The Crown is to Reopen in March
At
long last, The Crown re-openedon Sunday 13th March under new management.
Located just next door to Basing House, The Crown is a special building in a
historic setting. The new team are determined to preserve The Crown’s place at
the heart of Old Basing village life, and to nurture its traditional, friendly
atmosphere whilst building its reputation as one of the best places to eat in
the area. With this in mind, the team have worked hard over the last few
months, renovating and restoring the pub and bringing it into the twenty-first
century whilst keeping its historic character.
The team is led by two talented young local chefs with bright futures. Chris Barnes and Tom Wilson both grew up in Basingstoke and trained at the Basingstoke College of Technology. Subsequently, the have honed their skills in world-renowned restaurants both locally and on the international stage. Both are still in their twenties, but Tom has already worked at the award-winning Auberge des Trois J in France, whilst Chris developed his passion for fine food working for the famous Roux family at Café Roux in Amsterdam, as well as at Petersfield’s Michelin-starred JSW. They teamed up at the 3AA Rosette Lainston House Hotel near Winchester, and are now ready to bring their brand of stunning British cooking back close to their local roots in Old Basing. They are ably supported by Chris Timmins, who as manager oversees the bar and front of house operations.
The Crown’s first menu since re-opening features traditional dishes with exciting, sophisticated twists, showcasing the pair’s talents. The menu is not exhaustive, but rather reflects Chris and Tom’s obsession with only serving fresh, great-tasting food, beautifully yet unstuffily presented, at reasonable prices. The Crown’s new motto is ‘a passion for food’, and, looking at the menu, that seems about right.
Pan-seared sea trout with watercress risotto and citrus marinated fennel is a dish which hints at their creative talents, whilst for those craving more traditional gastro-pub fare, Rib-eye steak is served with Crown chips, slow cooked tomato and mushroom with a béarnaise sauce.
Old favourites such as smooth chicken liver pâté with onion and raisin chutney and griddled toast share the starters menu with dishes of seared scallops with celeriac purée, organic mushrooms and crisp bacon, and whipped English goat’s cheese with marinated beetroot, pine nuts and baby leaves.
The dessert menu has enough to keep both the traditionalist and the modernist happy. Appetising light lunches and bar snacks are also on offer, whilst there is a separate children’s menu. The team are keen to cater to the needs of the village community, and their ethos shines through on the menu.
Six months was a long time for The Crown to remain closed. The work required on the building was much more extensive than originally anticipated. Now that it is up and running again, however, with its character preserved but its facilities modernised, and with the menu in the hands of such talented young chefs, it seems that it was well worth the wait.
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