A trip to the Crown in Old Amersham as a birthday treat

ON Thursday Tom kindly took me to The Crown in Old Amersham as part of my birthday present. I had been wanting to go there for a while as I heard good things. I also saw that it was three courses for £25 but when I looked at the website on the day this had gone and a call to the restaurant confirmed it was no longer available.

However we still went along. When we arrived it was clear there was really no need to book as there was just Tom and I and another group of four. I imagine if it was busy there would be a great atmosphere but it felt a bit flat.

The decor is tasteful but very simple with wooden chairs and rugs laid on the back of chairs.

One look at the menu and there is about five choices for each the starters and mains. We decided to go straight into the mains and were told it would be a 20 minute wait because we weren’t having a starter, which was a bit annoying.

The mains are over priced with the vegetarian option at about £18 and the top at £24.

I went for the Cornish Cod Loin (£24) with garlic langoustine tails, ink spaghetti, chervil and a lemon

and pepper butter. There was also a bit of radish scattered on the side. Although very pricey it was delicious. There was a chunky piece of cod with a crispy skin which flaked as you pressed your fork into it. The garlic langoustine tails were quite soft and not overpowering. The ink spaghetti had a beautiful butter all over it, which was delicious. It was a lovely main.

Tom went for the Braised Pork Cheeks with Truffle Macaroni cheese and wild garlic (£22). The pork was sweet yet had that taste of offal. Tom seemed to enjoy it.

For dessert I went for The Millionaire Arctic Roll (£6.50), which was chocolate sponge, vanilla icecream, chocolate sauce and salted caramel. Tom commented that it was just like any arctic roll but it was delicious. The icecream was beautifully creamy and the salted caramel added that extra taste.

I also had a lovely glass of wine which was a La Croix Grenache Merlot from France. It was beautifully soft and smooth, and well recommended.

Overall it was a lovely meal and I was impressed by the quality and the flavour on offer. I think they need to slash their prices a little bit though as the restaurant was dead. But it was a wonderful birthday treat.