The Cross Keys, Rowde
5:06pm Thursday 2nd March 2006 in Eating Out
THE Cross Keys in Rowde has had several changes of publicans in the last few years and, having heard good reports about the couple who took over in September, we decided to try it.
New landlady Sarah Luckett has spent the last 15 years working abroad, her most recent venture being a catering and deli business in The Netherlands.
She and partner Julian have tackled their new venture with enthusiasm and have taken on an Australian chef, Shane Weston.
This combination of people and the individual touches they have added has lifted the Cross Keys way beyond the realm of the bog standard local'.
The pub is a meat eater's dream. It run's special theme weeks such as Australian week' about a month ago, when it offered dishes containing kangaroo, ostrich and crocodile all of which chef Shane said were a resounding success.
The Cross Keys offers a bar menu and a more adventurous blackboard menu, with the chef's own specialities that change weekly.
Starters include soup of the day, garlic mushrooms, smoked salmon with chive mayonnaise and melon and prawn salad, ranging in price from £2.25 to £4.50.
The bar menu has been revamped and offers good straightforward food such as Cornish pasty; ham, egg, chips and beans; steak in ale pie; baguettes; and jacket potatoes.
Examples on the blackboard menu included Hoi Sin chicken stir-fry, chicken and mushroom pie, mussel Kirkpatrick and several other fish dishes. My only criticism would be that there could have been a vegetarian option on the blackboard menu.
I opted for a fish dish, cod fillet in a garlic and white wine sauce, which I really enjoyed.
My other half chose sea bass with a lemon and lime sauce (£12.95). Neil is a real sea bass fan and said this was delicious as good a sea bass as he's had anywhere, including posh fish restaurants.
The fish in both our dishes was beautifully cooked, not over done as it so often is. Both were served with red cabbage, carrots, broccoli and new potatoes very nice. It was great to have a pub meal where the vegetables weren't overcooked and soft.
The second half of my chef's special was sticky toffee pudding with choice of custard, ice cream or cream.
The pudding was a light texture, a wickedly sweet treat. Neil passed on the desserts, but some of the other choices sounded good too hot chocolate fudge cake, passion fruit bavarois and cheesecake with woodland berries, all at £3.75.
The pub offers a choice of wines, and my dry white was very pleasant.
Our evening, including two wines, two pints of 6x two mains and a dessert came to £40.20.
The hearty, beautifully cooked meals combined with ultra friendly service made this a particularly pleasant evening.
The Lucketts and their Aussie chef deserve to do well.
By Hilary Schrafft
Cross Keys
High Street, Rowde
(01380) 722368
- Plenty of parking
- Most credit cards taken
- Children welcome
- Beer garden and kids' play area
- Bar and blackboard menus
- Pensioners' lunches on Tuesdays and Thursdays
