Review: The Old Crown Coaching Inn, Faringdon

We at Bitten love a good pub, which I’m sure you can tell. Faith visited TOCCI earlier this year (read her review here) and was blown away by the setting, service, and flavours. We were very excited to be invited back to try their new, pared back menu – aimed to be more accessible for those not wanting to splurge.

Faith and I went along for a mid week dinner, on one of the rare warm evenings we’ve had so far this year. The light pouring into the restaurant was enchanting, the calm ambience of the place was so lovely, it sort of felt like we were away in the south of France or something. We were greeted really warmly and staff were great throughout, with a clear knowledge of the menu, and more importantly, the wine to go with it.

Despite the heat (where normally I’m less hungry) we managed to power through a 3 courser – the things we do for you Bitten readers, eh?

Onto the starters…

Faith opted for the moules – This was a very generous starter portion, which is always a bonus. The sauce was creamy but still lovely and light, and packed full of chopped shallots which gave a great flavour and texture. The mussels were well cooked, but almost overshadowed by the warm and fluffy wedges of focaccia that came on the side – an absolutely perfect vehicle for mopping up the remaining sauce. There was perhaps slightly too much parsley for my personal taste, but that was quickly soaked up by the sauce.

I went for the BBQ Tiger prawns, accompanied by a cherry tomato sauce, with chilli and parsley. Prawns are one of my fave things in the world, and they did them well. Juicy, fleshy and bouncy. Yum. I was also blessed with some of the gorgeously fluffy focaccia. My only gripe was that I would’ve liked the whole loaf.

A main of lamb for Faith – This plate had me drooling as soon as I saw it. The lamb was perfectly cooked, kept slightly pink in the middle but still incredibly juicy. It was accompanied by what the menu called a ‘crispy potato terrine’, and it definitely wasn’t lying – this potato was so crisp on the outside I could have made an ASMR video with it. The inside, though, was lovely and soft. Along with this was small but powerful dollop of salsa verde, which gave an absolute punch of flavour. I definitely didn’t get the ratios right on my first forkful, but I soon realised I needed only a small dab each time!

I was on a fishy roll, so ordered the Stone Bass for my main, which came with artichokes, tomatoes and gnocchi. The fish fell apart on the fork, super soft and fleshy. The black garlic gnocchi were delicious, crispy on the outside and fluffy blobs of garlic on the inside. I was surprised with how pleasantly full I was by the end, despite it looking quite a small and light dish.

No we didn’t have room, yes we still ordered something sweet (you just have to, right?)

Faith went for the creme brulee – This was some of the crispest caramelisation that I ever did see, without being overdone at all. My initial ‘tap’ of the spoon didn’t even break the top, it just bounced straight off. Always a good sign! Underneath, the custard base was tasty and very light. I was slightly apprehensive of how rhubarb would be involved, but essentially it was just small chunks that were mixed into the custard. Personally I was pleasantly surprised by these, as they added a nice tartness to the overall flavour, but I can see why it might not be for you if you are creme brulee purist and don’t want anything disturbing the smoothness of the custard. I didn’t necessarily feel that the pistachio shortbread added to the dish – usually I’d like to scoop the custard with these, but they crumbled instantly, and didn’t really give much pistachio flavour. But the creme brulee was good enough on its own (and also, it was massive).

Sticky toffee pudding was my choice. Probably a stupid decision for someone who was incredibly full and a little delirious from all the abnormal sun and heat of that week. But I was channelling my inner winter gremlin, visualising diving into this dessert after a big winter’s walk out in the cold, and I was sold. It was decadent, but not heavy, rich, but not sickly. Yum yum yum!

Faith and I both agreed we would definitely come back here. Whether you’re after something fancy (the tasting menu looks divine) or just a quick stop for a burger and a pint – it looks like they do it all. The lovely outdoor courtyard is definitely one to enjoy when the sun is out, and the cocktails being shaken at their ‘JJ’s bar’ looked worth a try or two. We were also very into their playlist, banger after banger, so much so we actually asked for the link!