After Blizzard Beach, Mike and I decided to head over to Epcot to see a presentation on vegetable gardens and to possibly meet up with two of our friends. One of the friends was sick and had to go home early, so we decided to stay and see the presentation and possibly eat dinner. We wandered over to the UK pavillion to see if the Pub was still closed (it is, until July 4 2004). While we were there, we looked over the menu for the Rose and Crown Dining Room, noticed that it wasn't TOO much more than a standard restaurant and said, why not, and made priority seatings for 5pm. We went back to listen to the presentation, and returned to the UK at 4:30. Mike watched a show in the streets while I checked out the shops. At 4:50 we went over to the podium, checked in, and requested an outdoor seat. We were sat on the lower tier of the "porch," with a table between us and the water. Our table would have been great for Illuminations, if there weren't bushes on a little "island" in the water right in front of us.
We sat down and discussed the menu before our server, Jamie, arrived. He was incredibly friendly and talkative, and actually convinced Mike to order an alcoholic beverage, which he never does when he goes out. I ordered the Welsh Dragon, and Mike ordered the English Rose, just to be different. The drinks arrived, brightly colored. I had had the Welsh Dragon in the past, but it was much better this time, with a noticeable mint flavor (the ingredients included pineapple juice, Midori, and creme de menthe). Mike's English Rose (including gin, apricot juice, vermouth, cranberry juice) was not overly fruity, and he said that it tasted "just right." Neither were too strong, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.
We decided to split the Mushroom Medley, and Mike ordered the Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips (apparently a lot of people think that these are Lays potato chips, according to Jamie), and I ordered the English Pie Sampler with chips instead of green beans. I hate green beans, even though many people have said the green beans inthe World are very good. Jamie brought us out potato rolls with honey butter, which were delicious. Mike raved about them, even. The honey butter was interesting, it seemed that there were tiny pockets of honey which opened up when the butter was spread on the bread. The only thing that could improve the rolls would be for them to be either warm or hot - they were lukewarm to cold. Later during our meal, we were discussing various restaurants around the World with Jamie, and he told us that the rolls here were baked in downtown Orlando.
Soon after, our Mushroom Medley arrived. It was brought out in a bowl with two spoons, and a triangle of seasoned puff pastry on top. The mushrooms were large, fresh, and delicious. The cream sauce they were in was reminiscent of a homemade cream of mushroom soup. The puff pastry went very well with the mushrooms, though it could have been a lot larger! The dish needed a touch of salt, and would have been perfect if there was just a bit more garlic. But then again, we are garlic fiends. We used the last of our bread to sop up the extra cream.
Our entrees arrived soon after. Mike's fish and chips was presented as a single HUGE piece of battered fish, with chips, tartar sauce, and ketchup. Thankfully there was malt vinegar already on the table. Later, as we were leaving, we noticed that other tables had HP sauce, and we wished we had asked for some! I don't like fish, but Mike said that the fish was very flaky and tender, with a light and not greasy batter - he said it was perfect. The chips on both of our plates left something to be desired. They resembled American french fries more than other chips that we've had in the past at other English/Irish restaurants, and were just solidly average. Mike loved the peas, though. They were fresh and sweet, with no noticeable extra butter, if there was even any used.
My pie sampler looked delicious. It consisted of pork pie, cottage pie, and chicken and leek pie. The pork pie was completely encased in a round-ish dark brown pastry, with a terrific brown gravy on top. Inside the pork was ground, and in a round ball. I couldn't tell exactly what kind of herbs and spices were in it, though. This was definitely my favorite of the three, and I could have made a meal out of a larger portion. Next was the cottage pie. This consisted of ground beef and carrots, topped with piped mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. There was a bit of grease on top of the cheddar cheese, but it still tasted good. I don't eat beef, so this was a little unusual for me, but the pie was very good as well. I didn't finish this one as I was too full at the end. The chicken and leek pie was last, and was very interestingly shaped. It appeared to be a round flaky pastry that was pinched up like a purse. There was a delicious creamy sauce on top, and inside were chunks of chicken and what I think was celery. It would have been better with more leeks in it, and the pastry was slightly tough at the top, but flaky and tender at the bottom. It's my own fault, but I wish I had ordered a different vegetable instead of the chips. They were the only slightly disappointing part of the meal.
We had saved just a bit of room for dessert, and we ordered the sticky toffee pudding after hearing so much about it. I had my camera on the table when Jamie brought out the dessert, and he asked if we wanted our picture taken. I then told him about my website-to-be, and the three of us started discussing restaurants around the World. He told us that his favorite restaurant in the entire resort was Boma, and that he was returning this Friday with his parents. We asked about Artist Point, and he raved about it. He also said that he really enjoyed the Rose and Crown, and that his favorite dessert was the Irish Creme Brulee. By this time, we had been talking for about 20-30 minutes! He had to get back to work at that point, but after his recommendation, I ordered the creme brulee. It was fantastic - the caramelized sugar was perfect, and the custard was dense and sweet. There were noticeable vanilla bean specks in the custard, and thankfully the Bailey's flavor wasn't very strong, it just gave it an interesting flavor. The sticky toffee pudding was also wonderful. It was a steamed pudding that resembled a mini bundt cake, with a butter rum sauce in the middle and it was surrounded by a vanilla custard. I can't wait to go back to order it again! The pudding was perfectly moist, and the entire dessert was not too sweet.
