Why you should try out the Crowne Plaza in Gerrards Cross

I have been lucky enough to attend an event at the Marlow branch, but the one near the Chalfonts had always avoided me in five years of being with the Bucks Free Press.

But, on May 3, I was able to visit the venue along the Oxford Road for a three-course meal.

The entrance to the Crowne Plaza in Gerrards Cross (Image: NQ)

Upon entering, we were greeted by two members of staff, Zuzzanna and Mauricio.

The two were our food and beverage assistants and they were very attentive to our needs.

Mauricio spoke about his time when working on cruise ships which included some incredible stories about the countries he had visited, whilst Zuzzanna attended to our every need.

The restaurant we visited inside the hotel (Image: NQ)

The restaurant that my wife and I visited within the Crowne Plaza was 1269 – an established specifically built for the hotel.

Its layout was very well put together, with its ‘L’ shaped design allowing customers to have a view of the bar, or away round a corner for more of a private setting.

Now, onto the main bit – the food.

What the menu had to offer (Image: NQ)

We, of course, began with a starter each.

I opted to go for the ham hock terrine, which came with prune and date puree, cider pickled apricot, artisan bread (£10), whilst my wife had the Japanese Chicken Yakitori with chilli & coriander jam and Asian slaw (£11).

The Japanese chicken was fantastic (Image: NQ)

I think it’s important to note that a food review is subjective, so what I may like, others might not – there are no right or wrong answers.

I say this because the ham hock had small, diced-up parts of apricot in it – something I had never had before.

The ham hock had fruit in it (Image: NQ)

The combination of flavours including a sweet fruit and savoury meat is very unique, and incredibly, it worked.

It wouldn’t be my go-to starter, but it certainly tasted good.

The Japanese chicken, however, is a must.

Crispy, you can taste the spices, and the side of jam/slaw complimented the cocktail of flavours.

It was filling and just the right amount of heat/spice with the fresh, light salad.

Both starters were very good (Image: NQ)

It was now time for the mains and whilst my wife chose the traditional Shepherd’s Pie (£20), I chose the grilled chicken which came with roasted cauliflower pakora, masala sauce, rise and freshly made naan (£21).

Whilst one dish is native to England, the other has been adopted in British cuisine due to our roots in South Asia.

The grilled chicken had a very Asian twist to it (Image: NQ)

Both plates came out in little to no time, and they were very good.

The chicken was succulent, you could feel the juice trickle down your chin, the pakoras were a lovely touch (I believe there should have been a few more), whilst the naan and rice soaked up the sauce.

It wasn’t too spicy, and again, it was very filling.

The Shepherd's Pie was very unique in how it was made (Image: NQ)

The pie was unique in the sense that it came out in the shape of a dumpling.

Regardless, the meat was marinated in an in-house gravy, which was also used to marinate the green beans.

Both dishes went down a treat, and we were later told that both items were some of the most popular items on the menu.

Finally, it was dessert time.  

Both of the puddings were very good too (Image: NQ)

I chose the sticky toffee pudding (£10.50) whilst my wife ate the chocolate bomb (£10.50) – both of which were unique and tasty in their way.

With the former, like ever, the dollop of ice cream complimented the hot treat, whilst the latter was very rich in flavour.

Overall, our experience at the Crowne Plaza in Gerrards Cross was a great success.

A solid 8/10.

They went down a treat (Image: NQ)

Why not a 10? I believe there could have been a few more pakoras with the chicken, and with the pie, the cheese was a tad too powerful.

But overall, it was a brilliant experience and one you should certainly try out.