Croydon Park Hotel - The restaurant

Hotel's own photo

There is something silently reassuring to know that a town that you love so much has a hang out where you can go with friends and visitors from other towns to have a drink, or a meal.

The Croydon Park hotel has such facilities. I have visited the hotel many times before for conferences and meetings but had not had the time to seat and take in the décors and customers service. Having recently been there as a client of the restaurant, I would recommend it and would invite mostly people based North of the river to come check it out.

Usually, people who speak badly of an area have never visited the area. I love Croydon and have leaved there for the past 13 years… I am continuously discovering great things about my area and have many times found myself defending it in front of people who have never crossed the river southward.

Well to you misery guts, Let me tell you about the Croydon Park hotel where I had dinner few days ago. The hotel is literally situated 2 minutes from East Croydon and 5 minutes from the town centre where all the night clubs and restaurants are concentrated.

Upon entering the hotel, the visitor is bathed with an impression of gold lights and, a comfortable reception area with modern soft furnishings and abstract giant art deco objects. At the left, is a reception desk and to the right, is are the lifts and corridor leading to the Brasserie and the restaurant.


The buffet area and ceiling

On the evening of our visit, the restaurant was full and buzzing; as far as I could see, the guests were a mix of hotel guests but mainly locals making the most of this beautiful space. The menu this particular night was a 3-course buffet with drink at £22.95 per person.

The well displayed buffet has offers for all tastes from vegetarian to pescetarian and a very large choice for the carnivores as usual. No matter your palate preferences, you would find something to eat at this beautiful buffet displayed on a giant hexagonal hotplate which, seems to have been carved out of the Ceiling. The latter is covered with tiled mirrors and is reflecting the food on display just below.

The starters buffet was by far the side I had decided to settle in as it offered Salmon, artichokes mozzarella, melon, Parma ham, eggs, king prawns etc… I was spoilt for choice and having taken a quick tour of the mains and having seen the tired green vegetables, wrinkly roast potatoes & colourless broccoli. I was reassured that there was enough salad combos to make my outing worthwhile.

No thank you

For dessert I tried the Tarte aux Pommes which would have been overly sweet had I not chose to have it with double cream. All the other cakes were oversized and full of cream… not to forget the ugliest dessert in the world the crumble… I don’t think the latter has a place in a restaurant unless it is baked in individual ramekins…

If the food was to be marked on 10, I would mark it here at 4. But the atmosphere and service would be marked at 7/10.

In my opinion going out to eat is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the service and food… I loved the atmosphere at the Croydon Park Hotel and will go again. I may not have enjoyed the food here, but for my dinner companions, they seem to love it. Mind you Brits are not too fussed about what they eat and I flippin’ Frenchie seem to be the one to complain every time we go out.

Well dear friends, if I am paying, it gives me the right to express my likes and dislikes freely and I refuse to let go of that right.

See you soon!

Don’t forget to inbox me on twitter @BeenThereRevs

The Crown & Sceptre. South London

I went to lunch last Saturday with some volunteers from our local homeless charity. We met in a pub in Central Croydon, South London.

This costs £5.50 in London

 The Crown & Sceptre is a very old pub located on High street Croydon opposite Leon House. The location is very well served by the public transports and not too far from the shopping centre.

Pubs are not my usual hang outs because of the smell of beer that embraces you every time you push the door into one.

I was pleasantly surprised when I entered this one as I didn't get the beers smell. It might be perhaps due to the time it was in the day.

Looking around at the clientele, it was a great mix of whites, Indians and blacks. Most of them, families or groups of friends meeting for lunch. I dread to think of what this place must be like on matches day; there are TV screens everywhere.  Just on the side of the wall where our group sat, there are 3 TV screens in a 5 metres portion of pub.

There is a little lounge like area toward the back of the pub. Maybe I’ll seat there the next time.

The drinks seem to be really cheap here; I ordered a Sauvignon Blanc and had a full glass at £3.50. In central London that would have cost me £5.50 for this not-best-quality-but-drinkable wine…

For food,  I ordered fish & chip and that cost £4.75. At 1.30pm, this was my third function of the day and I didn’t want to spend much so this was pretty great and unthreatening. If it didn’t taste good,  I could leave it without a second thought.

