The Bell - Horndon-on-the-Hill - Essex

As I've mentioned before, my corner of Essex seems to be somewhat lacking in decent gastropubs, I long for something akin to The Sportsman at Whistable in Kent to open. It would totally clear up... there is practically zero competition in the area. (Although saying that, which foodie worth their salt doesn't long for 'a Sportsmen' to open in their area?). But all is not lost. There is at least one respected and well thought of pub restaurant no more than a 25 minute drive away from home. 'The Bell' located in the tiny and ancient hamlet of Horndon-on-the-Hill.

I've eaten here before, a few times in fact... back in the dark ages before this blog existed (Before Blog or 'BB' as I like to call it). When incredibly, I didn't feel the need to heft a large camera to every meal, startling and blinding fellow diners, momentarily frozen as if in a nightclub as the Nikon flash erupts.

I'd liked it then, but what really drew my attention back to it now was that I recently discovered it features in Diana Henry's respected 'The gastro pub cookbook' (A book, which I should point out was recommended to me by Browners of the excellent Blog 'Around Britain with a Paunch' - Thanks Jonathan!)
Diana Henry gives it a good write up, it's apparently had the same owners for 30 years, the meat comes from the butchers next door, the herbs from the back garden. I knew I had to re-visit and write about the experience on this blog.

It's Saturday evening, and we crunch our way on the gravel, across the darkened car park located at the back of the attractive, jolly and brightly lit Bell. It's a 15th century coaching inn with a colourful history. Supposedly an area out back was once used to burning heretics at the stake. (A perfect place to site a Barbecue in the summer I'd say). From the street you enter through the arch that originally allowed coaches bound for London into the Inn and through a side door up some steps into the bar.

Upon entering you are immediately struck by just how Dickensian and cosy it is. Heavy dark oak beams project upwards, a roaring fire in an ancient fireplace, beamed floors sloping away at crazy angles....regulars from the village crowded around the bar, it has a nice atmosphere. We move through to another dark panelled bar area with snug bench type seats (Which can't be booked - first come, first served for these). We're greeted and led to our table in a dining room just beyond the bar. (Tip - when booking, specify downstairs if you can, its a much more atmospheric area than the upstairs dining room).

Couple of things I need to point out before we talk about the food, my dining companions were the GF and my parents. And, I had an early evening utterly steaming hangover after attending the 'Towards a Fluid State' bloggers brunch that morning in Hackney. (More about this in a future post).

I began badly by choosing 'crispy confit pigeon with artichoke veloute and deep fried shallot rings' I was intrigued to see what this would be like, and I'm afraid to report that despite it arriving nicely presented, it was pretty bad. The Artichoke veloute was tasty enough but I wasn't entirely sure how I was supposed to eat it? It didn't come with a small spoon....so neck it in one, shooter style? dip the pigeon in? pour it over like a sauce? I tried all three, and nothing seemed to work. The confit pigeon wasn't quite how I imagined, tiny bone dry flakes of pigeon heaped on a lettuce leaf, itself balanced on a pile of puy lentils. It was chewy, I was cack-handed, it was a nightmare to eat. intermittent bomb bursts of lentil and pigeon skittered this way and that across the table as I tried to shovel it into my mouth. I suspect I got more around the plate than I actually ate.

My fellow diners had more luck with their starters. My Dad's Loch Fyne smoked salmon parcel with crayfish, orange and fennel salad looked lovely, was a generous portion and tasted great.
My Mum's 'Crispy chicken ravioli with wilted rocket and parmesan cream' was also very good - the parmesan cream advertised more of a foam....to be honest, I wish I'd ordered this instead.

The GF's 'Baked squid, stuffed with crab, grilled razor clam, chorizo, herb crust and pane tiger prawns' looked good.....I say 'looked' because I didn't get a taste, by the time I'd finished chasing dessicated pigeon and lentils all over the table - she'd eaten it all.

Starters cleared away, it was onto the Mains and here things looked up for me dramatically. Both myself and my Dad went for 'Roast prior hall suckling pig with cinnamon roast apple and swede puree'. This arrived again, very nicely presented and in huge portions. Pork, cinnamon and apple is hard to beat as a combination and it was gorgeous. A rich, nicely cooked thick slab of suckling pig. It made up for my car-crash of a starter nicely.

