The Cross at Kenilworth Review

It has been a whopping nine years since my last visit to The Cross in the market town of Kenilworth. Back then I wasn't sure the food was deserving of the recently awarded star (although in my defence, I did believe it was worthy of three AA rosettes, which the restaurant has since received) however it has successfully retained that precious star every year since then. Whilst driving back north after a family holiday in Devon, it seemed an ideal time to stop on the way and visit again. So I duly rocked up for lunch with my wife, her parents and our two young children, on a mild August Thursday.

There's still a good size car park here (always appreciated after a long drive) and the outside of the building, including some external seating, all looked very neat and tidy which is certainly a positive. That theme continued inside; it's a smart, well maintained and completely inoffensive space and our table next to a large window was an ideal spot for us, albeit it was slightly difficult at times for the staff to reach over to the far side of it. On offer at lunch is a three course carte menu, a cheaper three course lunch menu, and a three course children's menu (for those twelve and under) which is always appreciated. All those menus are shown with a fixed price for three courses, but unlike one or two other venues I've visited recently, there's no issue with just ordering two courses if you wish.

The full tasting menu is available at lunch too which is always a good sign of a venue that has faith in their kitchen team, although naturally it's for the whole table only so not really a practical option with young children. For us, all the adults ate from the carte on this occasion with both the kids opting for the children's menu; that's not to say the lunch menu didn't look good, it's just we all fancied dishes on the carte menu more.

Drinks wise, the range is really comprehensive with a lot of wines by the glass, beer and spirits on offer, as well as a sizeable cocktail range including a good number of non-alcoholic options. My daughter enjoyed a Crispy Apple mocktail whilst my wife and son were perfectly happy with apple juice. For myself and my father-in-law, sometimes you just fancy an Austrian red, so we enjoyed a bottle of the thoroughly decent Peter Schweiger Zweigelt from the impressive but not in any way pretentious wine list (albeit the wine price mark up here is not on the low side).

Lunch began promptly with a range of very delicious snacks (with portions for both kids which is always great to see); these included some cheese croquettes, a lovely delicate roe tart and a delightful beetroot coloured ball on a spoon (can you tell I don't take notes?). This was followed by plenty of sourdough bread which was perfectly well made and very nice also; there's also no problem at all requesting more bread later in the meal if you'd like, although we were served more than enough initially to keep everyone happy.

Lunch proper began for me with the crispy duck egg, served with top of peas, lettuce, ham, Old Winchester cheese and a shallot jus. I really enjoyed this, it was a lovely fresh starter, the egg cooking was faultless and the dish ate really well as a whole. My father-in-law enjoyed the same whilst the other starters around the table of including the pineapple tomato salad and tuna tartare were also received very well. The kids both had the grilled cheese on sourdough which was perfectly tasty for a kids menu starter.

For mains, I opted for the pork and lobster (predictably described on delivery as a posh surf and turf, but I won't hold that against the staff). This consisted of belly and fillet of pork, served with Cornish lobster, a lobster bisque and some orzo pasta on the side. If I'm being super pernickety, some of the lobster on my plate was maybe a touch over, but the rest of the dish was absolutely sensational, it's one of the best main courses I've had in a long time. The pork cooking was faultless but the lobster sauce was unbelievable; I could have that sauce on a 2* or 3* lobster dish and have no complaints whatsoever, it really was that good. I would have been very happy with what was on the main plate but the extra bowl of orzo pasta was divine as well and just added another layer of glorious flavour to an already stunning dish.

My father-in-law had the same whilst my wife and mother-in-law enjoyed a very accomplished and tasty pigeon dish; the only complaint here being a steak knife would have been handy to cut through the pigeon skin (which was a little bit tough) but overall it was another high quality plate. The kids both enjoyed the fish and chips from the kids menu which was well executed too.

After some really impressive food to this point, there was absolutely no chance of us leaving without dessert, and I'm very glad we didn't. I went for the hazelnut souffle served with Chantilly cream and a praline sauce, part of which was poured into the souffle for me when it was served. I'm not normally a nut dessert guy but I find it hard to resist a souffle and this was great, faultlessly executed and very tasty indeed. My wife loved her gooseberry fool served with a delicious lemon and poppy seed madeleine cake; I was hoping to try some of her dessert but given the level of deliciousness, I had no chance.

The remaining carte dessert of strawberries with a fromage blanc mousse was very much enjoyed too by my father-in-law, whilst the kids were perfectly happy with the ice cream from the kids menu. Our waitress had no issue checking which flavours were available with the kitchen and letting the kids select accordingly which was good to see also.

And so, after a couple of glasses of 18 year old Glenmorangie for myself and my father-in-law, a superb lunch came to an end. I was really blown away by the quality of the cooking here, which despite the awards held was a level above what I'd been expecting. On top of that, the service was just faultless, our waitress was brilliant, so warm and great with the kids, whilst the gentleman who served us a few bits also (I guess in the maitre d role) was keeping a firm eye on proceedings and making sure plates were cleared, wine was topped up and so on. It was a great combination that created a level of service I can only describe as outstanding and perfectly matched to this kind of venue. Considering the place was pretty busy (great to see on a Thursday lunch) it was all the more impressive too.

It was genuinely the most enjoyable meal I've had anywhere for about two years and I wasn't expecting to be saying that walking in. Yes it wasn't a cheap meal by any stretch and of course there's a hefty 12.5% service charge included too, but given the quality of the cooking and the service, it didn't feel like bad value at all. I for one would be absolutely delighted to eat here again and I'll try not to leave it quite so long this time before making a trip back.