The Brown Cow and Dragon, Crossgates

This is a pub I used to go to for birthday dinners as a kid. It was a Beefeater or something back then, so it was prawn cocktails and scampi in a basket all round! Now it is still a pub but with a Thai restaurant upstairs. This was the venue for Sarah T’s birthday, and we were a group of nine.

The menu is extensive. I am no expert on Thai food but the options looked great. The obligatory Pinot Grigio was on the menu at a reasonable price so that was duly ordered first.



I chose Tempura vegetables for first course. This is a favourite of mine from visits to Japanese restaurants. The portion was huge, and included broccoli, carrot, mushrooms and onions. The batter was light and the dish came with a side dish of sweet chilli sauce.



A ordered spare ribs, which he quickly polished off. Lovely tender meat.



For main course, I ordered a chicken dish with black mushrooms and spring onions. This felt similar to a Chinese dish, so I had coconut rice on the side, for a more significant nod in the Thai direction. The rice was very sweet, but went well with the chicken.





A ordered Singapore Vermicelli. This is a favourite of his from our local takeaway – a mix of very thin noodles, pork, chicken, prawns and veg, with a bit of a spicy flavour. He pronounced it better than the one we have from the takeaway, high praise indeed.



Everyone in the group had drinks, first and main course and the bill came to £25 a head, including tip, which we thought was good value.

We didn’t stay to sample the pub downstairs, as there were drinks waiting back at the birthday girl’s house. I understand they have a limited Thai menu downstairs, with a more typical pub grub menu.