Rose & Crown
We made it to the UK at 6:55pm, 15 minutes before our reservation. I took this picture just to show what the crowd looked like at this time on a Sunday evening.
I was not able to book a reservation for 7 people at any time for Rose & Crown (nor did I see one available any other day I looked). I had booked two separate reservations, 4 on my account and 3 on my mom’s, but we figured if we checked in early, they might be able to at least sit us near each other. They told us they couldn’t make any promises but would try.
There was a pin trading station at the host stand, so both girls traded pins while we waited. I should have taken a picture, but one of the girls went for the mystery pin (which was a pin put on the board backwards). I forget what they got but I think it was a bear of some sort and they were happy with the trade. The CM took the pin we traded and made it the new mystery pin, declaring it was a cute one.
We checked in at 7:00pm and I received a text 2 minutes later that our table was ready. They were able to seat us together at one table, which was great news.
Thanks to dining plan math, I had determined that I was the only one who would use a TS dining credit here. My cheapest meal was going to be at Skipper’s Canteen, so I planned to pay that one out of pocket. Pat and the girls’ cheapest meals were going to be at Rose & Crown, so we planned to pay for their meals out of pocket this evening.
Pat ordered a Guinness.
Guinness was better than I remembered! We went to the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin when we were in college, and I was not able to drink it at that time. I ordered the Snake Bite which was half cider and half Harp lager. I apparently forgot to take a picture, but I really liked the combination and would order it again. It was just the right level of sweetness.
The main reason I wanted to eat here was to try the Savory Impossible Hot Pot (seasoned vegetables in a plant-based meat casserole baked with a mashed potato topping, $25). There were no vegetarian options on the children’s menu, but I had read that Rose & Crown could accommodate vegetarian children. Our server initially offered the vegan fish and chips as the only option. I asked if those would taste fishy, knowing my kids would not like that, and she said it would. I think she could sense my hesitation, so she said she would go ask about other options. She came back and let us know they could also do a kids-size portion of the Impossible Hot Pot, so that’s what I ordered for the girls. It came with chips on the side.
DD7 said she liked the fries and the mashed potatoes on top, but she did not like the “meat” underneath the potatoes. DD9 did not care for the hot pot at all. She sometimes likes mashed potatoes, but was not a fan of these, nor the impossible meat underneath. She loved the fries though; fries are her favorite food!
I got a larger portion of the hot pot.
It was delicious! It was one of my favorite meals of our trip. The mashed potatoes were buttery and excellent (I don’t always like mashed potatoes), and the Impossible “meat” was really good. It was sweet and spicy at the same time, it had a kick without being too spicy. There was a strong umami flavor. Pat thought there might be curry spices in the Impossible “meat”. We asked our server what they flavored it with but never got an answer. This was the inside:
Pat and my mom both ordered the bangers and mash (traditional English sausage with Colcannon potatoes, mushroom, onion and red wine demi, $25).
They were both really happy with that dish. My mom said they were surprisingly good, and both said they would go back again for it.
My dad ordered the fish and chips (“Rose & Crown’s Signature Dish” beer-battered and served with tartar sauce, $28).
He said it was just okay, that they were pretty good, but he would only go back to this restaurant if others wanted to.
My MIL ordered the Coronation Salad (crisp salad with Madras dressing on top of a crunch grain cracker, $13). We weren’t sure what Madras dressing was but thought it might be a little spicy, so she ordered it with Ranch, I think. I didn’t get a picture of the salad, but Pat and his mom said it was just a normal salad. I think others shared some of their meals with my MIL too, I know she tried the Impossible hot pot and liked that.
Since I wasn’t sure if the kids were going to like the hot pot, I only ordered one kids meal for them to share. The kids meal came with the plant-based vanilla gelato and mixed berries. Our server kindly offered to bring a second gelato free of charge so that both of the girls could have their own dessert. That was very kind of her!
They liked it! And offered to share some with the adults.
Since I was on the dining plan, I also got dessert with my meal. I ordered the Sticky Toffee Pudding (steamed pudding ‘cake’ served with warm vanilla custard and hot butter-rum sauce, $9.50).
I thought this was just okay, not my favorite. I liked the sauce that was on it, we thought it tasted a little like butterscotch pudding, maybe with the vanilla custard. I shared this with the other adults (and kids) too.
Overall, we had a great meal with fabulous service. Our server was excellent, she checked on us frequently and would give us a heads up when she was going to be gone a little longer because she was also assigned tables outside on the patio. She was nice to bring the extra dessert for the girls and offered to get us drinks to go before we left. When it was nearly 8:30pm, I mentioned to her that we were hoping to grab the check so we could find a good spot for the fireworks, and asked if she had any recommendations for where to watch them near the restaurant. She told us to hang tight and she could take us out to a spot on the patio!
The ambiance was fun in this restaurant. We were sat close to the bar, so I was people watching a bit, and the bar remained full and lively while we were there. A lot of guests seemed to be having fun with the bartenders. I would go back to the pub for sure!
I don’t have the total bill for our full party, but my table service credit included the Savory Hot Pot, Snake Bite pint, and the sticky toffee pudding. This came to $48.72 with tax for our 1st of 16 table service credits.
We ended the day having used our refillable mugs, 4 of 32 snack credits, 4 of 16 QS for kids, 3 of 16 QS for adults and 1 of 16 TS for adults for a total of $264.73 value on the meal plan so far. I’ll continue to track this to share the value vs. what we paid for the meal plan ($1,746 since the kids’ meal plans were half off).
Up next... Luminous!
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