English’s Quintessentially British
Coffee
Cream Tea – Finger Sandwiches, Scones, and Petit Fours
Smoked Salmon & Dill Crème Fraiche, Parsley Dressed Boiled Egg, Minted Shaved Cucumber Mousse, Cheddar and Branston Pickle
Cranberry Scone, Plain Scone, Strawberry Jam, Whipped Cream
Vanilla Macaron, Chocolate Cheese Cake, Fruit Bread
Sticky toffee pudding – hot Muscavado toffee sauce, hand churned ice cream, sticky sponge
Shepherd’s Pie – ground lamb, cheddar mashed potatoes
Honey Glazed Carrots
A longterm resident of my ‘to eat’ list, brought back to mind by our British server at Citizens just one week prior, it was largely an afternoon movie at Town Square that led to lunch at English’s Quintessentially British and although nothing I experienced during my ninety minute meal is about to replace fond memories of a late summer trip to London the combination of tea service and a few UK classics proved quite competent in a room overlooking the festively lit shopping center below.
Seemingly misplaced on the second story of a mall, with a menu featuring several scratch made plates including everything from jams, gravies, and even heavily whipped cream all made in-house, it was just moments to 1:00pm that I say down at a small two-top near the kitchen door and although my blue haired server seemed a tad laissez faire despite the room being nearly 3/4 full it was only moments after finally having the chance to place my order that the first of two pots of tepid coffee arrived – the price included in the cost of $20 tea service from which unlimited scones and cream were about as authentic as it gets Stateside while neither the tea sandwiches wrapped in stale bread nor the paltry petit fours were worth the calories entailed, the cheesecake particularly awful with a sourness and texture not unlike simply eating an ounce from Philadelphia straight from the tub.
Fairing better than the majority of the 3-tiered service it was not long before a main course of Shepherd’s Pie arrived alongside $3 worth of glazed carrots, and although some might quibble that the medium-ground protein loses a bit of its luster when so heavily browned I personally found the light use of seasoning and ‘open-face’ plating a breath of fresh air in allowing the natural flavors of the meat to shine, a notable lack of mint more than welcomed as it tends to overwhelm in all but the rarest case.
At this point informed that no other petit fours were available, despite seeing other varieties on tables elsewhere in the room, It was in one more cranberry scone alongside a second pot of coffee that I decided to invest and unable to resist sticky toffee pudding an $8 plate was delivered with hit-and-miss results – the house churned ice cream surprisingly creamy despite a flavor best described as ‘sugary’ while the cake itself was well spiced but just a bit too “sponge,” the exemplary sauce simply not presented in large enough quantity to fully saturate the springy base.
THREE STARS: Proudly pronouncing their in-house production of nearly everything on the menu with prices far more favorable than Ramsay’s underwhelming Pub at Caesars, English’s Quintessentially British is undoubtedly amongst the more interesting dining options at Town Square and although no one is going to mistake it for the sort of cuisine being served at even the most pedestrian gastropub in London there is little doubt a good meal can be crafted here for those looking to scratch a specific culinary itch.
RECOMMENDED: Scones with Strawberry Jam and Heavily Whipped Cream, Shepherd’s Pie.
AVOID: Tea Sandwiches, Cheesecake.
TIP: Offering Tea Service all week long in addition to lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch those interested in simply stopping in for tea and scones are likely to find English’s the best bargain in town – the $20/pp charge for several sandwiches as well as unlimited scones and petit fours ringing in at nearly half the price of its competition at more fanciful locations further north on The Strip.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
http://englishslasvegas.com
