Crown has a royal feast

Oct 22 2009 Buckinghamshire Advertiser

POLLY MANSER eats at The Crown, in High Street, Chalfont St Giles. Telephone 01494 875 156 www.the-crown-csg.co.uk

I HAD lunch at The Crown with a foodie friend who had heard that the food was good but had never eaten here and was keen to try it. We were greeted very warmly by the staff, and opted to sit outside in the small rear courtyard.

The décor is what I would describe as modern and traditional at the same time: painted a fashionable grey, with a polished wooden floor and modern upholstered leather dining chairs.

We both opted for the starter and main course combination, for a set price of £11.

To start I had Jim's marrow and tomato soup, which was very tasty, with the marrow coming through and only a hint of the tomato, which is what I had hoped for.

My friend chose the potted ham hock with piccalilli and grilled toast, which she enjoyed.

The ham, which came in a cute miniature cast iron pot with lid, was tender and served in its own juice.

It was quite salty, as you would expect, and combined wonderfully with the crunchy-sweetness of the piccalilli.

To follow, my friend opted for the roasted tomato tarte tatin with thyme and Camembert, which looked beautiful, topped as it was with what we thought were pea shoots drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. The droplets sparkled in the autumn sunlight. It looked gorgeous.

It also tasted delicious (I tasted my friend's food too), the best item we ordered.

My main course was herb-stuffed whole baked sea bass with new potatoes and samphire.

I had never heard of samphire, let alone eaten it.

The waitress described it as 'a sea asparagus, a bit like seaweed'. I must admit that that description, and the look of it (it reminded me of insects), put me off before I had even tried it.

It didn't redeem itself on tasting; to me, it was crunchy and stringy. I'll be kind and say it is probably an acquired taste.

The sea bass, on the other hand, was delicious, and came stuffed with parsley, which I love (I buy about two pots of it a week for cooking because I can't grow it fast enough), and topped with picked capers and mint.

With our two soft drinks and two coffees, the bill came to £30.25.

Verdict: a great place to eat, especially if you're feeling a little adventurous. Great value.