It's very easy to malign Croydon, even a musical we saw at Southwark Playhouse recently had a mother begging her son not to visit Croydon saying, "No-one goes to Croydon". It's undeniable that the Borough has it's share of issues, but the part we are fortunate to live in is wall-to-wall beautiful green spaces, golf clubs and public schools and we really enjoy living here.
In recent years the town centre has declined, the Whitgift Centre is really gasping its last few breaths, two Weatherspoon's have closed (no tears from us about that), and parts of it feel very unloved. But, there have been some courageous small businesses start up who are working hard to make it a nice place to relax and socialise. Notably, The Store, Yumn, Cronx brewery, Ludoquist, Matthew's Yard, and Art and Craft have all brought some energy, fun and class back to the centre and the South End.
We've been meaning to eat and drink at Mr Fox for ages, but somehow we never seem to make it past Art and Craft on Surrey Street where Alex always finds a craft beer or two to enjoy. Now we're kicking ourselves that we hadn't been sooner.
The manager of Mr Fox told us that they'd used the time during Covid to refine their offer, to concentrate on creating a lovely place to drink cocktails and eat delicious food - to be more than just another bar. We rather think that they've succeeded.
The cocktails we tried were expertly crafted and a fraction of the price that we'd expect pay in the West End of London. The staff were friendly, fun, and knowledgeable about the food and drink.
The choice of Sunday roasts consisted of roast chicken, pork belly, roast beef, or a vegan Wellington. Between our group of 6, we had all of these. They come with perfect Yorkshires (not too eggy), which can also be added to the vegan roast. Our vegetarian (not vegan) friend was very happy that it was an option. We enjoyed an assorted of roasted root vegetables, potatoes, beetroot, cabbage and of course lashings of gravy and horseradish sauce to accompany the perfectly pink-in-the-middle beef. We also ordered a cauliflower cheese side dish, which was delicious. The only thing that could have made it even better would have been some stuffing with the roast chicken option.
We shared a few desserts between us. The 'crunchie' was enough for about three people! You can really see the chef's skill and creativity in these desserts I think.
Our friends who live in Canary Wharf were really impressed; both with the quality of the food and drink, and the value for money compared to where they live. We will all be going back very soon.
Address: 34 Surrey Street, Croydon, London, CR0 1RJ
OPENING Mon: Closed Tue–Thu: 5–11 Fri: 5–1 Sat: 12–1 Sun: 12–8
KITCHEN Mon: Closed Tue–Thu: 5–9:30 Fri: 5–10 Sat: 12–4/5–10 Sun: 12–6
