[Food] Restaurant thread 2021

[Machiavelli]

Tonkotsu coming to Brighton - good news for ramen fans.

https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2021/04/09/Ramen-specialist-Tonkotsu-heads-to-Brighton

Thanks for that. I love the Dean St branch, so am very excited. Balancing that, I do wonder if they're over-extending themselves, and they can maintain the quality.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Thanks for that. I love the Dean St branch, so am very excited. Balancing that, I do wonder if they're over-extending themselves, very probably, because...and they can maintain the quality. ...almost no one can; it’s bloody hard

...

 

[thedonkeycentrehalf]

Reading the Tonkotsu article (and that menu looks great) I didn't realise Polpo had shut down.

 

[Machiavelli]

Reading the Tonkotsu article (and that menu looks great) I didn't realise Polpo had shut down.

Still had its frontage when I walked past on Friday, but little 'gearing up' activity was in evidence.

 

[Goldstone1976]

Osborne Bros, Leigh on Sea.

I seldom travel to Essex. Most of my experiences involve the bottom end of the M11 and Stansted airport.

Today, however, we braved the Wild East.

It all started with the GLDHI stealing my office chair. Many years ago I treated myself to a second hand Herman Miller Aeron (what, you think I'd pay over £1k for a new one?), and it's been a godsend for WFH for the last year. The GLDHI has been resisting a purchase of the same, but has recently resorted to stealing mine:

'Oh. I didn't think you'd notice'.
'What; I wouldn't notice the disappearance of the only chair in my office?'
'Well, there's a sofa in there too...'
'Hmmpf'.

So, I bought her one off EBay. If I didn't buy a new one for myself, you can rest assured that I wouldn't buy a new one for someone else, even the love of my life. It was located in Leigh-on-Sea, so off we set this morning.

The chair was perfect (phew) and the nice chap who had sold it to us said 'Since you're out here, you might as well pop down to the Sea Front and buy some fish from Osborne Bros - they supply loads of good restaurants in London. Being somewhat wary of recommendations for food outlets (an attitude occasioned not least by a recommendation from [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION], which restaurant sported both a bouncer and crappy wine glasses, as long-time readers of this thread may recall), the GLDHI looked it up on Tripadvisor.

'4.7. Pretty good', says she.
'Yeah, but that's 4.7 from Essex inhabitants. They probably give 4.8 to the local McDonalds', said someone else in the car.

So, off we trot down to the Sea Front.

The Sea Front comprised endless miles of mud, reminiscent of Burnham-on-Mud.

"The tide is way, way out", says the GLDHI.
"You think?"

The Old Town (aka Sea Front) comprises a strange mixture of businesses, part marine/fishing industry, part pubs (six from memory), part restaurants (all seafood, apart from one gelaterie), one 'art' gallery (which as far as I could ascertain contained nothing that could reasonably be described as art), and some portaloos. It was pretty busy; I can imagine it would be rammed on a non-Covid summer's day.

Osborne Bros has two wet fish outlets, and a restaurant - all outdoor seating atm, of course.

We go straight in.

The GLDHI had a peppered mackerel salad; I had king prawn skewers on an asian slaw and a (big) side of (hand cut, I asked) crinkle cut chips. A couple of mugs of tea completed our impromptu lunch.

The salad was decent - greens fresh, a very nice home-made dressing and the mackerel was much like any other peppered mackerel from a decent place. The skewers were exceptional, as were the slaw and the chips. £22.50, plus a tip. Really very good; the more so because we weren't expecting to eat. 4.7? Nah; but a good 4.4/4.5.

We visit the wet fish shop: 4 sea bass for £12, a couple of sea bream in chilli and samphire for a fiver, some cockles, winkles, jellied eels, and rollmops - all for a pony.

On the way out, we saw some signs saying "Aylen" together with a chequered flag.

I thought, but did not say, that it might be for a local racing car driver who had died.

The GLDHI google it.

'He's a candidate for the local elections. He's not affiliated with a Party'.
'Oh?'
'He wants to kill the muntjac deer'
'Why?'
'They eat the bark off the trees, apparently'.
'Oh'.
'He looks a tosser'.

And thus we left Essex.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Osborne Bros, Leigh on Sea.

I seldom travel to Essex. Most of my experiences involve the bottom end of the M11 and Stansted airport.

Today, however, we braved the Wild East.