The GF was pretty happy with her choice of 'Roast guinea fowl breast with saute wild mushrooms, mushroom veloute and baby gem' It was I must admit, beautifully presented. I had a sneaky taste and it was very good, with a nice subtle depth of gamey flavour.

My mother, to my horror (and no doubt the kitchens as well), ordered her main 'well-done' 'Roast chump of lamb with celeriac puree, diced celeriac and pancetta lardons'. Which was a bit of a shame. Despite being horribly overdone at her behest, was nicely presented and tasted pretty good. (Mum if you read this, sorry.....but your a gastronomic Philistine).

So, top marks for the mains all round. Beautiful stuff.

Now, the desserts I'm not going to dwell on too much. Frankly compared to the great starters (my awful dish excluded) and the Excellent mains, they were just OK, workmanlike and solid....but just not upto the same great standard as the previous courses. It seemed to me that desserts were the real achilles heel of the kitchen. I'd have much preferred to see some British gastro-pub classics on the menu, with perhaps a bit of a modern twist. The offerings were all a bit too poncified and fussy but didn't really deliver.

For the record, I ordered a 'Lemon parfait baked Alaska with chocolate sauce'. it was ok.
Other desserts ordered were 'trio of autumn fruit brulee with their own sorbets' and a 'rasberry cheesecake with pistachio ice-cream' all were "Ok" but weren't really memorable in any way.

Just to bang home the final nail into the coffin that was the dessert course. We ordered coffee's to finish and they weren't very good at all. Grim actually. Grey, dead and tasteless. Much improvement needed there I think.

Overall - despite the somewhat crippled crawl to the finishing post and the subsequent 'coup de grace' to the back of the head delivered by the coffee. We had a fantastic meal. The Bell is a beautifully charming and historic pub. The Starters and Mains were spot on with some extremely ambitious and interesting cooking, granted, it didn't always work (Exhibit A m'lud....the confit pigeon). But the huge portions offered mean you'll never leave hungry. The service was fast, efficient and smiling. If The Bell could return to basics a bit with the dessert menu, which just isn't on a par with the rest of the cooking; and sort out the dismal coffee. I feel it could only improve it's good reputation.
The meal for 4 with wine and service came to £180

The Bell

High Road
Horndon-on-the-Hill
Essex
SS17 8LD
Telephone: 01375 642463

http://www.bell-inn.co.uk

The Pipe of Port - Southend

Southend in Essex is famous for a couple of things, the worlds longest pleasure pier (and the subsequent disasters that seem to regularly befall it), and the beaches, which every summer play host to the dog eared and sadly faded Victorian glamour that only a day at a British seaside resort can provide. What Southend regrettably is not famous for, is it's food. In fact, for a town of it's size, with it's proximity to the sea and the availability of fresh seafood, the choice and quality on offer is shocking...I'd even go as far to say, abysmal. I'd seriously struggle to recommend anywhere decent to eat if I was asked.

But, here and there, among the sheer endless, turgid, characterless, greyness provided by the nationwide restaurant and pub chains which seem to have a complete monopoly on many a British high Street nowadays, the odd beacon of hope glimmers. In Southend, adrift on a life-raft, riding this sea of banality is The Pipe of Port.

Something of a Southend Institution, this wine bar/restaurant first opened it's doors in 1976. Located just off the high street and down a flight of stairs this dark, wood panelled, flickering candlelit, sawdust on flagstones cellar bar is surprisingly atmospheric, cultivating the almost Dickensian image of a Georgian style chop house with it's dark, snug, booths, and bench type seating.

The food, not deviating from the image presented by the interior, is described by Harden's as "English Traditional Rustic" which is fine by me. In fact, I was there to sample a particularly traditional type of English dish that the Pipe of Port is rightly famous for.... the Pie.

Mention the Pipe of Port to anyone who's eaten there, and they'll mention the homemade pies. They're so famous in fact, that they're now being produced and sold in Delicatessens for cooking and serving up at home (Although, these pies may contain the same fillings and perhaps even the same pastry I strongly suspect they just cannot compare in sheer girth to the whopping pies that are served up in the basement wine bar - accept no substitute).

With all this in mind, visiting Saturday lunchtime, I surveyed the short but tempting selection of "celebrated pies" The GF opting for the "very large" (as helpfully described by the menu) steak, kidney and mushroom pie. I went for the "equally large" chicken and chestnut pie. These were priced at £9-35 each, both coming with a choice of boiled, sauteed or baked potatoes. (The remaining choice of pies on the menu being 'pork, plum and Celery', 'vegetarian' or a 'Trawler Pie under creamy mash, topped with cheese').

