy.

Samer ordered grilled haddock and mushrooms (with no mushrooms!) with a side garden salad, balsamic dressing and garlic toast.


Of course, since it is a pub, we were inclined to order a round with our meal, and not surprisingly, there was a wide array of beer options on tap. What always does surprise me, however, is how the waitress could remember the names of everything offered... I felt like I was back in high school science class when I was trying to remember the first 30 elements on the periodic table in order.  While I did get it eventually, and I'm sure that the waitress has had lots of practice, I do know how long it must have taken to get it all down.  While we waited for our food, I was also surprised to see a side menu on the table entitled "Christmas Selection Boxes".  Not only can you go to the Rose and Crown to grab a pint and a bite, you can also head home with a box of candy for your family - just in time for the holidays.  Admittedly, I giggled at the idea.  Seriously - giggled.

In spite of the pub being very busy, it didn't take too long before food started coming (in the hands of very courteous staff at that!), and all in all, we were pretty happy with what was served.  By the end of the meal, we were stuffed (I know - our usual...), but seeing sundaes and cheesecake on the menu, we just couldn't resist the dessert menu.

The final verdict?  Here are our FORK RATINGS:

Carrie: 3.5 forks.  The ranch dip with the cheese sticks was a little odd... the sandwich was good, but helped a lot by a little bbq sauce, and certainly not stellar overall. The best parts were the mushrooms and the fact that it was made on garlic toast.  The cheesecake was alright - but, like the cheese sticks, seemed mass-produced and store bought. 

Tonia: 3.5 forks. The fish was good overall, but Tonia said that she wouldn't rush to come back to try something else.

Todd: 3 forks. The sandwich was "fine" - but nothing spectacular.  To quote Todd, it was all "okay pub food".  The disappointment of the night: $3.30 for a soda water (?!)

Samer: 4 forks. This was a score even surprising to Samer.  He admittedly arrived as someone who isn't a big fan of pubs, and was expecting and ready to give the Rose and Crown a score of 1, but in his opinion, the fish was done really well when as a whole, it is a dish that could easily become rubbery.

OVERALL SCORE: 3.5 forks.  Generally speaking, not a bad score. As Tonia mentioned, we might not rush to go back, but we certainly wouldn't turn it down in the future, either. Nice to know there are options in the west end when the downtown core is so competitive.

Typically, we would have stayed and socialized for quite some time, but in this case, while we were comfortable, we were all quite tired, and eventually a strong smell of garlic was coming from the kitchen that was so intense, it made it hard to stay... So, off we went - leaving a pub that was still quite busy with plans for the following week (now tomorrow since I'm so late writing!): Siem Reap - also in the west end.

Until then, dine on.