It all started with the GLDHI stealing my office chair. Many years ago I treated myself to a second hand Herman Miller Aeron (what, you think I'd pay over £1k for a new one?), and it's been a godsend for WFH for the last year. The GLDHI has been resisting a purchase of the same, but has recently resorted to stealing mine:

'Oh. I didn't think you'd notice'.
'What; I wouldn't notice the disappearance of the only chair in my office?'
'Well, there's a sofa in there too...'
'Hmmpf'.

So, I bought her one off EBay. If I didn't buy a new one for myself, you can rest assured that I wouldn't buy a new one for someone else, even the love of my life. It was located in Leigh-on-Sea, so off we set this morning.

The chair was perfect (phew) and the nice chap who had sold it to us said 'Since you're out here, you might as well pop down to the Sea Front and buy some fish from Osborne Bros - they supply loads of good restaurants in London. Being somewhat wary of recommendations for food outlets (an attitude occasioned not least by a recommendation from [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION], which restaurant sported both a bouncer and crappy wine glasses, as long-time readers of this thread may recall), the GLDHI looked it up on Tripadvisor.

'4.7. Pretty good', says she.
'Yeah, but that's 4.7 from Essex inhabitants. They probably give 4.8 to the local McDonalds', said someone else in the car.

So, off we trot down to the Sea Front.

The Sea Front comprised endless miles of mud, reminiscent of Burnham-on-Mud.

"The tide is way, way out", says the GLDHI.
"You think?"

The Old Town (aka Sea Front) comprises a strange mixture of businesses, part marine/fishing industry, part pubs (six from memory), part restaurants (all seafood, apart from one gelaterie), one 'art' gallery (which as far as I could ascertain contained nothing that could reasonably be described as art), and some portaloos. It was pretty busy; I can imagine it would be rammed on a non-Covid summer's day.

Osborne Bros has two wet fish outlets, and a restaurant - all outdoor seating atm, of course.

We go straight in.

The GLDHI had a peppered mackerel salad; I had king prawn skewers on an asian slaw and a (big) side of (hand cut, I asked) crinkle cut chips. A couple of mugs of tea completed our impromptu lunch.

The salad was decent - greens fresh, a very nice home-made dressing and the mackerel was much like any other peppered mackerel from a decent place. The skewers were exceptional, as were the slaw and the chips. £22.50, plus a tip. Really very good; the more so because we weren't expecting to eat. 4.7? Nah; but a good 4.4/4.5.

We visit the wet fish shop: 4 sea bass for £12, a couple of sea bream in chilli and samphire for a fiver, some cockles, winkles, jellied eels, and rollmops - all for a pony.

On the way out, we saw some signs saying "Aylen" together with a chequered flag.

I thought, but did not say, that it might be for a local racing car driver who had died.

The GLDHI google it.

'He's a candidate for the local elections. He's not affiliated with a Party'.
'Oh?'
'He wants to kill the muntjac deer'
'Why?'
'They eat the bark off the trees, apparently'.
'Oh'.
'He looks a tosser'.

And thus we left Essex.

You are undoutably turning into NSC's resident wordsmith, that post almost equates to the preface for a short story. I am now busy googling Stephen Aylen, facinating.

Your impromptu visit to Leigh-on-Sea reminds me of the couple of years l spent working on Canvey Island, only a mere 80 miles or so from sunny Sussex, but the locals, and the town, could almost have been on a different planet.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Osborne Bros, Leigh on Sea.

I seldom travel to Essex. Most of my experiences involve the bottom end of the M11 and Stansted airport.

Today, however, we braved the Wild East.

It all started with the GLDHI stealing my office chair. Many years ago I treated myself to a second hand Herman Miller Aeron (what, you think I'd pay over £1k for a new one?), and it's been a godsend for WFH for the last year. The GLDHI has been resisting a purchase of the same, but has recently resorted to stealing mine:

'Oh. I didn't think you'd notice'.
'What; I wouldn't notice the disappearance of the only chair in my office?'
'Well, there's a sofa in there too...'
'Hmmpf'.

So, I bought her one off EBay. If I didn't buy a new one for myself, you can rest assured that I wouldn't buy a new one for someone else, even the love of my life. It was located in Leigh-on-Sea, so off we set this morning.

The chair was perfect (phew) and the nice chap who had sold it to us said 'Since you're out here, you might as well pop down to the Sea Front and buy some fish from Osborne Bros - they supply loads of good restaurants in London. Being somewhat wary of recommendations for food outlets (an attitude occasioned not least by a recommendation from [MENTION=409]Herr Tubthumper[/MENTION], which restaurant sported both a bouncer and crappy wine glasses, as long-time readers of this thread may recall), the GLDHI looked it up on Tripadvisor.

