The Cowper Arms (57 Cole Green Lane, Hertford, SG14 2NL) may look like your average pub from the outside – albeit a smart one but be assured it provides a service seldom found and far exceeds most pubs and restaurants. The average age of the waiting staff is rather higher than is usually found and their experience and genuine concern that patrons have an enjoyable time makes a huge difference. There are no scraggy ponytails or short skirts which may disappoint some people but this venue places itself a cut above those places where that would be acceptable and it’s all the better for it.
The team from thebestof Hertford and Ware (Victoria, David, Steve and Jan) were recently invited to a media evening which was for the re-launch of The Cowper Arms. It was a fabulous event, and the owners really put themselves out to generously give all guests a very enjoyable evening. Having said that, although we are happy to reciprocate by providing a review of The Cowper Arms, it is still our responsibility to provide you, dear reader, with an unbiased view of the venue, the food and drinks etc.
We visited early in December and although there was a Christmas Tree in one part of the lounge, other than that the décor was left unadorned I’m guessing so that we could see the new style of the bar and restaurant without the distractions of fairy lights etc.
Before talking about the new style of The Cowper Arms, let me first describe the outside. They have a large car park which is tarmacked and fairly well-lit in places although dark in some areas. It appeared there was plenty of outside seating although it was quite difficult to see more than that as it was dark.
The entrance into the bar / lounge area is spacious and the lounge is split into two areas with various comfy chairs with tables. It is possible to eat in the lounge although we found when we were served canapes that the tables were a little too high for the seating and eating. Between the bar and restaurant there is a gorgeous roaring log fire which is always appealing on a cold evening.
The bar area is also comfortable and welcoming with an excellent selection of gins as well as all the other usual drinks. The Cowper Arms has a cocktails menu, a gin menu and a menu with non-alcoholic cocktails. The bar staff were knowledgeable and helpful and made some good suggestions for us. One of our party tried the blood orange & passion fruit collins which was so good she had a second one. I went for the Tanqueray Flor De Sevilla G&T which had a refreshing orange flavour and I would definitely have the same again.
The style throughout is sophisticated and comfortable with a modern twist, the majority of people were dressed smart casual. The walls and furnishings are quite dark but with the lighting gives it a cosy feel in winter. There is a lot of painted and stained wood and the lighting is quite low which is lovely for those of us of a certain age but not so good for reading the details of dishes on the menu which is in very small print.
The canapes that were provided while we were in the lounge were mouthfuls (and more) of some of their starters and mains. These were quite varied in the quality of the cooking, eg. The falafels which I don’t usually like and therefore wouldn’t order, were moist and tasty. Sadly the duck with hoisin sauce was overcooked and hard. Also the lobster and Devon crab fishcake was nice and crispy outside but it had too much potato which overpowered the seafood and it made it quite cloying. The four of us agreed that the best appetiser was the scallops which were served with pork belly, these were fresh and perfectly cooked and the pork belly flavoursome and non-oily. I should explain that canapes are not usually available and if served as they normally would be as starters or mains then they may well not have the same issues.
We were shown to our table promptly and Sharon was our waitress. When we were given the menu Sharon asked us immediately if we have any allergies or if any of our party are vegans; it transpired they have a separate menu for vegans and Sharon was happy to describe any of the dishes and help us if we had any allergies. Sharon took our drinks order while leaving us to read the menu and then returned 10 minutes later to take our orders, she was happy to give us more time if we wanted but we were ready to order.
The food on the whole was good but again with some issues, however, before I go on I should say that Russ, the manager, told us when we enquired about the chef that his usual chef had been involved in an accident and was off work and they had been provided with a temporary chef that day and so some leeway should be given as he may not have been familiar with the preparation of some dishes and would not have had his usual team around him. Having said that, we felt that he was a little heavy handed with chilli and made more than a couple of dressings too sweet which if he had tasted he would have realised.
Starters – Victoria thought she would order a light appetiser as her starter so she went for the olives, balsamic and olive oil dip and bread, however, it was huge! I ordered the sweet chilli king prawn roll (£6.50)
which I would have greatly enjoyed had it not had so much chilli in it. I am happy for food to have some heat but this was nearer ‘hot’ rather than ‘medium’ which I would choose. To be fair, I found out later that the menu included chilli in the ingredients but the writing was so small and the lighting so low I couldn’t read it and I assumed that as it was described as sweet chilli king prawn roll, it wouldn’t be hot – my mistake.
I ended up swapping starters with one of our party who had the chargrilled lamb koftas (£6.95). These had good texture with a nice crisp salad with it and a dressing which wasn’t mentioned on the menu and was far too sweet.
