Spring is here and The Rose & Crown is celebrating with a new menu

Ahh, it’s finally spring. The flowers are blooming, the birds are chirping and there’s the hope of warmer weather in the air. And what else is in the air? The smells coming from the kitchen of The Rose & Crown as they cook up their brand new menu! Yes, spring is here and with it it has bought fresh dishes from one of our favourite Clapham pubs. Like little lambs, we skipped down to try it out.

There’s a lot of new stuff. In the starter list: the vegan friendly new season asparagus with white gazpacho, a burrata with a strawberry sofrito, pine nuts and basil, there’s a sake cured trout that comes with pickled melon and a kimchi consommé, some deliciously crunchy courgette and herb fritters with a punchy pecorino and anchovy mayo that you’ll want to bathe in and finally the grilled beef skewers with a chilli and tamarind jam that makes you dream of summer time BBQs. Out of these we’ve got to give a shout out to our two favourites; the oozy burrata was so creamy, sweet and tangy. It really was spring on a plate! Another star of the show was the sake cured trout. Wildly unique, this dish was a sensory overload; it may not be for everyone, but take the risk! You’re in good hands at The Rose & Crown.

For the main selection there’s all the traditional pub grub: a juicy American beef burger, fish and chips, a flat iron steak and a wild mushroom gnocchi. This is The Rose & Crown though, so expect even the ‘basics’ to be elevated. For their new spring time celebration you can get a beef shin and bone marrow pie; no-frills, no messing about. It’s warm and succulent and really great for those unexpected rainy days. There’s a lovely smoked butter confit chicken breast with stuffed leek and crispy chicken skin and the Cornish plaice comes with unctuously soft pommes puree and a buttermilk beurre blanc that is hard to not lick off the plate when you’re finished. It’s all fresh and breezy and, like every dish that comes out of the kitchen there, our expectations were exceeded.

If you’ve been to The Rose & Crown then you’ll know that they take their puddings seriously. The sticky toffee pudding is, deservedly, shouted about by any foodie influencer who’s had it on their spoon. So it’s going to be a tough task to turn our heads from our old faithful. But both of the new desserts are a delight. First up was the summer berry and almond cake which came with a clotted cream ice cream. The texture of the cake itself was tender and perfect to soak up some of the melty ice cream. Lovely. And there is just something completely irresistible about a chocolate mousse married with a tangy raspberry sorbet. lt’s impossible to pick which we preferred, so if you can: get both.

What we really love about The Rose & Crown is that it’s in the beating heart of Old Town. It offers everything you’d want from a traditional pub; a great outdoor space, cosy feel, and there’s something very classic about the interior of this pub. Yet it’s far more than your average pub, the food menu is adventurous and exciting and, unlike a lot of watering holes, it’s the kind of place you should plan to eat at. They have loads of events coming up too, make sure to keep your eyes out for those because, like this brand new menu, you’re not going to want to miss out.