Our experience at the Rose and Crown was just wonderful. It was an impromptu decision that turned into a great evening, especially because the service was wonderful. If anyone is going in the near future, I recommend asking for Jamie. He gave us great advice on other restaurants around the World to try, and was great conversation. This has been one of our better dining experiences in the resort, and we will definitely return.
Edit:Yahoo photo gallery
We sat down and discussed the menu before our server, Jamie, arrived. He was incredibly friendly and talkative, and actually convinced Mike to order an alcoholic beverage, which he never does when he goes out. I ordered the Welsh Dragon, and Mike ordered the English Rose, just to be different. The drinks arrived, brightly colored. I had had the Welsh Dragon in the past, but it was much better this time, with a noticeable mint flavor (the ingredients included pineapple juice, Midori, and creme de menthe). Mike's English Rose (including gin, apricot juice, vermouth, cranberry juice) was not overly fruity, and he said that it tasted "just right." Neither were too strong, which could be a good thing or a bad thing.
We decided to split the Mushroom Medley, and Mike ordered the Harry Ramsden's Fish and Chips (apparently a lot of people think that these are Lays potato chips, according to Jamie), and I ordered the English Pie Sampler with chips instead of green beans. I hate green beans, even though many people have said the green beans inthe World are very good. Jamie brought us out potato rolls with honey butter, which were delicious. Mike raved about them, even. The honey butter was interesting, it seemed that there were tiny pockets of honey which opened up when the butter was spread on the bread. The only thing that could improve the rolls would be for them to be either warm or hot - they were lukewarm to cold. Later during our meal, we were discussing various restaurants around the World with Jamie, and he told us that the rolls here were baked in downtown Orlando.
Soon after, our Mushroom Medley arrived. It was brought out in a bowl with two spoons, and a triangle of seasoned puff pastry on top. The mushrooms were large, fresh, and delicious. The cream sauce they were in was reminiscent of a homemade cream of mushroom soup. The puff pastry went very well with the mushrooms, though it could have been a lot larger! The dish needed a touch of salt, and would have been perfect if there was just a bit more garlic. But then again, we are garlic fiends. We used the last of our bread to sop up the extra cream.
Our entrees arrived soon after. Mike's fish and chips was presented as a single HUGE piece of battered fish, with chips, tartar sauce, and ketchup. Thankfully there was malt vinegar already on the table. Later, as we were leaving, we noticed that other tables had HP sauce, and we wished we had asked for some! I don't like fish, but Mike said that the fish was very flaky and tender, with a light and not greasy batter - he said it was perfect. The chips on both of our plates left something to be desired. They resembled American french fries more than other chips that we've had in the past at other English/Irish restaurants, and were just solidly average. Mike loved the peas, though. They were fresh and sweet, with no noticeable extra butter, if there was even any used.
My pie sampler looked delicious. It consisted of pork pie, cottage pie, and chicken and leek pie. The pork pie was completely encased in a round-ish dark brown pastry, with a terrific brown gravy on top. Inside the pork was ground, and in a round ball. I couldn't tell exactly what kind of herbs and spices were in it, though. This was definitely my favorite of the three, and I could have made a meal out of a larger portion. Next was the cottage pie. This consisted of ground beef and carrots, topped with piped mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese. There was a bit of grease on top of the cheddar cheese, but it still tasted good. I don't eat beef, so this was a little unusual for me, but the pie was very good as well. I didn't finish this one as I was too full at the end. The chicken and leek pie was last, and was very interestingly shaped. It appeared to be a round flaky pastry that was pinched up like a purse. There was a delicious creamy sauce on top, and inside were chunks of chicken and what I think was celery. It would have been better with more leeks in it, and the pastry was slightly tough at the top, but flaky and tender at the bottom. It's my own fault, but I wish I had ordered a different vegetable instead of the chips. They were the only slightly disappointing part of the meal.
We had saved just a bit of room for dessert, and we ordered the sticky toffee pudding after hearing so much about it. I had my camera on the table when Jamie brought out the dessert, and he asked if we wanted our picture taken. I then told him about my website-to-be, and the three of us started discussing restaurants around the World. He told us that his favorite restaurant in the entire resort was Boma, and that he was returning this Friday with his parents. We asked about Artist Point, and he raved about it. He also said that he really enjoyed the Rose and Crown, and that his favorite dessert was the Irish Creme Brulee. By this time, we had been talking for about 20-30 minutes! He had to get back to work at that point, but after his recommendation, I ordered the creme brulee. It was fantastic - the caramelized sugar was perfect, and the custard was dense and sweet. There were noticeable vanilla bean specks in the custard, and thankfully the Bailey's flavor wasn't very strong, it just gave it an interesting flavor. The sticky toffee pudding was also wonderful. It was a steamed pudding that resembled a mini bundt cake, with a butter rum sauce in the middle and it was surrounded by a vanilla custard. I can't wait to go back to order it again! The pudding was perfectly moist, and the entire dessert was not too sweet.
Our experience at the Rose and Crown was just wonderful. It was an impromptu decision that turned into a great evening, especially because the service was wonderful. If anyone is going in the near future, I recommend asking for Jamie. He gave us great advice on other restaurants around the World to try, and was great conversation. This has been one of our better dining experiences in the resort, and we will definitely return.
Edit:Yahoo photo gallery
As for eating there, however, I'd only do so outside. As others have noted, it's a not-so-hidden secret that one of the best ways to watch Illuminations is to dine outside near the lake at the R&C at around 7:45 p.m. , which means you're just finishing up dinner when Illuminations starts, and you've got a prime, seated view. 
