The Crown Burchetts Green — Restaurant in England

For those scouring reviews out of curiosity - reserve your table beforehand. This place is busy. There's only about a dozen tables and when one is finished, the next seating shows up not too long after.

Impeccable service and atmosphere, food was exceptional but there is comfortable room for it to be competed against and it could be more.

To start with the service, we were greeted warmly and taken to our table (mind if you're 6ft1ish like me - LOW CEILINGS!!!)

The wait staff were knowledgable on the food and drinks on offer, and we ordered:

Drinks - Chenin Blanc & Woodford Reserve.

Starter: Cornish Crab on Toast & Fish Soup.

Both starters were amazing, I like when places do good food simply. A plate does not need to look like a Barbie's Doll House. Crab on toast is supposed to be well... crab on toast, and that's what we got with a great garnish and the bread didn't go soggy.

The fish soup is probably the best fish soup I've ever eaten. We couldn't work out what fish were in this either, it tasted like tuna. With the butter and the cheese good lord it was incredible.

Mains: Sea Bream (replaced the Sea Bass) & Veg Cavatelli NB Sea Bream comes with roast potatoes, they're out of shot.

The Sea Bream was great, loved what they've done with the skin it had like a caramelized sear finish, dunno if it was done with like some brown sugar and a blowtorch or something (bit like how you make creme catalana!) - but this was a new level of amazing crispy skin. The sauce though, I'd have liked it a bit more buttery and also in a lot of places I eat fish (with Rick Stein in Barnes being my preference) - the lemon is served on the side. I think it would have been nice to have had it this way, some parts were more sour than others and it destroys the flavour for those bites.

The Veg Cavatelli my sister was disappointed, I wasn't that keen. Too many peas and honestly if it wouldn't have been so embarassing to ask for it (as no one wants to insult the chef) - she would have added black pepper. Just felt like it was missing something. In terms of the flavours, technically, I thought they were extraordinary (not for me, but that doesn't mean the flavour profile isn't good) - I tried a bite of it and tasted as all the flavours cycled in my mouth. Very interesting (and also the sign of a very good chef when they pull that off!).

Dessert - Butterscotch Pudding W/ Custard & Expresso Martini + bonus dessert.

Just a good, home-cooked butterscotch pudding with creamy custard. nothing special, but it's not supposed to be. It's just meant to be a damn good dessert! Again, goes back to what I mentioned earlier, not everything needs 50 garnishes and dressings to work.

Expresso Martini - tried a sip, this place has great coffee! Because in that cocktail I think the coffee is the most important thing. Delicious.

As a bonus, it was my sisters birthday, they brought out a plate with Happy Birthday beautifully written on it in chocolate (whoever did that by the way - beautiful writing; you're incredible). It had a salted caramel filled dark chocolate piece on it, and a homemade fruit pastille. The fruit pastille is amazing. Now we need to learn how to make that.

The atmosphere was great. Honestly, we're 32 and 37 and felt like the youngest patrons by at least at decade but we didn't feel out of place, having a dining room able to be balanced like that is really impressive. Windows could use a bit of TLC (seals seem in good shape, but might need a bit of paint in areas).

Unfortunately we didn't take any names, there were two ladies and a gentleman with glasses and a ponytail on service. Please pass our compliments to them for the phenomenal service, my sister really enjoyed her birthday meal.

I also just read when nosing through some other reviews you are a family business, and that makes me smile :)

As a final question - we forgot to ask this at the end of dessert. Is there fruit in the butterscotch pudding? We were trying to work out what it was, whether it was like berries or a citrus peel. Please solve...

I was in a dire predicament with extreme stomach cramps and asked to use the toilet facilities quickly. Bear in mind, that this place is in the middle of nowhere so I didn't have much choice.

The manager informed me that there was a private function and in the most apathetic cold tone refused my request.

I pleaded with him as I was so desperate and he just told me to go to another pub, shut the door on me, and watched me through the glass as I writhed in pain for half a minute. No remorse in his face. Just a cold nonchalant stare willing me to go away.

I ended up soiling my pants and went home distressed. The workers aren't human and don't seem to care about people - only what lines their pockets. I've never met such apathetic, inhumane people in my life! Do not be fooled by their tidy, attractive appearance. It's all just for show!

There is another review below where they refused a crying 4 year old child in similar circumstances, so it appears this is how the owner feels is an appropriate way to treat people since that was a year ago. No basic human decency can be found here it seems.

Absolutely no way would I ever recommend this place for the safety of others. Who knows what they could do to you if you don't like their food!

Actually a quick look at tripadvisor reveals they publish your personal details online if you complain about the food and receive a tirade of angry words from the chef, so beware when you are...

Nice food but I was a little miffed. Rude, untrained staff who made us feel hurried and unwelcome.

I ordered a glass of wine before the other guests arrived and I paid for it separately so it wouldn’t appear on the bill. I had to question why my £7:50 glass of wine was over £9 and I was told that they had added service charge to it. I said that I wasn’t prepared to pay that and she took it off the bill and I paid.

When the bill for the whole table arrived my glass of wine had been added back on to the bill, service charge charged and then my payment deducted.

If you are so desperate for £2 then have it but you have lost my custom.

Agree with the other comments - not as good as the Beehive and overpriced for what was served. Failed to ask about allergies (one of our party had them).

When I raised an objection to their ‘standard’ response below this is what they said : Apologies. This is my fault. I responded to your review before speaking to the team to find out what happened. It seems on this occasion we got it wrong….. I absolutely agree with your disappointment. Both the girls I had on shift with me today were new/support staff from a sister restaurant, hence why they did not come across as properly...