My Kitchen - Leigh-on-Sea.

As the crow flies, the closest restaurant to where I live is 'My Kitchen' a vegetarian restaurant on the Leigh Road, a mere 5 minute amble away. But, being a rampant carnivore, I've dismissed it out of hand. Don't get me wrong, I've admired the look of the place while tramping past on some errand or other, but Vegetarian to me says bearded, threadbare jumper wearing, lentil munching devotees to the mung bean.
Keep your Nut Cutlets, I'm sure your Tofu burger is very tasty indeed....Not for me thank you.

How wrong could I be?

Lately reports have been filtering back to me that the food in 'My Kitchen' is excellent, snippets of Halloumi this and Pan fried potato this have caught my interest. Enough is enough, I just had to try this for myself. And, I'm happy to report - I was very wrong. In fact, My Kitchen is the best local restaurant I've eaten in by a long chalk. Inventive and impressively cooked food in a relaxed almost Parisian Bistro like environment - and incredibly good value for money. Hallelujah - I'm a convert!!!

So now, your no doubt wondering what did I eat to bring about this Road to Damascus style conversion to the ways of the non-meat eater...

To start, Sauteed Potatoes, and Kale with a Poached Duck Egg. A simple dish, but extremely tasty and well cooked. I Can't fault this, beautifully cooked potatoes with lightly cooked crisp Kale and a rich creamy yolked duck egg. Lovely stuff.

Onto the Mains, Porcini and Cup Mushroom Risotto with roast Garlic and Parmesan. Another cracking dish, very rich and a huge portion to boot - perhaps a bit too much cooking liqueur, my preference for risottos normally being slightly thicker and stickier but as it was so tasty I can't complain too much. I cleared the plate.

The Girlfriend, who had started eating her starter of Almond Pesto, Mozzarella, Olive and Rocket Salad before I could get a decent photo (When will she learn eh?) was extremely happy, and was almost delirious when the dish above arrived as her main course.
Beer Battered Halloumi with Chunky Chips, Mushy Peas and Lemon Mayo. She'd definitely picked a winner here, the chunky chips were incredible, quite possibly the best I've sampled anywhere. Perfectly light and crisp on the outside, floury and fluffy on the inside. (I complimented the Chef on these later in the evening, and asked what his secret was, his cooking method was fairly standard, but attributed the chip success to incredible local potatoes supplied by a friend, being perfectly in season - declaring something like "In a few more weeks, they won't taste as good as this.")

I decided to share a dessert with the GF, opting for Strawberry Cheesecake. Once again, a huge portion so easily enough to share. Wow, I've eaten a lot of cheesecakes over the years and this was a really good example, rich, full of flavour and creamy.

So, two courses each, a dessert to share, a glass of wine, two beers.....£40!! That's right, you heard correctly, I'll say it again - £40! Incredible value, and extremely good food. If this rampant carnivore can come away impressed, believe me - they're doing something very right. Highly recommended.

My Kitchen

80 Leigh Road

Leigh-on-Sea, Essex.

SS9 1BZ

Telephone: 01702 719222