We all love eating out, right? I may be more partial to it than most. I don’t need a restaurant, just give me a food truck and I’m there. Doesn’t matter what they are serving. It’s the lights, the smell and characters.

Eating at a restaurant is just as unique. When a place gets the food, ambience, price and occasion right then dining out can be something you remember for a lifetime.

Obviously, it can get expensive trying every restaurant in Essex. That’s why we find the ones we like and we go back time after time. I’ve had the privilege of living in Southend, Chelmsford and Colchester so I’ve been about.

We’re all guilty of having our favourites and here’s a quick selection of restaurants in Essex (that I’ve had the privilege of dining at):

Bogaz

Turkish food feels better for you than most other cheat dinners out or takeaway. You get grilled meat, salad, rice and the usual peasant accompaniment of bread and delicious dips. I’m from Rayleigh, lived there for most of my life and I had to put in one of my favourite haunts.

Bogaz has expanded since I went there originally, so the place is double the size and it has lost a bit of its magic for me because of that. Prices have gone up, but the food is still spot on. Get yourself sat down, ordered somw stunning Yakut red wine, devour the bread and dips and order your favourite kebab style. I go for a combi or chicken shish and adana kofte, never without a side of hummus. Heaven.

They’ve opened up a Chelmsford branch called Blaze soon, and I always grab a takeaway from there when in Mid Essex.

Shahjan

The newish fad of whitewashed Indian restaurants with horrible bright uplighting and chairs that belong in TOWIE, are not what I want for my curry nights. Give me understated signage, burgundy velour seating, wood everywhere and a front of house that is a relic of the past.

Surrounded by other restaurants, you’d be forgiven for missing Shahjan. I was lucky enough to get drawn in for no reason one midweek evening. It just feels right in there, what an Indian should be. It’s hard to describe.

Shahjan is a little slice of paradise hidden on a bustling street. It’s open late too, so perfect after a night at the Odeon or a few too many in the Nag’s Head over the road.

Oh and have the Lurahi Mangsho, a slow cooked lamb curry, which is simply to die for.

Banquet 1408

A restaurant named after an B road or is it an A road? Who cares. Naming stuff is hard but not as hard as serving up top quality grub time after time. Banquet 1408 may not have been blessed with the most imaginative name hut it more than makes up for it with everything else.

I can’t even tell you what to order as you should do it the proper way and get a plethora of main and side dishes to share and make the most of your evening. The food is stunning and you could even try some dim sum or a morning for something different.

It’s not cheap but it’s an as authentic experience as you’ll find locally, so certainly worth it.

These are three of my best restaurants in Essex. They may not be for everyone, but for me I feel lucky to have them within driving distance of my home. There are more of my favourite places I will share with you in coming blogs, so stay tuned…

Cold nights call for winter warmers and nothing offers that like a spicy soup that soothes the soul.

This refreshing thai rice noodle soup delivers punchy heat and fresh vegetables; making it a winner for when you have a cold too.

Packed with pak choi, baby corn, spring onions and sprinkled with chilli it gives you a lot of your five a day.

Add to this some classic Asian condiments and you’ve got a new staple for your weekly winter dishes to roll out when you need a pick me up on a freezing day.

Ingredients:

Cooked chicken, pint of chicken stock, baby corn, broccoli, pak choi, carrots, spring onions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, fish sauce, fresh red chilli, rapseed oil, rice noodles, rice wine vinegar.

Recipe:

Prep is everything. Chop up some spring onions, garlic and ginger. Thinly slice some baby corn, carrots, broccoli, pak choi and any other fresh veg you fancy. Use pre-cooked chicken either pulled or chop up some cooked fillets. Get your wok or pan steaming hot with a touch of rapseed oil. Add all the veg and flash fry for two minutes. Now add a good splash of fish sauce, soy sauce and a little rice wine vinegar. Cook for a minute then add in your rice noodles and pour in enough chicken stock to cover all of the noodles, chicken and veg. Bring to a slow boil. Now set aside, spoon a good portion into a large noodle bowl and  sprinkle over some fresh sliced chilli to add as much heat as you fancy…

Enjoy!

If you love a party, but not the work involved in preparing for it then you may have considered getting a caterer. Parties should allow you to enjoy the company of your friends and family without having to worry whether the snacks are burning away in the oven. That’s why many people choose a professional to come and relieve them of that concern. Here’s just a few reasons why you should consider hiring someone when you line up your next event:

Food ready to go

Forget the endless traipsing around numerous supermarkets in the hunt for the perfect ingredients. There’ll be no more hours trawling Pinterest looking up potential ideas or spending hours slaving away in the kitchen. Let chefs come in and take over you home with their food utensils using their foolproof recipes and ability to deliver food on time as and when you schedule it.

Service without the hassle

Serving up food when you’re trying to spend time with your guests is a bugbear that can ruin your enjoyment of a party or event. Caterers can instead bring in their own waiting staff who can bring round the food and explain it all while you mingle. Whether you have a food truck set up outside or a catering team cooking up a storm inside; everything is handled for you.

Let someone else clean up

When the party finishes, the mess left in the afternath can take the sparkle out of any event you host. Cleaning those baked on stains and returning your kitchen to a usable state can be a big chore. A caterer will always tidy up after themselves and because they use their own equipment and serving platters you’ll not be left with any damage or dirt to clear and can be free to bask in your post event glow

If you require a professional caterer in Colchester, then give us a call on 07738 569341 or email us at hello@beatscatering.co.uk.

Give in, it’s time to start thinking about Christmas and that all important roast.

We’re sorry if you don’t like the thought of winter coming, but we do.

Cooking a beautiful roast is as close to that nordic feeling of ‘hygge’ that us Brits ever get.

Here at Beats Catering, we adore a roast. Slaving away for hours for just a few minutes of joy in the eating is totally worth it in our book.

As far as choosing the meat goes, we’ve tried them all. You can’t beat some good trusty turkey, but we’ve got something that ramps up the luxury and the flavour.

Head to your butcher and ask for Chateaubriand, it’s the most beautiful cut of fillet beef you can buy.

It’s not cheap mind, you’ll spend £30-£40 for max three people, but the taste is out of this world. No beef joint will ever live up to it.

Simpy seal it in a pan till browned and then throw it in the oven at 180-200 degrees for twenty minutes then leave it to rest.

Thank me later! 🙂

 

We had a fantastic night at the Royal Hospital School’s first drive-in cinema.

The evening was organised to honour ex-pupil, Bob Anderson, who was a famous fightscene choreographer in Hollywood.

Bob worked with some of the film industry’s biggest names and on iconic film series such as Star Wars (playing Darth Vader no less) and Pirates of the Caribbean.

To the food, we served up some beautiful 8-hour, achingly slow-cooked chilli with nachos, cheese, sour cream and guac.

Anni and I loved the event and the response to the food was amazing. You can never hear the phrase: ‘one more fully-loaded nachos’ too many times, trust me.

What a stunning setting and fun evening, thanks to KAT Marketing and Version Events for a great event.