'4.7. Pretty good', says she.
'Yeah, but that's 4.7 from Essex inhabitants. They probably give 4.8 to the local McDonalds', said someone else in the car.

So, off we trot down to the Sea Front.

The Sea Front comprised endless miles of mud, reminiscent of Burnham-on-Mud.

"The tide is way, way out", says the GLDHI.
"You think?"

The Old Town (aka Sea Front) comprises a strange mixture of businesses, part marine/fishing industry, part pubs (six from memory), part restaurants (all seafood, apart from one gelaterie), one 'art' gallery (which as far as I could ascertain contained nothing that could reasonably be described as art), and some portaloos. It was pretty busy; I can imagine it would be rammed on a non-Covid summer's day.

Osborne Bros has two wet fish outlets, and a restaurant - all outdoor seating atm, of course.

We go straight in.

The GLDHI had a peppered mackerel salad; I had king prawn skewers on an asian slaw and a (big) side of (hand cut, I asked) crinkle cut chips. A couple of mugs of tea completed our impromptu lunch.

The salad was decent - greens fresh, a very nice home-made dressing and the mackerel was much like any other peppered mackerel from a decent place. The skewers were exceptional, as were the slaw and the chips. £22.50, plus a tip. Really very good; the more so because we weren't expecting to eat. 4.7? Nah; but a good 4.4/4.5.

We visit the wet fish shop: 4 sea bass for £12, a couple of sea bream in chilli and samphire for a fiver, some cockles, winkles, jellied eels, and rollmops - all for a pony.

On the way out, we saw some signs saying "Aylen" together with a chequered flag.

I thought, but did not say, that it might be for a local racing car driver who had died.

The GLDHI google it.

'He's a candidate for the local elections. He's not affiliated with a Party'.
'Oh?'
'He wants to kill the muntjac deer'
'Why?'
'They eat the bark off the trees, apparently'.
'Oh'.
'He looks a tosser'.

And thus we left Essex.

Excellent.

The mention of fish and reply from [MENTION=13683]Cowfold Seagull[/MENTION] reminded me that we had our wedding anniversary dinner at The Salt Room on Thursday night. Their terrace menu is excellent, a cut down from the normal but still plenty of choice. The scallop starter with dashi and oyster mushrooms was the stand out for me, a lovely meaty sauce that still managed not to overpower the scallop. And some good bargains to be had on the wine. We had a Domaine Jean Goulley Chablis which was incredible for £58 a bottle but only really pushed the boat out that far because a) anniversary and b) not been out properly in SO long. However, there are other cheaper whites on the list that still look decent quality.

It was ****ing freezing though.

Cowfold, have you had your Sunday lunch there yet?

 

[CHAPPERS]

Oh yeah I went to the urchin a few weeks ago. Obviously still amazing and had a great limoncello sour beer for pudding brewed in their Larriken brewery under the pub. Won’t bother eating out again until it’s warmer though and I did find the fact that drinkers and diners mixed with inevitable fag smoke a bit annoying as the garden is quite tight there. Great service too.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

Excellent.

The mention of fish and reply from [MENTION=13683]Cowfold Seagull[/MENTION] reminded me that we had our wedding anniversary dinner at The Salt Room on Thursday night. Their terrace menu is excellent, a cut down from the normal but still plenty of choice. The scallop starter with dashi and oyster mushrooms was the stand out for me, a lovely meaty sauce that still managed not to overpower the scallop. And some good bargains to be had on the wine. We had a Domaine Jean Goulley Chablis which was incredible for £58 a bottle but only really pushed the boat out that far because a) anniversary and b) not been out properly in SO long. However, there are other cheaper whites on the list that still look decent quality.

It was ****ing freezing though.

Cowfold, have you had your Sunday lunch there yet?

Sunday 6th June is when we are lunching at the Salt Room, and your post has made me realise just how much l am looking forward to it! I'm also wondering now if l should have booked our table for the Terrace, and not inside. I can imagine that would be the place to be on a really sunny tranquil day, looking out to sea.

That bottle of Chablis sounds very nice indeed, l'm leaving our choice of wines to my cousin, a former wine merchant with Saccone & Speed. He hasn't made a poor choice yet.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Has anyone tried Troll Burger/Pantry’s new offering at the Evening Star yet? Quite adventurous, and I’m very intrigued.

