Crocker's Folly (St John's Wood)

• Many of the original aspects of the building have been maintained along with the addition of some beautiful bespoke features such as dazzling chandeliers
• Heading up the kitchen is Head Chef Arek Bober who previously worked under Jason Atherton at Pollen Street Social
• S Folly menu is modern European with a section specifically devoted to steaks cooked on the josper grill
• S Folly offers a special set lunch menu with two courses for £
• It is also possible to order each dish individually and the prices listed below are the price per dish
• We started our lunch with a 62c egg with soft polenta (£
• Slow cooked at 62c was soft set in the centre with a beautifully golden yolk and it married well with the creaminess of the soft polenta
• Completing the dish was a topping of lovely fresh truffle shavings
• There was a pleasant chestnut flavour running through the soup and it had a nice creaminess to it even though it was a little runny
• Being Sunday lunch there was a selection of roasts to choose from
• I went for the roast beef with roast potatoes
• I requested a replacement plate (shown in the picture) and second time around the roast beef was more appealing even though this was the weakest part of the dish
• The potatoes were crispy with a nice rosemary flavour and the winter vegetables were a joy to eat
• Each vegetable had been beautifully cooked in lots of butter and was scrumptious
• 15) was also a little dry in parts but overall the plate was really enjoyable with the same sides of delicious roast potatoes and winter vegetables
• Accompanying the roast pork was a yummy apple sauce and some superb crackling that was really crunchy
• To complete the dessert was a drizzling of mango sauce which was lovely and the perfect way to bring the dessert together
• 6.50) on a crunchy biscuit base was a chocolate lover&rsquo
• To help cut the richness there was also some tasty and zingy lemon curd
• The sides and the desserts but more care was needed in terms of the meats
• 25 for three courses was great value and I would really like to go back to Crocker&rsquo
• Starters and sides were accomplished
• The Sunday lunch menu is really good value
• The service was friendly (a plus point) but it was a little disorganised
• S Wood Road I was not sure what to expect of this recently refurbished former Victorian Gin Palace and pub
• If the front bar was elegant then the saloon bar was 1890s decadence incarnate with airy ornate gild beamed ceilings and over 50 types of marble to create magnificent bar top
• S Dining room was almost an anti climax
• Sadly for Crocker the railway company changed their plan due to objections from local residents and the terminus was built further south at Marylebone
• Many such iconic London buildings from the 1890s were sadly lost courtesy of the Luftwaffe and WW2 but
• Royal in Piccadilly before it was cruelly butchered and redeveloped
• The theme here is Modern European with a definite leaning to French cuisine
• I perused their innovative cocktail menu and began with a Vanilla Burst cocktail (£
• Definitely for those with a sweet tooth
• What better pairing than ice cold Sancerre and Oysters with a side of fried cone of hot and crunchy white bait with Tartar Sauce (£
• 8) washed down with winner of the Gold Medal at the Sommelier Wine Awards 2014
• ' Couple that with good intensity of gooseberry and spice
• Perfectly pink and moist served with deliciously dense dauphinois
• 26) but it was off the menu this time
• T mind if you know the food is being cooked from fresh
• The lighting too was rather low which hampered photographing their superb food
• This has to be one of the best restaurants of the year
• One of my favourite restaurant discoveries last year was Crocker's Folly
• Heads up the kitchen with delicious gastropub style food and a seasonal menu
• I first came to this amazing Grade 2 listed building with AKBoogie to chat about events and whatnot with their chef / public face / restaurant expert / does a bit of everything person Damien
• We had an absolutely delightful rump steak with triple cooked fries while we chatted food
• One week later and I'm back with Julie Morton for an amazing girls dinner
• To add to the immensity of the dinner we were seated on a gorgeous wooden table
• A Victorian building which apparently was supposed to be a grand station restaurant
• When Baker St Station was supposed to be built nearby
• Plans changed and such a beautiful heritage was left alone
• A delicate Beef Carpaccio with Fried Oyster and Parmesan
• A Tempura Brined Leek with watercress dip
• The Crocker's Folly is well worth a visit
• Crockers Folly is a newly refurbished restaurant inside a former Grade II listed Victorian gin palace
• The interior was nothing but stunning with large open spaces
• The menu at Crockers Folly is developed by chef consultant Damian Wawrzyniak
• The cooking is British in principle with some unusual contemporary touches
• Unlike any other places that I've come across which was very interesting
• I visited on a press/ blogger evening and was given a special 10 course tasting menu that the restaurant put together specially for the Zomato event
• Pork and chocolate was a very strange flavour combination and the richness and bitterness of the coco completely dominated the pork and every other garnish on the plate
• Both lamb cannon and the crab cannelloni were perhaps the best dishes on the night
• Seriously tender and moist with a silkily smooth creamy mash
• The crab cannelloni was light and fresh with a lovely soft grassy aroma
• Pork terrine was all very well and pleasant with good depth of bold flavours and richness