The pies when they arrived were something to behold deposited on the table with side portions of boiled potatoes, huge steaming pie dishes completed, in the case of my chicken and chestnut pie with a towering flaky crust lid. The GF's steak and kidney pie was topped with some very nice shortcrust pasty. A gorgeous, rich, strong, meat and aromatic sage smell wafted from the pies into the void between us across the table.

I broke through the golden lid to be confronted by the steaming chicken and chestnut filling, the aroma was amazing. Digging deep into the gravy filled well for a forkful, I exclaimed to my partner in Pie "Look at the size of that" spearing a huge chunk of chicken glistening and dripping, holding it aloft for brief inspection before shoving it into my mouth. Seriously good, rich and tasty - down the years I've eaten my fair share of pies and this before me was a shining example of the pie makers skill.

Across the table my GF was busy demolishing her Steak, Kidney and Mushroom pie and - obviously.... I had to have a try. It was equally impressive, thick gravy, pungent with the smell of Sage, large chunks of soft steak and kidney with a beautiful shortcrust pastry. Again, outstanding.

Between the two of us, we managed to eat both pies and accompanying potatoes - but only just. The sheer size of these pies have to be seen to be appreciated. It's a serious exercise in lunchtime eating to finish one.

Bill paid, we staggered happily, full and heavy up the stairs from the subterranean cellars into another world, squinting, and shielding our eyes momentarily in the bright October sunlit afternoon.

The Pipe of Port is rightly famous for it's excellent pies. I think It's fantastic to see an independent Wine Bar/Restaurant/Producer in Southend excelling at the food it produces (Utopia Cafe for it's incredible coffee is another), I wish there were more like them. Southend (and in fact Britain as a whole) needs more great quality independent restaurants and pubs to take on the chains which, are slowly sucking the life and character out of the British high street... methodically replacing what was once interesting with bland, identikit and soulless.

Vote with your feet.

The Pipe of Port

84 High Street
Southend-on-Sea
SS1 1JN

Telephone: 01702 614606

http://www.pipeofport.com

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

The Headley - Brentwood, Essex.

A fellow Essex based blogger, FoodUrchin mentioned The Headley in Brentwood last week. I'd never heard of it and was intrigued for a couple of reasons. First, The Headley is owned by the Chef Daniel Clifford, a two Michelin starred Chef. (His Michelin starred restaurant is in Cambridge - Midsummer House). And secondly, It's a Gastro Pub where the menu consists of seasonal, Traditional British food - which is exactly what I like to see, in fact you don't see enough of it. I love to see British produce and dishes cooked well.
I just had to sample this, and booked a table the first chance I could.

Last night, my cars headlights briefly lit up the exterior of The Headley through the torrential rain as I pulled into the car park. First thought, It's a pleasant looking pub.

Hurrying inside, to avoid the downpour, the interior was also very nice - battered, comfy leather sofas and tables to the left a Bar ahead, high ceilings, very light and airy, the heavy wooden furniture evident all appearing to have a Chicken motif carved into it - nice touch . After a bit of an initial wait, we were told our table would be five minutes - we were shown to one of the comfy sofas and our drinks order was taken and brought over.

After the briefest of waits we were shown to our table and got our first look at the menu. I went for a starter of Ham Hock Terrine with homemade piccalilli on warm toast. The GF went for North Atlantic Sardines on toast with a rich tomato sauce.


My starter was great, the Ham Hock terrine being a really generous slab, thick and meaty - very tasty. The homemade Piccalilli was a nice touch, and stood head and shoulders above it's shop bought brethren. The only problem with this dish for me is that the toast was barely toasted. Perhaps that's the way it's meant to be? Not entirely sure. Overall the starter was a winner, barely toasted bread or not.

My GF's starter on the other hand, North Atlantic Sardines - stank, but in a good way I'm sure. I'm not a fan of oily fish at all, the smell was incredible but she tucked in with gusto, again I think the toast could have done with being a bit more errr...toasted. Nevertheless, she seemed to enjoy it.

Onto the Mains. I ordered a Steak, Guinness and Onion Pie with a Horseradish crust, with some mashed potato and sauteed spring greens on the side.