 

[Cowfold Seagull]

This coming week the wife and l are off to the New Forest, for a much looked forward to three night break. We are basing ourselves, as we have done a few times previously, at the Passford House, a wonderful old 16th century country house hotel

Situated slap bang in the middle of the forest, and almost in the middle of nowhere, it is a glorious base for long country walks, or for simply lazing around, relaxing, and taking advantage of the hotel's facilities. On our last visit, l even opened the curtains to our room on Christmas morning, to find two young roe deer had infiltrated the hotel gardens, and were looking up at us in the early morning light, a wonderful sight!

With the walls of almost all of the public areas festooned in oak panelling, it has an air of a gentleman's private club about it. TheTerrace Restaurant is first class, (if a little stuffy), with an excellent menu, and first class wine list.

I have also made reservations at both the Pig, (a gastropub), in nearby Brockenhurst, and the much acclaimed Elderflower Restaurant in Lymington. Both restaurants featured in Fred Sirieux series Remarkable Places to Eat, just a few weeks ago. Can't wait!

 

[Machiavelli]

What a treat to eat inside a restaurant again. Even more so when it's Fourth & Church. Lots of lovely things on their (weekend) tasting menu, with special mention to their Southdown lamb leg, that came with broad beans, lentils delightfully spiked with harissa and tapenade.
We drank some stunning wines too. Special mention to: Timorasso Walter Massa, Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2015 and Donhof Riesling Auslese

 

[Simgull]

What a treat to eat inside a restaurant again. Even more so when it's Fourth & Church. Lots of lovely things on their (weekend) tasting menu, with special mention to their Southdown lamb leg, that came with broad beans, lentils delightfully spiked with harissa and tapenade.
We drank some stunning wines too. Special mention to: Timorasso Walter Massa, Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2015 and Donhof Riesling Auslese

Going next Friday - can’t wait!

 

[Goldstone1976]

What a treat to eat inside a restaurant again. Even more so when it's Fourth & Church. Lots of lovely things on their (weekend) tasting menu, with special mention to their Southdown lamb leg, that came with broad beans, lentils delightfully spiked with harissa and tapenade.
We drank some stunning wines too. Special mention to: Timorasso Walter Massa, Argiano Brunello di Montalcino 2015 and Donhof Riesling Auslese

Some excellent wines there.

It prompted me to spend an hour looking through some past MW papers. I reckon I’d do OK on about 50% of the tasting questions (they list at the end the wines being shown) and about 20% of the theory - I’d be able to provide some response to every question, but I’d be far too superficial for the vast majority. An abject fail, I fear.

 

[Machiavelli]

Some excellent wines there.

It prompted me to spend an hour looking through some past MW papers. I reckon I’d do OK on about 50% of the tasting questions (they list at the end the wines being shown) and about 20% of the theory - I’d be able to provide some response to every question, but I’d be far too superficial for the vast majority. An abject fail, I fear.

I'm currently ploughing through Jane Anson's Inside Bordeaux in no small part because I'm looking to get a few decent 2020s EP (having been a bit more modest with the 2019s) and, with a bit of luck, we'll be heading down that way in late July, so hoping to visit a few chateaux.
It's an extremely impressive reference book.

 

[Brian Fantana]

A bit far from Brighton, but located on my doorstep, I had the immense pleasure of dining at Träkol in Newcastle/Gateshead yesterday. It’s located in an old shipping container, and shares the premises with a brilliant craft beer and gin bar.

https://amp.theguardian.com/food/20...utrageously-good-restaurant-review-jay-rayner

It’s fairly reasonably priced, especially considering the quality of what’s on offer.

 

[Bakero]

Jay Rayner mentioned in his column today a new place that's opening soon in Lewes https://www.fork-lewes.co.uk/

It's about time the town had a decent restaurant.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Delighted to report that Casa Don Carlos in The Lanes are once more open for serious tapas business - best in town! - and that the staff are as always willing to self-immolate at request of the diners

 

[Nitram]

Cafe on the Park in Burgess Hill.
http://cafeonthepark.uk/

Great little independent cafe I came across yesterday. Three of us.
Bill was £25 for 3 coffees, 2x garlic mushrooms and salad and Basque chicken.
All excellent, second favourite brunch/breakfast cafe to Moksha in Brighton.

 

[MattBackHome]

Stumbled across the Troll last night at the Evening Star and just couldn't resist.

Pigeon kebab, with feta, wild garlic salsa and roasted walnuts with chips, all washed down with a few pints of Jaipur.

As expected, it was very very good. The thing about the Troll is his meticulous attention to detail.

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