Lebanese food – Goody2shoos travels

Crocker’s folly is a beautiful pub/Lebanese restaurant in a quiet corner of St. John’s Wood. The pub was built during the Victorian era and I was told no expense was spared in its building. It was built using 50 different types of marbles with ornate chandeliers and ceilings. I’ve walked passed it many times and always wanted to go in to have a look inside because the outside doesn’t look anything extraordinary. Apparently the pub fell into disrepair and neglected for sometimes before the new owner brought it, renovated it back to its former glory and turned a section of it into a Lebanese restaurant (I guess the new owner is Lebanese). The front section is still a pub/bar but the second half is a Lebanese restaurant.

We decided to turn up one weekend for a meal in the restaurant and to give ourselves the excuse to go in to have a look at the place. Inside, the appearance didn’t disappoint. It is indeed extravagantly decorated. From the ceilings and chandeliers to the pillars and marbles, all looking very grand. However, the rooms were smaller than I expected. I’m sure the whole building is much bigger but we only managed to see the bar area and the restaurant as these were the only two places we walked through. The Lebanese food we had though was GOOOOOOD.

I didn’t expect this plain looking dish to be so good but it surprised me. We had to order extra bread to mop up every drop of this delicious hommos.

This is a fish dish. I can’t remember what type of fish it is now but it is a white fish on a bed of rice. It is so yummy. It comes with a small pot of creamy fish sauce. Again, I am so impressed with the sauce. The whole thing is simply out of this world. I would love to come back here if only to eat the hommos and this dish again and again. This is the second time I’ve tried Lebanese food. The first time (in a different place; here) I found the food too salty. Luckily, this time, everything was perfect.

This was my friend’s main course. It is lamb meat in yoghurt. I don’t normally eat lamb as I find the meat too aromatic/pungent for my taste but I did try a few bites. The meat is tender, juicy and roasted just enough to give it a well rounded crispiness. My friend reported that it is one of the best. All in all, we demolished everything to the last grain to rice. We were absolutely stuffed and happy with our choices. It was a wonderful meal in a gorgeous setting.

Total price including drink and service charge came to £53.16

Here’s the video of our walk around the area after the meal. Enjoy.

Part 1