Fish & Chips no peas £ 4.75

The fish & chips actually tasted nice, the fish piece wasn’t the usual giant slobby soaked batter that I usually see in others’ plates. As I looked at my 7 other friends’ food orders, I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of food that was coming out of the kitchens.

The menu card had Indian and Chinese dishes available to order and I am told that, the pub has an Indian and a Chinese chef. This is great and guaranties that you would get what you order. It also means that you will not find Indian spices in your Chinese meal. I am also told that the guys in the kitchen are also the owners of the pub which is event better as I am sure that food is the heart of this family pub… they will make sure that you get what you order.

I also used the ladies there and must say, it was clean enough a part from the stained sink. There was no smell and it seems to be cleaned many times during the day. The colours are warm and there is a full length mirror… always a plus for the ladies. Yeah, I am obsessed with loos.

Everyone from my group seems to enjoy the food they were eating and the drinks were flowing as they were cheap.

I had a good time here and will be coming back during the summer for a glass of rosé in the back garden which I didn't have the time to try.

I’d recommend this pub for a family lunch and ladies (not chavs) meeting for an afternoon drink before dinner.

I’d give it two stars plus 1 star for the lovely waitresses; they are the picture of patience… and will visit again.

Crown & Sceptre is located 282 High Street; London; CR0 1NG; 020 8726 0080

Banana Leaf - South Croydon

Last week I was invited to a curry house or dinner with a bunch of friends... at The Banana Leaf curry house.

Photo from the restaurant's website

 I have never been to a curry house before and frankly I can’t really stand the smell of curry. Curry is a very British thing and it is funny the reaction you get when you tell people that you do not like it.

When you go in a curry house it seems, EVERY thing has THE CURRY spice in it by default and if you do not like it, you will be reduced to have the naan bread on its own…

View from my table

The Banana Leaf is located on Addiscombe Road in Croydon, Surrey. I was told that it was a shop with a green sign. It seems on that side of Croydon everything is GREEN! I walked up and down and struggled to find the restaurant… The entrance was un-impressive and I am told that the restaurant has won many restaurateurs prizes?! Isn’t that supposed to include the location and presentation of a restaurant… anyway... I digress. So I found the entrance, got in. It was really dark at the entrance and the only source of light seemed to be coming from a massive fish tank near the till.

The poori  with Mushrooms

 I was taken to the basement where some of my friends were already seating. After all that walk, I was blooming thirsty and just wanted a glass of tap water to cool me down. So I asked for it. The waiter didn’t bring me my glass of tap water before 15 people had placed their drink orders including me and after he had given everyone their drink. Only then, he brought me my tap water… now that put my nose out of joint for the evening!

We proceeded to order the food. It was quite tasty, but often mushy. They didn’t take too long to serve from oder to delivery. I ordered Poori and mushrooms or starters and an aubergine curry with a coconut naan… (I had never heard or tasted any of that before).  Have I told you they were both curries? Yes they were! I skipped dessert… it could have been another sort of curry.



Aubergine curry with naan bread

While we were waiting for our food, I sneaked into the ladies… I always find that if the toilets are clean somewhere it is the sign of how clean the place might be; Restaurant, hotel, a friend house etc…

In this place, the toilet wasn’t the most clean. The taps were surrounded with a accumulation of dirt and the ladies toilet seat was broken. Light in there was very dim too. As for the hand dryer… well I didn’t use it as I thought that if the dryer recycles the air in the room in which it operates, all the possible gremlins will wind up being spitted on the hands I have just washed… yes I am a bit deranged like that… I went back to join the group still wiping my wet hands on my derriere as I suspected my clothes must have been much cleaner than the air from the dryer.

Overall, I will give 2 out of five stars for the food at Banana Leaf.  The venue will have 1 out of five stars. I don’t think I will ever set foot there unless blackmailed.

Highly recommended for High Street fast-food consumers, not for those who want to enjoy the environment as well as the food.

That is what I think, but Don’t take my word for it. Try it and form your own opinion.

Ciao!

The Reviewer.