The pie was lovely, first rate. To be honest I couldn't taste the horseradish in the crust at all, but it was large, tasty, hot and full of steak in the rich Guinness sauce. So, no complaints here. The side order of Mash on the other hand seemed to have left the kitchen with no seasoning at all. None. I can only surmise it was overlooked as I cant believe they'd send out something so bland.

The GF's main of Beer Battered Cod and Chips with Sauce Tartar and crushed peas was extremely well cooked. The Batter was perfectly crisp, the Fish extremely tasty. The Tartar sauce was obviously homemade and was very good indeed. The chips on the side were also cooked perfectly crisp, very hard to fault this dish. Perfect Pub grub.

Studying the Dessert menu, unable to choose I asked the waitress what her favourite was, "As she'd obviously tried them all". I like to pose this question, it normally pays dividends as the staff have indeed tried them all and 'mostly' steer you towards the better dishes. Occasionally they have no opinion, which I find amazing and is normally just another milestone in a meal with awful service. But on this occasion, I was trumped. It was the friendly Waitresses first night, she hadn't tried any of them but speculated that sticky toffee pudding had appeared to be popular. Seeing as I was leaning towards the sticky toffee pudding option anyway, I didn't need much persuading. (Honestly, If it's got toffee, syrup or treacle in it - I'm ordering it without fail).

And it was good, very light, an unusual spiciness which I think was cumin - the only problem was the miserly amount of toffee sauce offered, and the equally miserly portion of clotted cream. I speculate as it was last knockings, I got what was left. Despite this, it was pretty good - not the best Ive eaten by a long chalk, but competent.

Overall I enjoyed my meal at The Headley, and will visit again. Service was friendly and pretty fast. The prices are extremely reasonable, (Total cost of Meal for two, not including drinks - £40) the Menu extols exactly the traditional British food that I want to see in a Gastro Pub. It's a shame that the small details kind of let the side down, the un-toasted 'toast', completely unseasoned mash, the miserly portions of toffee and clotted cream with the pudding, but these are fairly minor quibbles, maybe they were having a bit of an 'off night' in the kitchen- it didn't really spoil my enjoyment of the meal, being more surprised by the 'misses' as most aspects of the meal were 'hits'. With a bit more attention to detail this place could be incredible.

The Headley

Great Warley, Brentwood.

Essex. CM13 3HS

http://www.theheadley.co.uk

La Petite Petanque - Southend

Whenever I visit Southend, I often pass the forlorn, closed and boarded up Alexandra Bowling Green Pavilion in the lovely Victorian Clifftown Conservation area just on the edge of the town, and without fail say the same thing to my GF....."That would make a fantastic restaurant".

Well it seems the owners of San Fairie Ann, a successful restaurant just round the corner in Alexandra Road have been thinking the same thing.

La Petite Petanque, a Cafe-Bistro opened a few weeks ago, and the new owners have obviously refurbished the Victorian Pavilion building to an extremely high standard, which is lovely to see. I hate to see fantastic old buildings such as this one fall into disrepair. They have so much character and history, they deserve to be looked after.

I visited on a Sunday for lunch, a typical British summers day with the Sun making the odd appearance out from behind the clouds, but the threat of rain ever present. The lush emerald grass of the Bowling Green in the middle of the pretty Victorian Square with the Pavilion sitting at one end, large Union Jack fluttering in the breeze. People seated outside and sitting under the open terrace framed with ancient wisteria....It presented an almost timeless picture, and could have been anytime from the late 1800's to the 1950's.

We briefly passed through the restaurant which has been refurbished in the style of a French Bistro, a baby grand piano sitting at one end, and opted to sit outside on the terrace, to study the menu.

I went for the club sandwich which the menu told me consisted of Chicken, Red Onion, Tomato, Egg Mayonnaise, Avocado Cream and Bacon. This came with hand cooked vegetable chips and a green salad.

The GF ordered off the chalked specials board, a Mediterranean roast vegetable quiche with salad. We ordered a couple of bowls of chips as a side order.

The terrace area was busy, and service was brisk and efficient. The food arrived quickly and I'm pleased to say my Club Sandwich was pretty good. The GF had made the better choice, the quiche was delicious with a nice strong cheese taste and light pastry.

Onto the gripes, albeit minor ones. My vegetable chips were a bit lacklustre, they lacked bite and were a bit tasteless and soft. The Club Sandwich lacked Seasoning. the side orders of chips were OK, a bit soft perhaps- I think crisp frites would work much better and be more in keeping with the Bistro vibe. Also, the green salad could do with a bit more dressing.