Another of our group had the baked camembert which was superb, runny inside with a crispy outside, and perfectly cooked. We all tried it and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would order this another time.
Mains – We had the roasted rack of lamb (£20.95) which was cooked
perfectly and well rested as it was pink but not bloody, the accompanying vegetables went well with the lamb and made a change from the usual carrots, and beans etc. Victoria had fillet steak (£23.95) which again was cooked exactly to her liking and Sharon swapped the ale-glazed shallot tart topped with Cropwell Bishop custard for the vegetables that accompany the Rib Eye steak without any hesitation at all.
Another colleague had the king prawn, crab & chorizo linguine with white wine, tomatoes, garlic & chilli (£13.50), he found it tasty but quite heavy on the chilli (and he likes chilli), it was also a little oily and a bit rich even though there were some large chunks of cucumber. I had the stir-fried beef fillet salad (£12.95), sinfully the fillet was overcooked and therefore quite tough to chew and again was overpowered by chilli.
When I mentioned to Sharon about the over-use of chilli she very politely explained that it was on the menu which again I hadn’t been able to read. I asked if it is possible to ask for the chilli to be left out when ordering and she confirmed that it is indeed possible to have it sans chilli on some dishes but some are prepared in the morning and it’s therefore a part of the pre-prepared dish. Good to note that it’s worth asking though before ordering if, like me, you don’t like the taste of chilli or don’t want it in a delicately flavoured dish.
Desserts – We were really too full to have desserts but we were persuaded by Sharon and Russ and I’m so pleased we did as we all agreed that what we each had was delicious. Victoria had the coconut sorbet with fresh berries (£6.25) from the vegan menu. She confirmed it was flavoursome, light and refreshing which was just right when already quite full up. David had the vanilla crème brûlée (£5.95) which was creamy, smooth and delicious with a thin crispy caramel top. Steve had the chocolate and raspberry pudding (£6.95), this was chocolaty with a good amount of raspberry compote to balance out the sweetness of the sponge and he must have enjoyed it as he finished it even though he was full before and said he couldn’t manage a dessert!
Although everyone enjoyed their desserts, we all agreed I had the dessert of the day which was the melting chocolate and peanut bomb (£7.95). This was not only decadent, delicious and desirable it was also a show-stopper especially when Sharon poured hot salted caramel sauce over the chocolate shell to reveal the sticky toffee pudding inside. No, I know it’s not a new thing anymore but it always brings a smile to my face and I love that the chef is taking the trouble to do something more than the same old desserts you find most places. Yes, it was very sweet but that’s what I’d expect from a dessert that includes chocolate, sticky toffee pudding and a caramel sauce.
Overall, there were far more positives than negatives and one of the positives was the waiting staff and service which was exemplary. I am usually disappointed with service levels in restaurants as they so often fall short even when it comes to basic things but the staff at The Cowper Arms have it spot on. They are all obviously very experienced and really want to ensure their guests have a great customer experience. Although Sharon was mostly our waitress we were also attended by Tracey, Donna and a young chap whose name unfortunately we didn’t catch, they were all helpful and attentive without being overly so. They were clearly happy working there and proud of the new refit. Russ fortunately seems to recognise the value of his staff and hopefully he’ll keep them engaged and happy so they stay. To his credit he seems to ensure that his staff are trained well and it’s good to see him checking with diners that they are happy rather than just leave it to his staff, another thing that we seldom have seen elsewhere.
Incidentally, the ladies toilets appear to have had more of a freshen up rather than a refit. One cubicle door was stiff and difficult to lock, there were no automatic devices for either the taps or soap and no paper towels only a hand-dryer which is a bug-bear of mine but that’s for another time. There were Wax Lyrical candles which were a nice touch and pleasant Baylis and Harding handwash and hand cream.
When we visited, the music in the restaurant and bar was for most of the time, background music and at a comfortable level for talking without having to shout above it. There were times when it was a bit intrusive and maybe some of it wasn’t really consistent with the characteristic of the restaurant when it was pop and rock music but fortunately that was not the genre of the playlist for most of the evening. Apparently they are planning on having live music once a month from 2019.
We would recommend this restaurant for couples or small groups, they could certainly cater for larger groups and they have some longer benches for that purpose but most of the people dining appeared to be in groups of two and four and with the candles on the tables and around the restaurant it has an intimate feel.
We understand that the menu will be changed each season and they are open for lunch and dinner or just drinks. Check out their website for offers eg. Two cocktails for £10 and more information about the venue and menus.
https://www.thecowperarmscolegreen.co.uk/
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