Spending an evening at The Rosemary in New Cross was a truly special and unique experience we will not forget. Organic Hungarian food, coupled with a warming atmosphere, this is a fantastic restaurant for all occasions, whether it be a romantic dinner, a weekday night treat or a catch up with friends. This restaurant opened 5 years ago and has accomplished becoming a staple along New Cross high street where locals regularly flock for a good time.
The Rosemary prides itself on serving up mostly organic Hungarian dishes that are the ideal combination of familiar, yet new and exciting. You may be surprised how comforting the flavours of Hungarian food really are! They also have a great selection of organic Hungarian wines to choose from to suit anyone’s taste buds. As you can expect, the food they serve is very important to them, so the team at The Rosemary make sure all their food is sourced from selected organic farms and other organic growers in the area and are prepared fresh straight to your plate!
One of the most impressive aspects of this restaurant is that it has its own ecosystem! The restaurant is smothered with beautiful, vine-like plants that snake around the shelves and windows, giving the space an earthy vibe. The water from these plants are filtered and sent to a freshwater fish tank they have on display. Then the waste the fish produce converts into fertilizer for the plants and so the cycle continues. With this successful ecosystem, it has meant the team has not had to change the water in the fish tank for almost 3 years, having maintained itself perfectly. This feature really made the restaurant stand out, especially with the rise of environment-conscious thinking. The Rosemary are clearly ahead of the game!
Another feature in the restaurant are the plates and bowls. When you are seated, you may notice small bowls on display around the restaurant, and you’ll be impressed to know that these bowls were handmade by the owner Mihály, who specifically learned pottery so that he could serve his food in his own creations! This adds a lovely personal touch to the restaurant, emphasised by the furniture that is made by Mihály’s son. All these unique touches, from the handmade plates, to the furniture and ecosystem breathes life into the restaurant and creates a sense of wonder as you walk through The Rosemary’s doors.
The plants also weave round to the exterior of the restaurant, displaying a beautiful front that tempts you to press against the large glass windows and peek inside. Even in the winter, these plants survive, blooming beautiful pink flowers in the spring that last right through till the end of summer.
The menu is curated and carefully crafted to feature some Hungarian classics like Goulash and Hortobágyi Pancake, which is a salty version of crépes, filled with pulled chicken, fried onion, and topped with a sauce made of sour cream and paprika. Mihály makes an impressive effort to serve the customers that eat here, gladly recommending his favourite dishes.
We had the pleasure of trying the Strudel baked brie with blueberry jam to start. This was a satisfying starter, with a mixture of salty brie and sweet blueberry jam that created an exciting mix of flavours. This is a classic example of our surprise at how familiar Hungarian food actually is to our own taste buds, being given a unique twist that made the flavours feel new again. This was a great starter size portion and our favourite of the night, providing a little taste of the quality of the food and get you excited for the meal ahead!
For our main course, we tried the Chicken Paprikash, with Home-made Noodles. As described on the menu, the chicken is cooked for over an hour in a creamy paprika sauce and, when the dish arrived, the chicken fell apart with just a fork! The flavours were smooth and delicious, each bite melting luxuriously in the mouth. It was extremely juicy and clearly cooked with great skill, covered in a creamy sauce. The homemade noodles had an interesting texture that gave the dish a different twist from your typical chicken dish. We can attest that you can really taste the difference in their organic food, when compared to chicken you may have tasted at other chain restaurants. This dish was a combination of simplicity done right, taking a sought-after amount of skill to get right every time.
For dessert, we tried the Vegan Chocolate Mousse with Fresh Strawberry. When we were served this dish, the owner proudly told us all the ingredients featured, impressing me with his transparency. The mousse was made with coconut milk, cacao and avocado and the strawberry coulis was 100% fruit with no added sugars. The smooth and rich taste of the mousse, coupled with the tart kick of the strawberry expertly proved that simple and precise flavours are all that are needed to create a delicious dessert. It was a lovely, treat-size portion to provide a sweet palette cleanser to leave you feeling satisfied and bloat-free. The chocolate and strawberry combination is one we know well and The Rosemary executed this classic dish perfectly, tasting fresh and comforting.
We had the pleasure of sitting at one of the booth-like tables at the front of the big windows that faced the high street. This made for a great spot to watch the world go by during our dinner and created an intimate atmosphere. The dark word of the furniture felt like a warm hug to thaw out the chill outside. You will feel like you’ve stepped into someone’s home, with decor that not only serves a purpose, but has a personal feel that oozes passion. It will make it difficult to leave the comfort of this restaurant when your meal is over!
Even on a weekday evening, there was a steady trickle of customers coming in from the cold to enjoy the warming Hungarian food inside. It was clear this restaurant is popular with the locals and gained this status off pure merit and positive reviews that, after our visit, we can say are well deserved. Overall, we would highly recommend The Rosemary at 178 New Cross Road for a delightful evening of delicious food with a unique twist, coupled with an outstanding level of friendly and personal service, which makes for a memorable dinner experience. If you use your South London Club card here, you can get 10% off food (Tue-Thurs) & off craft beer all the time, so don’t miss out on this offer!
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