As for the menu, I was extremely pleased to see that the Breakfast section, available till 12 is very homegrown- Full English, Porridge, Kippers....but the lunch choices appear to jump all over the Mediterranean.
Personally, In keeping with the sheer timeless British look of the place, I'd like to see the menu emphasis on a more seasonal, good standard British menu. Think Mark Hix but obviously quite a few notches down the scale. But It's early days yet, so perhaps some tweaking will follow.

But for all that, the food was good. The surroundings are about as pleasant as you can get. The terrace is an extremely nice place to sit and eat lunch. I could quite happily while away the hours sitting there, especially if the Sun puts in an appearance.
The refurbishment is cracking, so all credit to the owners for breathing life back into the old building. It's a pity that due to it's location in the conservation area that it's only open till 7pm, It would be lovely place to sit and eat on a summers evening.

Overall - La Petite Petanque is a credit to Southend, I'll certainly be visiting again.

La Petite Petanque
Alexandra Bowling Green Pavilion
Cambridge Road
Southend.

Breakfast on the Seafront - Sands Bistro.

On Sunday, once again, the sun was shining. What better way to get this gorgeous spring day started on the right foot than breakfast on the seafront.

A new restaurant has recently opened pretty close to Southend Pier, Sands Bistro and Bar.
I'd eaten breakfast in there before, and it was pretty good, and pretty reasonable.
Feeling particularly generous, I declared I'd treat my partner to breakfast, struck dumb and in a state of mute shock I led her downstairs to the car for the short drive down the seafront.

After grabbing a parking space more or less opposite, we grabbed a table and admired the restaurant space, very nice indeed, flooded with natural light. The dining room is a large cylindrical shape, with a curved bar and reception area on one side, and floor to ceiling windows on the other....offering a view down the beautiful Thames Estuary.....but only if your standing (or lying down!)....the windows being split in two by a crossbar that is perfectly positioned at the correct height to obscure the view of the seafront to the seated diner.

Musing of this design flaw, I studied the menu and opted for the 'Sands Classic Breakfast' which according to the menu consists of 2 bacon, 1 butchers Cumberland sausage, 1 egg (cooked to your liking), Grilled Tomatoes, Baked Beans and Mushrooms. I also ordered a coffee. My partner, being petite and a girl to boot ordered a children's breakfast. I thought it fair to warn her, to save later disappointment that it probably didn't come with a toy or colouring pencils. This comment went down as well as you'd imagine.
Our drinks arrived, and the coffee was excellent....a good sign I thought optimistically.
Our breakfasts arrived and I'll be brutally honest - it was OK....bordering on good, but not a patch on the breakfast I had for the same price at Bills Produce Store in Brighton recently.
There appeared to be a bit of a problem with the service, I know it was Mothers Day and traditionally an extremely busy day for restaurants up and down the country...but....
The waitress didn't ask how I wanted my egg 'cooked to my liking'....
"poached!!!"
I had to scream at her back as she retreated to the kitchen.
I had to ask for napkins as my partner with the children's breakfast was covered in it. (Just kidding honey!)
Not once was I asked whether my food was OK - which as far as I'm concerned is a cardinal sin of good service.
I wasn't able to get the attention of the staff to pay, so ended up having to drag my bursting at the seams carcass up to the front desk and more or less force them to accept payment.
but no tip, the service was poor and they didn't deserve it.

I have eaten here a couple of months back, and the breakfast was better and the service was excellent - so I'm going to put it down to an off-day perhaps, although the coffee is very good.
I want them to do well, the restaurant is a lovely space.

The Evening Menu looked interesting, so I'll be visiting again soon to sample that, and maybe next time I'll leave a tip.

Sands Bistro / Restaurant
Icon Building
Western Esplanade
Southend-on-Sea
SS1 1EE

http://www.sandsbistro.co.uk/

My Fave local eatery, Irma's - Leigh-on-Sea

Irma's is a truly great local restaurant, in fact it's my favourite.....imagine a Pizza Express, (In my opinion, as far as chains go, Pizza Express is fantastic.) but completely Independent of corporate shenanigans.....that's Irma's.

