Two happy foodies on a night out to a place we have special memories of and a lifetime of family meals out. I couldn’t even count how many times I’ve been to The Old Inn, Crawfordsburn, in my 53 years. It was always somewhere on my family’s radar for every occasion; weddings, big birthdays, wakes and everything in between.
So when the invite came in to revisit it under the ownership of the The Galgorm Collection I wasn’t going to turn it down.
Crawfordsburn is the cutest little village with The Old Inn at its heart. It’s steeped in history and was once a stopping point on the main route to Bangor from Belfast.
Our foodie experience was a 3 course meal with a glass of wine. Keith as expected goes for the steak and I as expected get the vegan options.
When we arrived we passed a wedding party enjoying a meal in the restaurant, it was lovely to see other family traditions begin as no doubt they will be back for future anniversaries in years to come. And by the time they come back and possibly stay as residents, they’ll be able to use the new residents spa, which opens soon. More details here.
The refurbished restaurant in The Old Inn is cosy and welcoming, it’s like stepping back in time into its hundreds of years old history. The menu is equally homely pub grub inspired with a touch of French cuisine. Expect steaks, burgers, cod, chicken supreme, fish n chips, venison, duck and prawns all with that French twist.
Keith rated the Seared scallops (starter) and Chargrilled Steak (main) very highly. He actually said WOW for the scallops and the steak was perfect.
My vegan options were a choice of 3 dishes to have as either starters or mains, and the soup off the main menu was vegan if they switched the Wheaten bread to sourdough. The vegan dishes available were:
- Beetroot, Green vegetable and potato hash, house salad
- Seasonal vegetable & garlic linguine, tomato and chilli sauce
- Courgette and chick pea goan curry, steamed rice.
The whole ambience, service and experience was delightful. What’s not to love about an old favourite revitalised to meet the Galgorm group’s high standards.
Our meal:
Soup of the day with sourdough (Vegan) £6.90
Seared scallops, celeriac purée, black pudding crumb, pancetta, Granny Smith apple £11.70
Seasonal vegetable & garlic linguine, tomato and chilli sauce £14 (vegan)
Chargrilled 10oz Ribeye steak, crispy French fried onions, mushroom duxelles, tomato fondue £28
Dark chocolate brownie, chocolate sauce, raspberry sorbet (vegan) £8
Baked lemon and lime cheese tart, green apple sorbet £8
