Award: One Michelin star, 3 AA Rosettes
Visit: 31 October 2021, Sunday lunch for two.
Price: *
Website: https://www.thecrosskenilworth.co.uk
Review:
The Cross in Kenilworth a Grade II listed 19th-century inn. It’s a perfect combination – good beer and cocktails in the bar, Michelin food in the restaurant, and a great wine list.
Chef-director, Adam Bennett, worked for Anton Mosimann at The Dorchester, London, and then in France, at Restaurant Guy Lassausaie in Lyon and Restaurant Marc Meurin in Bethune. He reached the final of National Chef of the Year UK and won Midlands Chef of the Year in 2005. In 2012, Adam was Britain’s entrant in the Bocuse d’Or championships, achieving Britain’s best ever result by finishing fourth and winning the Best Meat Course prize. After eight years as Head Chef at Simpsons, Adam became Chef Director at The Cross in 2013.
The renowned Chef-patron, Andreas Antona, also owns Simpsons, the Michelin-starred restaurant in Birmingham.
The Cross has held a Michelin star for over six years, three AA Rosettes, and a Good Food Award Gold Seal in 2021. It was also crowned Best Restaurant and Best Pub in Warwickshire in the National Pub & Bar Awards 2021 and the Warwickshire Muddy Stilettos Awards 2021. You can read the review of my previous visit in 2018 here.
We went for Sunday lunch. You can order from the a la carte menu and there is a Sunday chateaubriand roast, as a £5 supplement, if you choose. There is also a tasting menu available, but you must order this before 230pm on a Sunday.
For lunch, we first enjoyed a drink in the bar with some very nice cheese croquette snacks served on apple puree or lemon mayonnaise. Then we both chose the starter of tartar of blue fin tuna, with pickled ginger, radish salad, ponzu and sesame. We followed this with the superb Chateaubriand, served medium rare, with Yorkshire pudding, roast potatoes, vegetables, roasting juice, excellent crispy roast potatoes and cauliflower cheese. For dessert I enjoyed a Grand Marnier and gingerbread souffle, with praline sauce, and Chantilly cream.
The food was exceptional and the service as professional as ever. This is still one of the best restaurants in the Midlands.
A la carte menu:
Sunday Lunch supplement:
Tasting Menu:
The Food:
