The Old Crown Inn, Northampton

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Blackthorn _ left this review about The Old Crown Inn

An attractive white-washed stone built pub with plenty of hanging baskets outside, this has clearly had a contemporary makeover at some point and doesn’t have quite the “olde worlde” charm that you might expect. That said, it’s a pleasant enough place and with a small beer garden at the front as well as a larger one at the rear, offers a choice of inside or outside drinking. Although not quite as foody as some pubs perhaps, with no more than 50% of the tables laid up for food, it does nonetheless seem to convey the impression that food is the primary focus here, perhaps because it doesn’t seem that “pubby”. There were a couple of punters sat on high stools at the bar having a pint, but other than that all the clientele appeared to be dining. Service at the bar was a little slow – whilst the lone barmaid was pleasant enough, helpful, and doing her best, she was trying to serve drinks (coffee as well as beer!), take food orders and even deliver the food to the tables which inevitably led to something of a delay.

Inside the pub is essentially one single room with a bar counter in the middle, although it’s divided in to two halves by the bar itself and some partition walling either side. Flooring is a mixture of red patterned carpet and wood strip, along with some red quarry tiles around the bar. The walls are mostly plain white plasterwork with some wood panelling lower down, and the bar counter itself also has modern, wood panel cladding. The front half has a very low ceiling which is mostly more white plasterwork, whilst the rear is slightly higher and has plenty of beams – but very modern beams, not old ones.

The menu offered a decent selection of dishes, although these were a step a from your normal pub grub, and may not suit all tastes if you’re looking for something a little more traditional. There was the option of Fish & Chips or Sausages with Bubble & Squeak, but other than that the options were somewhat more adventurous, with the main courses priced at anything from £8 to £15. My marinated salmon fillet with crab stir-fry noodles & coriander was a decent enough dish and generously proportioned, although also one of the more expensive options at £13. It would seem that they had run out of plates since it arrived at the table still in it’s saucepan.

Beers on tap were a little disappointing, with just Young’s Bitter and Eagle IPA. Even worse, the solitary cider was Strongbow. This is a tricky one to mark – it’s a pleasant enough place if slightly lacking in character, and the food was decent enough. But as a pub it’s not really got that much going for it with an emphasis on food and a limited range of beers.

On 28^th August 2012 - rating: 6
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