Great food, service and ambiance. I will return again. One of Chelmsfords best kept secretsread more

There are so many amazing hidden gems in Essex, and Russell's Restaurant is one of them…read more The building dates back to 1372, and is a converted barn. Before it was a restaurant, it was a woodshed, where my grandfather would go to buy wood. The restaurant has kept some of the original features, like the beams and high vaulted ceiling, which gives it a very rustic feel. The food is mostly French inspired, but mostly locally sourced (something I always like to see!) For my starter, I had the seared king scallops, which were served with a pea and asparagus compote, black pudding and black truffle oil. Scallops are one of my favourite things, and if it's on a menu it's a pretty safe bet that I'll be ordering it. These, in my opinion, were perfect - which is very high praise, as scallops are really easy to get wrong. These were perfectly seared and crisp on the outside, but really juicy inside - not at all stringy (which is the worst!) and the combination of asparagus, black pudding and truffle oil was divine. My dinner date had the chicken liver parfait, a pate served on toasted brioche with a sultana and sauternes jus. This was followed by a main course of duck - a seared Gressingham duck breast served with duck rillette bon bons, roasted pommes de cocotte potato and sauteed pak choi with cumberland jus. The duck was beautifully cooked, and the meat was meltingly tender. For my main course, I went for the Tournedos Rossini, served medium rare. The aged fillet of Aberdeen Angus beef was served on top of a potato and parsnip rosti, and was topped with seared foie gras, baby spinach, truffle oil and a wild mushroom jus. Basically, it was a whole list of my favourite ingredients on top of one another, and it was delicious. The flavours were delectable, and the whole dish was presented impeccably. After dinner I went for a coffee followed by a coconut and Malibu pannacotta topped with toasted coconut and sweet candied pineapple. The standard of the food and service is really impressive - and the venue has a lot of character, and for the quality of the meal, the price is really quite reasonable.

I recently spent three weeks in France and was disappointed in the food we encountered there. ON my…read morereturn to England to make up for our experience we visited the Great House and also Mariners as Il Punto is now known. Why I want to know can the French do it here but no longer in there own country? Mariners / Il Punto is simply fantastic, great French food served in perfect size portions with a great wine list, brilliant service. I cannot fault this place. I will always return!

Wow. This is the second time I've eaten on the boat, and it has been just as fantastic on both…read moreoccasions. For some reason, I've managed to not eat here until the last six months or so, put off I think by its apparent "poshness" - I was so wrong, it's not "posh", just very well done in a typical French style. The boat is immaculate, the staff smart and just the right side of formal. This time me and Lucy came out for a little treat as we haven't eaten out in a while. The service was outstanding, with the staff always being on hand but never too attentive and fussy. Kir for aperitifs, with a lovely Chablis (they have an excellent selection by the half bottle) with starters, and a truly fabulous Morgon with the mains. All the food was perfectly presented and delicious, rounded off with simply the best cheesecake I've ever eaten and amaretto coffees. All in all, it was brilliant. Definitely not the cheapest place, but as everything was so good, I consider it excellent VFM. Highly recommended, I'll see you there soon!

Stayed at The Great House in The Versailles Room on the evening of our small lockdown wedding…read moreceremony this week. We had the seven course tasting menu matched with wines, which was outstanding. The staff, venue, food, atmosphere, all exceeded our expectations. Amazing place that we will definitely revisit. Thanks for a wonderful experience. Phil & Rosa

Note perfect classic French (ish) food, served by superbly professional French staff, in a very…read morecharming medieval building. Expect to dine surrounded by well-heeled Suffolk retirees and people "just up" from London; it's not a young crowd. Think "captains of industry". I understand this place has been in business over 20 years; the owners are in fact French. Probably the best cheese selection in the East of England.

