Tasting Britain
TastingBritain.co.uk - The Crockerâs Folly, St. Johnâs Wood, London
From the outside you might think it was âjustâ a pub (not that this would be a bad thing), but The Crockerâs Folly in St Johnâs Wood is quite something else entirely. Recently reopened after its 2004 closing, The Crocker's Folly was originally built in 1898, in the Victorian, 'Northern Renaissance' style - to the designs of architect Charles Worley. Back then it was known as The Crown (it got its current name in 1987). A Grade II* listed former Victorian gin palace, it had fallen into disrepair - being placed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. After its recent acquisition by The Maroush Group, a few million was spent restoring it to its former glory, or something similar. And it IS pretty now - look at it!
The food ain't so bad either - they recently switched up the menu in consultation with Damien Wawrzyniak of The Fine Art Of Dining (which was how I heard of the place). At this point I don't know too much about Damien's work, but based on what I saw here (and not knowing what it was like beforehand) - Damien sounds like one of those guys who you might want to watch. They pass 'the blue steak test' with flying colours (and by colours I mean blue. Just blue). Other cool stuff to look out for? 'The Marble Room' - home to 50 different types of marble. And the Baccarat crystal chandelier in their main restaurant area (which is called 'The Lord's Dining Room' - after the cricket ground, which isn't all that far away)
As for the rest of our experience there? Pretty spectacular! We were looked after by a Chilean waiter - I have forgotten his name but not his skill in recommendations when it came to wine and food combinations. We later had a chat to Chafiq (I think his name was?) the new manager - who gave us some backstory about the place. As I said, their drinks menu is pretty spectacular and so we ended the night on a Bowmore 18 - which has a finish so long that I could taste it the next day (and it was DELICIOUS - the gift that keeps on givingâ¦in your mouth). I also read that, in its various incarnations, The Crocker's Folly has seen quite a lot of use as a filmset - among which include An Education, Reds, and Captain America: The First Avenger. I guess at some point I should watch Captain America again and see if I can spot it! Well done people of The Maroush Family and The Crocker's Folly!
TastingBritain.co.uk - The Crockerâs Folly, St. Johnâs Wood, London
From the outside you might think it was âjustâ a pub (not that this would be a bad thing), but The Crockerâs Folly in St Johnâs Wood is quite something else entirely. Recently reopened after its 2004 closing, The Crocker's Folly was originally built in 1898, in the Victorian, 'Northern Renaissance' style - to the designs of architect Charles Worley. Back then it was known as The Crown (it got its current name in 1987). A Grade II* listed former Victorian gin palace, it had fallen into disrepair - being placed on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register. After its recent acquisition by The Maroush Group, a few million was spent restoring it to its former glory, or something similar. And it IS pretty now - look at it!
The food ain't so bad either - they recently switched up the menu in consultation with Damien Wawrzyniak of The Fine Art Of Dining (which was how I heard of the place). At this point I don't know too much about Damien's work, but based on what I saw here (and not knowing what it was like beforehand) - Damien sounds like one of those guys who you might want to watch. They pass 'the blue steak test' with flying colours (and by colours I mean blue. Just blue). Other cool stuff to look out for? 'The Marble Room' - home to 50 different types of marble. And the Baccarat crystal chandelier in their main restaurant area (which is called 'The Lord's Dining Room' - after the cricket ground, which isn't all that far away)
As for the rest of our experience there? Pretty spectacular! We were looked after by a Chilean waiter - I have forgotten his name but not his skill in recommendations when it came to wine and food combinations. We later had a chat to Chafiq (I think his name was?) the new manager - who gave us some backstory about the place. As I said, their drinks menu is pretty spectacular and so we ended the night on a Bowmore 18 - which has a finish so long that I could taste it the next day (and it was DELICIOUS - the gift that keeps on givingâ¦in your mouth). I also read that, in its various incarnations, The Crocker's Folly has seen quite a lot of use as a filmset - among which include An Education, Reds, and Captain America: The First Avenger. I guess at some point I should watch Captain America again and see if I can spot it! Well done people of The Maroush Family and The Crocker's Folly!