Rose & Crown -- Table Service -- Dinner -- World Showcase -- Epcot

*This dining experience took place in February 2013.

View from my seat of the World Showcase Lagoon

It's been a few years since I've been to the Rose & Crown at the UK Pavilion at Epcot. This visit was entirely by accident due to some car troubles & an extended stay at WDW while my car was fixed (or not as it eventually turned out, but that's not a food related story!!). I ended up getting an ADR last minute at Rose & Crown, as it sounded like a much better option than some of the others available in the World Showcase at the time (I was staying at the Boardwalk, so I wanted something semi-close). My last experience there was good, so I thought it the perfect time to check it out again.I was seated outside on the second level before the water, so I had a lovely view of the World Showcase Lagoon. I was seated in a slightly weird location as I was by myself, but overall, it was a pleasant location mostly due to the nice weather and view.

Side view from my table

 When the chef arrived, he seemed very familiar to me. I was pretty sure that he'd assisted me at another restaurant. His name was Chef Brian, and he was very nice. First, he went over the options for appetizers (good thing too, I was starving having not had anything since breakfast and it being 6pm). He said the Mary & the Lads (i.e. shrimp cocktail) was safe with no modifications, as was the Roasted Sea Scallops appetizer. The salad was ok with the removal of the blue cheese. I ended up with the Mary & the Lads, as shrimp cocktail sounded fab.

Mary & the Lads

As far as appetizers go, this one was delicious. The shrimp were perfectly cooked and the sauce was not the typical cocktail sauce, but rather a spicy bloody Mary sauce. It was really good and something different. The salad was micro-greens and frisee tossed with a light vinaigrette, very simple. It went really well with the shrimp.In between the entree and the appetizer, I was brought some rolls. They were the GNI brand rolls, but interestingly enough they were in the packaging--a first for me. This gave me a chance to see what "allergens" it supposedly covers. According to the package it's gluten, dairy, soy, egg, corn. My only complaint is that from what I know about the company, they produce these rolls in plants that have nuts and dairy. So, I'm not sure about the cross-contamination standards. If anyone knows, I'd love to find out more about them! Taste-wise, at least they were heated this time so the texture was more appealing.

GNI brand rolls--at least they were heated properly

Allergens listed on the package but no ingredients

For my entree, I had the choice of Fish & Chips (which I had just had a few nights earlier at Raglan Road) and the Chicken Curry. There were several others, but these were the two that appealed to me. I ended up getting the curry figuring that the British pavilion should at least have good curry (when I spent a month in the UK in college I lived on!!); however, I was fairly disappointed. It wasn't the worst curry I've had but it wasn't the best either. Certainly nothing like Sanaa (which I love!!). I should have gone with the Fish & Chips! The sauce was very concentrated, almost like tomato paste and tasted mostly like tomato paste. The curry flavor was not very strong. The vegetables were slightly crunchy--well some of them were crunchy and some not. Very strange. I guess someone's mise en place skills needed some work in the kitchen! The chicken was the best part. It was very very tender and quite flavorful (about the only thing that tasted of curry). I don't think I'd get this one again. The poppadum was great but I'm not sure they could screw up something that probably came in pre-packaged!

Chicken Curry--Not the best

I'd really be curious to try the fish & chips here. I know they used potato & corn starch in the batter. Sounded different and interesting compared to the one at Raglan Road. I opted for no dessert as the only option was sorbet.Overall, I liked the Rose & Crown. I think I just made a poor decision on the entree, but I can imagine the other dishes are quite good. I definitely should have gone with my gut on this one. I'd go back again but just try a different entree.An 8 out of 10.