Hundred Crows Rising

In its imperial period, this grand old pub garnered a mix of renown and notoriety for its DJ nights. However, the new owners of what was once the Salmon & Compasses have put the Technics out to pasture and are instead attempting to give Chapel Market its first worthwhile gastropub.

Architecturally, it couldn’t be more different from its sister pub, the Elk in the Woods: whereas the Elk is small, even cosy, Hundred Crows Rising is a classic corner pub with an open kitchen set theatrically on view. However, the menus share a similar comfort-cooking character, British dishes rubbing shoulders with global fare. The food is fine enough, though often falls short of its menu billing: ‘super hot scotch bonnet corned beef hash’ seemed to be missing its pepper, while an otherwise decent burger advertised as ‘spicy’ was anything but. Skip the skimpy pint of chips and jump down to the kale, chorizo and potato hash for your side order.

The beers (including four cask lines dedicated to the Old Dairy Brewery and a couple of keg beers from Chapel Down’s Curious range) would benefit from savvier staff: when asked for a recommendation, the bartender freely admitted that she didn’t know anything about beer.