I've eaten in there countless times, and each time the food has been great. The menu consists of all things Italian, but it's the pizza in the thin Rome style that's the main draw.
And some draw it is. Irma's is consistently packed. I drive past it often and it's always busy, and that's a great indicator of how good the place is.

In fact, I've eaten there so often, I've settled on my favourite menu selection and nowadays order the same pizza again and again.
"Salsicce" - which consists of the standard tomato base, Mozzarella, sliced Italian Luganega sausage, Red Peppers, Fennel Seeds and Basil. Gorgeous.
(On a related note, you can purchase Luganega Sausage from Gazzano and Sons in the Farringdon Road, London.) but I digress....

For dessert, again - I always opt for the same....homemade ice-cream in a shot glass, Amaretto flavour at the almost obscenely cheap price of £1.50.....yes that's right £1.50!!
When was the last time you ordered anything in a restaurant for that price?!!!
It's lovely stuff. I can also heartily recommend the raspberry and white chocolate ice-cream.

So that's Irma's, consistently great Italian food, nice buzzing atmosphere and really reasonable prices.
But there's more.....

If you fancy moving on for perhaps a bit of drinking after your meal - exit Irma's - turn left in the corridor away from the main entrance- and you'll come to an unmarked door with a voice entry system, buzz and politely ask to be allowed entry and unless it's packed out, your in a massive group of rowdy blokes, or you just look like trouble, you'll be given access to the BlackCat Bar.

Now this is a real eye opener, I haven't seen the like outside London.

It's a Milk and Honey'esque private drinking - cocktail lounge, it doesn't advertise and there are strict rules regarding behaviour.....all of which basically boil down to - 'have a really good time, but don't get rowdy or act like a twat.
There are two bars, and the punters are seated in leather booths. There's a private area out the back which can be reserved for larger groups and it's furnished with it's own small bar, and poker tables if your group is in the mood for gambling.

Everyone drinks cocktails, and Simon and his staff know their stuff. Order anything you like, ignore the drinks menu entirely , any cocktail you can think of and they'll make it. To be able to order 'off menu' is more unusual than you think, I'm partial to a Gin Ricky or a Vespa Martini (If I'm feeling particularly alcoholic) and, I've ordered....... and then been asked to explain how to make these drinks by barmen in countless cocktail bars. (Suprisingly, including the excellent Hawksmoor bar, in the case of a Gin Ricky!)


The great atmosphere, the lack of windows, the low lighting the excellent drinks - it's easy to imagine your in some cool hidden bar located in London or Manhattan - but amazingly it's Essex!

So next time your in Leigh-on-sea for the evening, and feel a bit adventurous, book a table at Irma's and book a booth for afterwards in Blackcat - and get rotten drunk......but in a friendly polite way.

Irma's

9 Elm Rd,
Leigh-On-Sea
Essex
SS9 1SW

01702 719400

Milly's Deli - Leigh-on-Sea

Milly's is my local deli, and although I've popped in there now and again to buy bits and pieces (Mainly stunning hand carved ham.) I've never been in there for lunch until Sunday and I have to say - I'm a convert!

I ordered an Alderton ham baguette, with Montgomery cheddar and chutney. My partner ordered a warm goats cheese and chutney pannini.
We washed these down with excellent Monmouth coffee from Borough Market.

The food was really nice, and at around £5 for a baguette/pannini, and considering that you'd pay the same if not more in a Pub for the same thing with nowhere near the quality of ingredients, I'd say its pretty good value for money.

It was quite busy in there, and you know how some places have a pleasant vibe that's hard to put your finger on? well Milly's has that vibe, we could have easily sat in there for an hour or two reading the Sunday Papers.

Whilst paying, I got talking to the owner - and she proudly mentioned all the Cheeses are from Neal's yard in London, and allowed us to taste a few. I love Montgomery's Cheddar, but "Stinking Bishop" is a bit of an acquired taste, I feel I may have to come back to that. She also stressed the local nature of some of the produce on offer, which is really nice to hear.

Milly's Deli is a really nice place for lunch - or to stock up on Cheeses, Olives or Charcuterie etc and as I mentioned in a previous post regarding Brindisa's recently closed Exmouth Market outpost, we need to support our great local Independent shops or lose them. So if your in the area pop in for a look.

Milly's Deli - Cafe
90, Leigh Road
Leigh-on-Sea
Essex SS9 1BU
01702 474373

http://millysdelicafe.com/

Clerkenwell Lunch Options - Part 3 - Indian Food.