• The cooking was at some of the most ambitious levels I have ever encountered and some dishes were very questionable as well as some highly polished
• The tasting menu was reduced greatly to a 6 course instead of a 15 course when it was newly opened last year
• For now it is not planning to roll out any tasting menu format to the public any time soon
• Describe the food with a few flowery (and occasionally woolly and tired) adjectives
• Then try to wrap it up with a sentence that makes me seem a bit clever or well read
• This isn't because it was an unmemorable sitting in fact quite the opposite but more because the evening consisted of no fewer than 15 courses
• To which I was invited by the ever lovely people at Zomato
• Was a preview of a 'chef's table' series which Crocker's Folly is hoping to roll out at around £
• What we were brought was no doubt representative of the Folly's modern European style
• From the start (bread with marrow butter) right through to the end (a sharp lemon tart)
• Beautifully pink lamb with creamy mash
• Beef Carpaccio with a fried oyster chaser
• Scallops prepared three ways with broad beans and bacon
• I think it's probably fairest of all to say it's a mix of both with an extra dollop of bonkers
• Whilst this table full of food bloggers and other assorted foodie professionals were being treated as guinea pigs for some menu experimentation
• A Sunday brunch menu and a three course set menu (served with a glass of wine and available at prime hours but perhaps a little steep at £
• Is that this is a place for unabashed feasting and is run by a bunch of people whose generosity of welcome is matched by their skill in the kitchen
• Despite the fact that we were a large group on a busy Friday night
• Last week I was lucky enough to go to a foodie dinner at the Chef's Table at Crocker's Folly
• The dinner with Zomato consisted of a humongous 12 courses of pure indulgence
• S Folly (previously The Crown) was built in 1898 in the Northern Renaissance style by a man named Frank Crocker
• S location was a bit off the mark and the new terminus was actually being built in Marylebone
• Whilst this is a sad story the building itself is far from one
• S Folly is a beautiful room that old school Victorian feel with a fresh and unique menu
• He runs the dining room with charm and efficiency and prides himself on creating a relaxed ambiance that marries opulent traditional surroundings with meticulous modern service
• I know Crocker's Folly (St John's Wood) is supposed to be a pub
• The decor is polished and beautiful and the cocktail menu extensive with lots of choice
• The bar staff are quite friendly but it's definitely the sort environment you'd expect in an upmarket speakeasy cocktail bar with artisan drinks
• My opinion is that that's because of the area
• All the drinks were amazing so I'm glad I have Crocker's Folly (St John's Wood) very near my flat
• It's like a little secret that I'm very happy is not known to everyone
• Crocker's Folly is a gastropub like no other
• Luxurious interiors are more those of a top end restaurant
• Fitted out with chandeliers and marble
• The food here is excellent and the menu very classic
• The cheese board for dessert was a little disappointing
• The restaurant was acquired by the Maroush group and was reinvented as Crocker&rsquo
• The menu had such variety that initially I was spoilt for choice
• Next to be served were the king prawns
• Pan king prawns topped with pine nuts and chilli
• The prawns are thoroughly marinated and seasoned well
• I would suggest is squeezing the lemon all over the prawns for an added burst of flavour
• Therefore when the beef Carpaccio was presented I did feel like all my dreams had come true and were in heaven
• The Carpaccio is thinly sliced Bastorma smoked beef fillet
• Is marinated with special spices and served with rocket and fresh olive oil
• Folly did not disappoint with the flavour
• The texture of the beef is chewy but soft
• I would say it is a must try dish from the menu as it is quite filling and it was my favourite
• My guest did try the Halloumi and said it was better than Nandos
• She described the cheese as soft and dewy but with a rubber texture
• Well seasoned with a hint of spice
• I was one of the best Halloumi cheeses that she has had
• Are charcoal grilled marinated wings served with garlic sauce
• As the wings are a bit on the spicy side
• I will add that the wings do not taste charcoal grilled and the portion is quite small
• As if there were not enough options already
• Allowing the lemon juice to drizzle over the sausages and entwine with the tomato sauce is my tip to you
• As this dish is full of flavour
• The sausages are a little harder than usual but overall this is a must have dish
• To clean my palette was a plate of fruit
• As a lot of spices and flavours were ingested the fruit aided in neutralising my stomach
• The staffs are also Lebanese
• When we got there we realised that the regular pub section is separated from the restaurant section at the back which is where the main food is served
• The building itself is beautiful with high ceilings
• One of the best Lebanese we have ever had
• The staff is super super polite and the ambiance is just awesome
• We went there for a Sunday brunch and every single food item including their mango juice was sooooo amazing we couldn't have asked for a better brunch menu on a sunny Sunday
• I am not so sure of the dish names but their pilaf with lamb shanks
• Grilled prawns and chicken hummus with pita were mind blowing

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