The Crown at Whitebrook

The Crown at Whitebrook
General information
Location	Whitebrook, Monmouthshire, Wales
Coordinates	51°45′34″N 2°41′11″W / 51.75944°N 2.68639°W / 51.75944; -2.68639Coordinates: 51°45′34″N 2°41′11″W / 51.75944°N 2.68639°W / 51.75944; -2.68639
Other information
Number of rooms	8 double, 1 single
Number of restaurants	1

The Crown at Whitebrook is a restaurant with rooms in Whitebrook, south east of Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales, near the River Wye and the border with England.^[1][2] It is located on a minor road running between Lydart and the A466 road at Bigsweir. Its Michelin-starred restaurant was run by Head Chef James Sommerin; Mark Turton was formerly chef at the restaurant.^[3] It contains eight double rooms, one single room, and a 2 acres (0.81 ha) garden as of 2002.^[3] On 7 March 2013 it closed because of financial difficulties;^[4] it is due to reopen in October 2013 under new ownership.^[5] It has now re-opened under New Chef Owner Chris Harrod as of October 2013 ^[6]

Background

The restaurant claims that the building dates from the 17th century, although little is known of its history. The village of Whitebrook developed as a centre of water-powered industry, with wireworks and later paper mills. The Crown was run as a roadside inn by the Seaward family, and later the Ricketts family, in the second half of the 19th century.^[7]

It remained in use as a small public house, until it was extensively refurbished and reopened as a high quality restaurant.^[7] It was awarded a coveted Michelin star in 2007, one of thirteen newly starred restaurants in the UK in that year's Guide.^[8] In 2010, Martin Blunos joined Crown restaurants as executive chef of the group which oversaw both the Crown at Whitebrook and the Crown at Celtic Manor.^[9] As of 2011 it was one of only four establishments in Wales to hold a Michelin star.^[10] During the same year, it was named the Welsh Restaurant of the Year by the AA.^[11] In 2012, it was ranked as the 27th best restaurant in the UK by the Good Food Guide with a score of seven out of ten.^[12]

It closed on 7 March 2013 due to financial difficulties; twenty staff were reported to have lost their jobs. The closure was blamed on recent poor weather, and on economic circumstances.^[4] The building was marketed for sale or lease in April 2013.^[13]

In August 2013, it was announced that it would reopen in October under a new chef-owner, Chris Harrod.^[5] It has now re-opened under New ownership as of October 2013.

Reception

Matthew Fort of The Guardian described its location, "The Crown is not the easiest place in the world to find. It lies off a narrow lane winding between steepling, canopied hills in an odd corner between Monmouth and Chepstow. In spite of its lost world location, the Crown has been a beacon of gastronomic adventure for at least 30 years – those with long memories will recall Stephen Bull carving out his reputation here."^[14] He said of the food, "There is clearly a distinctive palate at work here. In lesser hands, such a meal could be not so much a car crash as a multiple pile-up, but it is not, because the ingredients are handled with originality, assurance and, more importantly, a keen sense of pleasure."^[14]

Claire Ogden visited the restaurant for the Metro newspaper shortly after it was first awarded a Michelin star in 2007. She thought that a John Dory main course was "pristine",^[8] and overall thought that the star was well deserved. The only negative thing she had to say about the experience was a toffee foam served on top of a pear granita which she described as "flimsy-flavoured".^[8] Victor Lewis-Smith reviewed the restaurant for The Guardian in 2005, thought that a spring onion risotto accompaniment to a pan fried seabass tasted so good that it would have been sufficient as a main course itself and was also quite pleased that crêpe suzette was served on a trolley for table side service.^[15]

Harden's restaurant guide described the restaurant as a "hidden jewel",^[16] and scored the food and service both as two out of five, and ambience as three out of five on a scale where one is high and five is low.^[16] Greatbritishchefs.com cited James Sommerin as one of the most high-profile chefs in Wales.^[17] The critic from the Western Mail stated "the menu is short and to the point, with around five choices for each course. The wine list is huge, an insurmountable challenge for me but another's utopia." However, he remarked that the main course was "genuinely brilliant food" and deserving of its Michelin star.^[18] It was awarded the wine award for Wales by The Automobile Association in 2008.^[19]

References

External links

• Official site