When a friend of mine invited me to spend a Saturday night at the Rose and Crown in Guilford for her birthday dinner, I jumped at the chance.
Its not very often that I get the time to leave the inner suburbs of Perth and whilst Guildford is only 16 kilometres from the CBD, I always feel like I’m getting out of the hustle and bustle of daily life when I make a trip out there. Guildford is filled with beautiful antique shops, cute little cafes and is the gateway to the Swan Valley (and is also home to some of Perth’s best burgers and pea and ham soup, Alfred’s Kitchen). Great for a quiet weekend away or day trip from Perth.
Ok, so straight to the exciting part. The restaurant and the food. Wow.
I must admit that before heading out to the R&C, I had a gander at their menu online and can’t say that I was really excited by the prospect of eating there. It seemed like the typical pub food… thai beef salad, gnocchi, steak, same old blah blah.
As we had a group of around 15 people, we were fortunate to be seated in our own private dining room complete with a log fire. Perfectly cosy for a cold winter’s night.
When it comes to ordering when I’m out, I always try and order something that I wouldn’t usually cook for myself at home.
On this particular, I must have had my adventurous knickers on because I ate something that I’ve never eaten before in my life. Pork belly. Please understand that for an ex vegan/vegetarian, this is quite the leap in the world of all things meaty.
Twice cooked, potato galette, prosciutto wrapped asparagus, apple relish
The twice-cooked pork belly arrived on a potato galette with asparagus wrapped in proscuitto (definitely got my porky fix that night!) and a Pedro Ximenez reduction.
All I can say is that the Rose and Crown didn’t disappoint this slightly nervous ex-vego. It was Amazing. The pork belly was melt in your mouth tender and topped off with a great crackling (As I was a pork belly virgin, I wasn’t too sure what to expect so passed some around to my pork expert friends who assured me that this was a cracking dish!).
Whilst my friends may have been a bit jealous when it came to my pork belly, there were certainly no complaints as their dinners were served. Here’s just a small selection of the dinners that were ordered:
Moroccan braised lamb shank, greens, mash potato
Thai beef, tamarind & chilli dressing, asian herbs & crispy noodles
House made beef and guinness pie, mash, minted pea puree
Medium rare steak with peppercorn sauce
I got to have a little nibble on everyone’s meals that were on my table and I couldn’t find fault with anything. It was all generous, tasty and interesting. Definitely NOT the usual pub-grub blah blah that I was expecting.
The Rose and Crown is suited more to the carnivores however there is a really zingy cumin flavoured salmon dish, a roast pumpkin risotto for the vegetarians and some really tasty sides to share.
I had very poor timing and was in the bathroom when the dessert order occurred, so I missed out which was really disappointing because if the mains and sides were anything to go by, the desserts I imagine would have been sublime.
So, overall a fabulous dining experience. I can’t wait to go back!! Definitely a foodie highlight for 2011.
- Accessibility: Good wheelchair accessability
- Vegan and Vegetarian: Limited
- BYO: Not 100% sure – I don’t think so?
- Service: The wait staff in the evening were fantastic. All of our meals were served promptly, which was impressive considering there were 15 of us for dinner.
I wish I could offer the same praise for the breakfast staff and those staffing the reception. Rude, arrogant and difficult are some words that spring to mind!
- Cleanliness: Looked good to me!
- Affordabilty: Average $25 – $35 for a main
If you want to relax and indulge in a few vinos, the Rose and Crown have your accommodation needs sorted.
They offer 3 1/2 star Lodge Accommodation and 4 star Heritage Lodge rooms.
I bunked down in the 3 1/2 star room for the night ($160) and was really happy with it. Neat, tidy, clean, comfortable and quiet. Certainly nothing fancy but it does the job perfectly for basic accommodation with a free breakfast thrown in (bacon and eggs were pretty average).
The birthday girl and her partner had the Gold Star Room ($330pn) within the actual hotel facility. Very, very noice. Room fit for a queen. Or a few girls for after dinner drinks 
Rose and Crown Hotel
105 Swan Street
Guildford Western Australia 6055
Tel: (08) 9347 8100
Fax: (08) 9379 3418
Email: reservations@rosecrown.com.au
