Review of the Rose and Crown at Harpley: ‘High-end restaurant quality’ food at this hidden gem of a village pub

I seem to be on a tour of adorable villages with lovely pubs that I’ve never visited at the moment – and I can’t say I’m complaining.

The next stop was the Rose and Crown at Harpley, where my partner Shane and I were lucky to get a table on Saturday evening.

We had only attempted to book earlier that day and were at first told they were full before they rang straight back to say there was in fact space for us due to a cancellation.

And we’re very glad that there was, as we had an absolutely brilliant evening there – and would not hesitate to return in future.

When we arrived at the pub nestled on Nethergate Street, it was reasonably busy, but we were shown to our table without delay and made our way through the building, which was decorated with old photos, posters and memorabilia throughout.

It had that homely feeling of a village pub that had been well-loved for decades, and Shane and I discussed how we’d love to come back on a cold autumnal evening to fully experience its cosiness.

To drink, we endeavoured to make the most of the award-winning CAMRA pub’s offerings as Shane ordered a pint of Harpley House lager (£5.50) and I went for a pint of Norfolk Adder cider (£6) – both brewed locally.

Shane described his drink as a “reasonable” lager but nothing too special, and my cider featured tasty fruity flavours. We both agreed that it was nice that they had been locally sourced.

As for food, Shane ordered from the normal menu and I from the ‘free from’ menu, but there were also specials to choose from.

The Rose and Crown mentions on its website that its menu is ever-changing, based on what is “seasonal, available and what can be supplied locally”.

With that in mind, Shane opted for the sea bass with nicoise risotto, tapenade, crispy poached egg, green beans and squid ink aioli (£26), and I chose the risotto of the day (£17), which featured mushrooms, peas and truffle, with rocket, pea shoots and a balsamic glaze. It was good to see that this was one of a few vegan dishes on offer.

Both meals were presented absolutely beautifully. My risotto was delicious from the first taste – it was fresh and the rice was perfectly cooked.

It was also a really decent vegan option – and with it being the risotto of the day, it could be different on any other day.

For Shane, his sea bass was, in a word, “stunning”. He said: “The risotto was creamy and rich, the sea bass was perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned.

“I would describe it as a complex dish with an unexpected mix of things but they all worked really well. It was high-end restaurant quality and well worth the price.”

His only criticism was that the egg yolk was not runny, but said this was a minor thing.

We decided we did have room for dessert, and Shane picked the white chocolate and raspberry cheesecake (£8) and I opted for the lemon posset sorbet (£3.50).

It was at this point that I became envious of my partner, whose pudding looked amazing, which left me wishing there had been multiple vegan options.

Despite this, the sorbet was palate-cleansing and tasted like still cloudy lemonade, albeit frozen, which was no bad thing in my book.

Shane said his cheesecake was “yummy, light and creamy”, with a different take on it as it was upside down, with the base forming a crust at the top.

While the shards of sugar looked cool, he didn’t eat them as they didn’t have much flavour.

He said the filling was lightly raspberry-flavoured which meant that it was not tart, as it could otherwise have been.

After paying the bill – a total of £66 for two mains, two desserts and two alcoholic drinks – we had a little peek around the surroundings of the pub and discovered a lovely outdoor area and the new street food hut, which is offering a different menu every Friday and Saturday from 5pm-9pm.

We will definitely be returning in the future to try the Rose and Crown’s latest offerings.

Ratings out of five:

Food: Shane described the evening as one of the “best meals” he has had out in a long time – it would have been five stars from him if not for my wish for another vegan dessert option. ****

Drink: A great selection of drinks on offer, many of which are locally sourced, which was great. ****

Staff: The service was great from friendly, attentive staff who were nearly always on hand for assistance. ****

Decor: The whole pub featured a brilliant mixture of decorations, which made it feel cosy and homely. *****

Price: It was on the pricier end of the scale, but everything tasted fresh and delicious, and worth the price. ****