27 Jun 2025
James Cameron checks out the city centre gastro pub where it’s hard to avoid any double entendres…
This review will test my journalistic integrity and respect for the medium to its limit as I try to avoid descending into smut and innuendo. For you see, this week we will be taking a look at the Cock. Wish me luck.
The Cock Inn is possibly the most gastro of all St Albans pubs, excluding Dylans which my wife refuses to enter due to the stuffed animal heads on the wall. On our latest visit, though, it seemed to be emphasising the pub over the gastro. The other patrons were definitely there to drink and chat rather than dine, meaning that for most of the time we had the restaurant section to ourselves.
They managed to avoid Cameron’s inverse rule of service (as long-term readers will remember, this states that the emptier the establishment, the worse will be your level of service), as the waitress was present whenever we needed her, and always with a delightful level of cheeriness.
She was very attentive regarding my companion’s dietary requirements, however this attentiveness could not really disguise that there wasn’t really much she could have as a vegan.
Wednesday is Steak Night but that didn’t really help matters. There was a risotto that could have the cheese removed and a salad that could be a starter or a main, but nothing to really get the blood pumping.
Instead as a starter she went for the Focaccia, usually served with a butter-filled beetroot compote that was substituted here for garlic oil. This was obviously not the chef’s original intention, and whilst it was nice there was a clear missing piquancy.
For those of us unconstrained by moral considerations there was much more on offer. As another statement of intent regarding their inherent pubness this included scotch eggs and sausage rolls, and I went for the latter. This came beneath a large pile of cheese which is a good move as there is little that is not improved by being under a big pile of cheese (possibly a jam roly-poly). It also had a dollop of fantastic fruity brown sauce on the side.
Things took a further step up with my main, a generous slab of haddock balanced on a foundation of thick chips. I loved the fact that the side slice of lemon had been charred, it was a simple touch that really improved the flavour. Similarly great was the tartare sauce, clarified gherkin goodness and one of the best I had ever tasted. The fish was well cooked and the thick batter had an almost doughnut-like sweetness, which is clearly a good thing.
The only let-down on the dish was the chips, which were too big, possibly to allow them to support the massive girth of the fish. They were not far off a potato, and the crispy flavour of the outer edges had little chance of penetrating the interior.
The cheese-less risotto did not suffer from the absence as a lovely pea-puree was substituted in. It was very fresh and bursting with dill, and the texture, whilst potentially not strictly as an Italian might do it, had a tempting level of bite. Seasonal vegetables on the side were generally nice, but the boiled carrots reminded me of just how much I dislike them, bringing back the trauma of school dinners.
As you would expect from a pub there was a good selection of beer on offer, and we chose the Bring Me Sunshine beer from Tring in honour of local legend Eric Morecambe. It was a great pint, well kept and with golden notes that brought summer into the room.
One area where the Cock Inn is very much still playing in the gastro-arena is in the pricing, with the meal coming to £94 for the two of us with a couple of beers each.
Whilst the service is definitely at a level that justifies this price tag the food probably has a little way to go. If they could improve their plant-based offering, and up their root vegetable game, then no one would be able to resist the Cock.
