The Crown at Martley has been busy advertising its Kobe beef burger, so it was with that in mind we headed there for an evening meal on a Saturday night.
We were slightly worried about getting a table as we hadn't booked - but we needn't have been as at 7.45pm there were only two other tables eating in the vast restaurant.
Having ordered drinks at the bar, we were shown to the large comfy sofas and given menus with a mouth-watering selection of meals using locally sourced ingredients where possible.
I opted for goat's cheese and pesto risotto for starter, while my partner chose the green-lipped mussels.
Both options were delicious. The creamy risotto was cheesy without being too overpowering, which goat's cheese can sometimes be, and the subtle pesto oil running through it was very tasty. The mussels were huge and steamed to perfection while the cream and white wine sauce was mopped up by a generous helping of bread.
For main course I went for the seafood bake - described as cod, salmon and prawns topped with mashed potato. Disappointingly the dish was more mashed potato than anything else - and underseasoned mashed potato at that - and sadly I failed to find any cod or prawns at all.
The side portion of tender broccoli with almonds was well cooked, but I couldn't help wishing I'd gone for the grilled swordfish on a bed of Mediterranean vegetables.
My partner chose the dish which we had gone to The Crown for, keen to find out whether beef from Wagyu cattle fed on beer and massaged was indeed any tastier than your regular type.
I am pleased to say that the dish was impressive - beautifully presented on a wooden board with a selection of five condiments, chunky chips, and a fresh salad.
The burger, cooked slightly rare, was also moist and delicious.
It satisfied my partner but he remained unconvinced as to whether it was really any better than any other burger made from a decent cut of beef.
Afterwards we shared a cheese plate which featured a local Old Worcester smoked, alongside some Somerset brie and a tangy blue cheese with a good helping of biscuits, grapes and a sweet, sticky, moreish homemade grape chutney.
Overall, we had a pleasant evening with friendly, efficient service - although strangely our knives and forks were laid back to front!
The main thing that let it down was the atmosphere which was a bit quiet with so few eating. But pricewise, the bill was a reasonable £45 including a bottle of wine.
THE CROWN AT MARTLEY, WORCESTERSHIRE WR6 6PA Tel: 01886 888840SERVICE: **** FOOD: *** VALUE: *** AMBIENCE: **
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