Hollie Allen of Essex Foodies (@essexfoodies) is a food blogger reviewing restaurants across the county and beyond. She shares the eateries that have tickled her tastebuds this month
The Kitchen@ Dedham Boathouse
Brasserie restaurant and café
This is one I am very excited to share! I’ve been longing to try this place since coming across it last summer. The Kitchen@ Group are a small group of restaurants and boating lakes scattered between Essex and Suffolk. I visited Dedham on a gloriously sunny day for a lovely rowing boat trip followed by an absolutely gorgeous meal! Row and Dine costs just £22.95 per person and gives you an hour on the water followed by a two-course meal.
The menu here is small but mighty. We both opted for a lamb burger, which was perfect in the sunshine. This was followed by some exceptional desserts; the classic sticky toffee pudding was huge! The chocolate marquise was also rich and creamy but paired beautifully with thick clotted cream and sour cherries – to say it was delicious simply doesn’t do it justice.
The Garrison, Chelmsford
American smokehouse
The Garrison has been around for a while now but the new smokehouse menu is something to check out. We indulged in The Platter of Queens – a platter made up of glazed pork belly strips, a full rack of ribs, a pulled pork sandwich plus fries and corn on the cobs. It was a huge hit! We also added on a couple of sides (although probably not needed); the tater tots are a must. The new menu is definitely warmly welcomed – smoked meats is not something we see enough of in Chelmsford, so this is very exciting!
Pinchos, Chelmsford
Spanish cuisine
Tapas is one of my favourite things – what’s not to love about delicious, picky food in the sun washed down with a cold glass of wine? Pinchos in Chelmsford is always jam-packed on a summer’s day, and who could blame the public? This restaurant feels very authentic and serves up perfect portions of Spanish goodies. One of my favourite tapas dishes is the creamy chicken and courgette; it doesn’t sound a lot but try it and you’ll be impressed. If you visit, it’s also well worth checking out the specials board – we tried some ham croqeuttas, which were lovely.
The Flitch of Bacon, Little Dunmow
Fine dining
The Flitch of Bacon is a stunning restaurant just outside Flitch Green. It’s worth a visit if you’re into fine dining or you're after a really luxurious treat. For those wanting to spend a little less, check out the new pizza menu – as we did! The restaurant has taken a leap in the hope of reaching a different audience by serving up pizzas in its ‘Market Square’.
The pizzas are reasonably priced (£13 each) and still have the same great quality as the rest of the menu. We sampled two pizzas: Flitch of Bacon and The Matador. Both were scrumptious and jam-packed with high-quality ingredients. The pizzas are cooked using a Big Green Egg (for those that are into their cooking equipment!).
You might also like...
Channels Brasserie head chef: https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/food-and-drink/head-chef-channels-brasserie-9181588
Four more Essex restaurants to try: https://www.greatbritishlife.co.uk/food-and-drink/establishments/four-great-essex-restaurants-9181512
