The Riverside Journals - Festivals Issue 38 - FULL | Page 47

The whole establishment has truly been sympathetically and carefully
restored and is a credit to the owners, the renowned Maroush Group
London. The restaurant is run and headed up by the very talented team of
Chef Consultant Damian Wawrzyniak and Restaurant Manager Chafic, who
work together in a fine partnership, and both, with their team of professional
staff, oozing enthusiasm and passion to create a feel of comfort and ease
throughout your experience creating a must visit venue and also attracting a
great following of visitors from Lord’s cricket ground – the home of British
cricket.
The menu choices include an à la carte menu, offering classic dishes
to its diners with a superb choice of all starters, mains and desserts.
Some of the signature dishes from the menu and from the Josper
Charcoal Grill Oven include 32 Days Aged British Isles Sirloin 330g or the
Angus Chateaubriand for 2 people –- 500g Angus Beef Tenderloin, and
both dishes are served with triple cooked chips and a choice of sauce.
Then there is Beef Bourguignon, British Isles beef that is marinated
for 48 hours, then slowly braised and served with mashed potatoes,
caramelized baby onions and carrots. All of the dishes were beautifully
presented and Chef Damian and his team create, design and execute
each dish like a fine production of a night at the opera. The sommelier
pairs the best wine to enhance each dish adding to the perfect ambience
and experience. Each dish at Crocker’s Folly is linked in some way to the
historical story dating back to 1898 taking us up to present date and is
sourced and prepared with brilliant attention to detail.
At the restaurant on a Sunday morning they serve a lovely Brunch
Menu and a set three-course menu later on. If it takes your fancy on a
sunny evening you can sit outside enjoying a cigar and whisky pairing
or maybe a cocktail or two; my needs are simple – just a large glass of
Sauvignon Blanc for me. Whatever your taste in wines, the extensive fine
wine list caters for every palette.
All in all, if I were to sum up Crocker’s Folly I would say it’s the perfect
venue for just about any occasion, with a menu catering for every taste
and purse, accompanied by any hot or cold beverage you request. It is
an establishment where the staff remain attentive and available at all
times, ready to cater for your every need. The team at Crocker’s Folly will
ensure that they make your important special event or your simple dining
experience a truly memorable one.

the riverside journals

by
Michele Brooks

47

C

rocker’s Folly Restaurant and Bar
is a truly iconic landmark, which in
the recent year-and-a-half has been
reinvented. Formerly a Victorian
gin palace in this beautiful Grade
II listed building, close to Lord’s
cricket ground, this quite stunning
venue is tucked away in a residential
area at the back end of St John’s
Wood, a stone’s throw away from
two accessible tube stations, Maida
Vale and St John’s W