THE Crown in Powick is on Malvern Road opposite a Skoda garage and not far from the River Teme and Worcester Golf Club.

Driving passed the turn-off for Powick Parish Hall, I was reminded of a time I had been searching high and low for it in the dark prior to attending a council meeting in which I was to submit a complaint about a lack of things to do in the village.

Then, like déjà vu, I initially missed the turn-off for the pub further up the road and had to turn round in a little dead-end junction during heavy Saturday traffic.

Not ideal because I was very hungry and tired, and annoyed the football was off because of the international break.

Owned by Marston’s, The Crown boasts a large carpark and the entrance looks a bit like a cottage. And while there’s a beer garden, all you’ve really got to look at is a selection of the Czech Republic’s finest cars or a main road, or a carpark.

But, like all chain pubs, it has plenty of options on its menu and there’s even a big board as you walk in, detailing the chef’s choices.

Grilled bream, chicken and Portobello, and vegetable and goat’s cheese lasagne – all sounded so appetising for a reviewer of my tastes that I couldn’t decide what to pick.

In the end, I went for a black and blue burger with a Pepsi Max, seeing as I don’t often go for obvious pub grub.

I’d been told at the bar I should pick a table and a waitress would come and take my order. I found a table in the middle of the pub, with a high cushioned seat right opposite the waiting station – I felt like Captain Kirk.

The pub was fairly busy for a Saturday afternoon, but I was served quickly having made my decision after a quick scouring of the menu.

The black and blue is a prime beef burger, topped with grilled flat mushroom and melting Stilton cheese, served with onion rings and chips.

When it came out, it wasn’t as big as I’d expected, having conservatively chosen regular rather than XL, and there were only a few chips.

The burger was dripping after a few bites – the mushroom serving as something of a sponge for all sorts of moisture. But it was tasty and very filling, nonetheless.

The waitress who had served me, despite appearing to be serving everyone in the pub, still found time to ask if everything was okay with my meal.

She reminded me of an engine room midfielder who covers every blade of grass – maybe an N’Golo Kante during Leicester’s title winning season or a Conor Coady during Wolves’ promotion campaign.

She tried to tempt me with a dessert but I was pretty stuffed.

If you have a sweet tooth there are some appetising sounding choices – apple, gooseberry and toffee crumble tart, chocolate orange bread and butter pudding and banana and butterscotch sundae, to name a few.

The pub is fairly underwhelming from the outside – you can quite easily shoot passed it without a second glance – but it is worth a visit if only for the good friendly service and two for one deal.