This is part three of my favourite credit crunching, lunch busting, Clerkenwell budget round-up. The first two reviews covered my fave places to grab lunch in Exmouth Market (Namely, Clark's pie and mash and Moro's street stall selling spicy lamb flatbreads.)

But for this review, let's head East towards Old Street and, and turn into Whitecross Street. Apparently Whitecross Street holds one of the oldest markets in London (17th Century) but in recent years it's started to become a bit of a foodie location.
At lunchtimes it's now bustling with street food stalls selling everything from Thai curries and Italian pasta dishes to Mexican burritos. You name the Country, they probably have a stall selling it's food.

Most of the food stalls are there all week, but on Thursdays and Fridays a larger selection of stalls appear selling bread, cheese etc....
It's like a mini Borough Market, it's definitely worth a visit if your in the area.

But onto my recommendation - I've eaten from loads of the places in the Market but regularly come back to "Karuna"

If you get here anytime after 12, you will see a line of mostly Indian punters queueing down the street to purchase their food, which is always a good sign.
For the absolute bargain price of £3-50 you get a 'small curry' a filled to the brim, takeaway style plastic container filled with rice and the three curries of the day, with a choice of chutney on the side.

All the curry choices are vegetarian, and initially this confused me.
I'm a committed meat eater, normally if it doesn't have a hoof sticking out somewhere - I'm not eating it, especially when it comes to curries. But this has been part of my 'foodie awakening' (along with the normal apres age 30 sudden liking for Olives.)

Their curries, vegetarian or not, are stunning - curried okra, green beans, cauliflower - Its all been in there at some stage and I've eaten the lot and loved it.

You can pay a bit more than £3-50 and get bigger portions - but the small option is definitely enough for Lunch, and at that price you cannot go wrong.

P.S.....
Some local Leigh-on-Sea news,

I ate in SS9 Restaurant in Leigh Road on Sunday. Now, I like it in there for a drink, and I have eaten in there before and it was OK. But, on this occasion - it was dire. I ordered Pork Belly - and the fatty, flaccid, un-crisped and no crackling piece of Oinker I was served up was an absolute disgrace at £13-50!. Contrasted with what Helen at Food Stories and Lizzie at Hollow Legs have been cooking recently, it beggars belief that they could serve up such poor grub in a restaurant.

As Anthony Bourdain mentions in the excellent 'Kitchen Confidential' - some restaurants put their trainees and their punished defaulters in the kitchen on a Sunday - saving their best staff for Friday and Saturday night. Perhaps this was the case.
I'll continue to drink in the bar, but I won't be eating in there again.

My other piece of Local news - I wandered down to Old Leigh in the snow on Tuesday, and incredibly, there's a new Pub which has just seemingly sprung out of nowhere!

The Mayflower Public House- seems to be part of the adjoining chip shop of the same name. I poked my head inside and it looked like it had just newly opened, pretty pleasant - roaring log fire, tastefully decked out - very nice indeed. The Food Menu on the table was the chip shop menu.
So Fish and Chips and a Pint within 10 meters of the sea - very nice indeed. Good Luck to them.

Another Foodie Blog is Born.

That's me.

This photo captures a moment, as all photos do I guess.

I've just stumbled out of Gordon Ramsay's restaurant at Claridges, into a cab.
I've eaten a fantastic meal, I'm also steaming drunk.

Perhaps a bit about me is good form?
I don't know.... this is my first attempt at a blog.

My name is Dan. I'm 35, and I live in the Essex coastal town of Leigh-on-Sea.

I work in London, daily performing heroic, but incredibly dull feats working in an office. (Honestly, it's so mind-numbingly tedious, I can't even talk about it....but it pays the bills.)

But, what I really want to talk about is Food.....

I've wanted to write a foodie blog for quite some time. And, In my own mind, I think I'm qualified in an amateurish kind of way.

Perhaps I should back that statement up..... I love eating out, I love drinking, I love cooking, I collect recipe books and I love drinking so much - I've included it twice. I can also read and write English. (An important qualification, I'm sure you agree.)

So, I'll be writing about eating and drinking in Leigh-on-Sea and London, the restaurants I go to, the bars I drink in (and pour myself back out of!) The food I cook at home, the triumphs, the disasters and the food poisoning - basically, whatever interests me (and hopefully you.)

So there.

It has begun.........