During a recent stay at the Crown & Thistle in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, we were excited to visit their restaurant. Having stayed at the Crown & Thistle previously and having had a good experience in their restaurant, we were looking forward experiencing it out once again. The restaurant offers a gastro pub style experience, inside a wonderfully charming setting, where the character of the 400 year old previous coaching inn really shines through.
To begin our evening, we chose to browse the menu along with an aperitif. My partner opted for a glass of Perrier Jouët Grand Brut, which was perfectly chilled. I opted for their Rhubarb & Custard cocktail which is mixed with Whitley Neill Rhubarb and Ginger gin with Absolut Vanilla vodka, apple juice, cinnamon syrup and lime. It was absolutely delicious and tasted exactly like rhubarb and custard sweets, wonderfully nostalgic.
To start, I chose the halloumi chips served with a spicy tomato sauce. The halloumi was cooked to perfection and worked well with the sauce. My partner chose the burrata mozzarella bruschetta which was a Josper-grilled Boule De Meule sourdough complete with garlic and basil marinated Marzanino tomatoes. It was simply delicious.
“All the food was prepared exceptionally well, and there were certainly no complaints.”
For our main courses, my partner decided on the 7oz fillet which is cooked over the coals on their Josper oven, this was served with house fries, dressed rocket and roasted Marzanino tomatoes, and was served with a peppercorn jus. I opted for their house burger, which saw a Josper-grilled free-range, grass-fed British steak burger served with Barbers 1833 vintage reserve West Country farmhouse cheddar, grilled smoked bacon, dill pickle, gem lettuce, tomato, red onion marmalade, ketchup and mustard mayonnaise. We also shared a side of tenderstem broccoli with chilli butter. All the food was prepared exceptionally well, and there were certainly no complaints.
For dessert, I chose the double chocolate brownie served with vanilla ice cream and chocolate sauce, and my partner chose the apple and cinnamon crumble served with custard. These classic desserts were wonderfully indulgent as desserts should be, and provided the ideal end to our meal. The only other thing that topped off the evening perfectly for us was the bottle of 2015, La Mascota Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina, which we sipped throughout the duration of our meal.
We were thoroughly impressed with the entire evening, The Bridge Street Restaurant certainly comes highly recommended by us! You simply must stop in if you're staying at the Crown & Thistle or if you find yourself in the Abingdon.