Best British restaurant in all Ely. Been coming here for years and time has not dimmed the…read moreexcellence of their board of fare. Atmosphere is comfortable and welcoming and exhibits the very best of British style and East Anglian simplicity. Service is exemplary. The starters are sublime with a constantly updated and fresh menu. I recommend everything offered... there's just no downside. When in Rome... so when in East Anglia it would behoove the diner to explore some of the local ales. The Green King varieties and an especially tasty malt named appropriately "Courage" are winners... plus it's cool to say "I'll have a pint of courage please". The main dishes are equally spectacular with my go to picks being anything lamb, and any of the fresh caught fish dishes. Preparation is continental so it will seem to the "Ah merican" tourist that he has stumbled on to a French restaurant staffed with Michelin starred chefs behind the kitchen doors...but it's reasonably priced and not pretentious. Highly recommend a stop here and don't be surprised if you have dreams of returning. Thank you for reading my review.

As you enter the village of Fordham , The White Phesant is situated along the main Road. It is…read moremostly a resteraunt but if you want to go in for a drink then you are welcome. Its got a lovely atmosphere with an open fire in winter. The food is locally sourced and generally very good. The downside is that it is pricey , and if you want any vegetables with your main meal they are an additional extra , which is annoying when the main meal isn't cheap. The staff are always friendly and service is good. They have a good selection of beer and wine.

Very friendly run restaurant. Welcome dogs as long as they well behaved. Excellent choice of food…read morefor all ages. Recommend the Hot Chocolate fudge cake with Ice Cream ;)

We had dinner here the other night and also had lunch last summer. It was full as a cocktail party…read morein their function rooms so service was a little scattered, whereas last summer service was excellent. This time our starters were delicious, but my main was vegetarian and badly conceived & flavorless. They did take it off our bill. This meant I had room for dessert instead which was fabulous - blackberry fruit leather cannelloni with apple cream inside. My husband had Welsh rarebit for dessert which was brilliant & then sparked several other diners ordering it!! Overall a nice night & last time lovely lunch sitting outside by the river. Just improve the vegetarian option & would have been 5 stars!!

I have been meaning to visit for a long time so today I popped in with my wife for lunch, lovely…read morequiet atmosphere, friendly staff. Light lunch menu was good. food was superb, will definitely return. bought some dipping oil to take home as it was so nice. I saw the reviews on googlemaps and was a little worried but i found nothing negative at all.

This is a local neighbourhood French restaurant that looked after us really well. Its appearance is…read morecosy and inviting from the street (ok, maybe I just gravitate towards anywhere with fairy lights outside!). Inside it was bustling on a Friday night but we'd booked ahead. We were greeted warmly and they usefully took our coats to hang up on wall hooks. We were with a couple who don't live far, who'd warned us the head waiter walking around was actually the owner, and had shown some typically French (abrupt!) service when they'd been before, sighing when they'd taken longer than 10 seconds to choose wine. I actually didn't mind his matter-of-fact style - he made sure we always had everything we needed and we had plenty to chat about with each other on this occasion rather than make small talk with him! We got through 2 bottles of a well-priced Pinot Noir with dinner, and took the locals' suggestion of a sharing platter of starters which was great for a craver of variety like me. Between the 4 of us I think we all had different favourites from the salami slices to the prawns to the pate to the stuffed tomatoes - so everything got finished. I liked that they served the big platter on a raised stand too - a nice touch so we could all get involved. We all chose steaks for main (FOMO much?!) - I went for the steak frites which was a 225g flat iron that arrived perfectly medium rare as requested and I really enjoyed. I think my guy was less impressed with the rib eye so take note! The only part of the interior that wasn't as pleasant as the rest was the toilet - perfectly clean, lovely moisturiser etc but just absolutely freezing! I suppose it hurries you up... I saw plenty of other things on the very reasonably-priced menu that I'd love to have ordered too, so I'd be quite happy coming back if I was in the area - as it looks like plenty of the locals do!

Went for a second time and never disappoints. Very unassuming but tasty French classics. Twice…read morebaked cheese souffle, green salad. Steamed Normandy mussels, white wine, butter, parsley, french fries. Charcuterie selection. Madame Sibilia, Lyon. Saucisson & Rosette. potted goose & pork, veal tongue remoulade & croutons. Six 'petit gris' snails, parsley, tarragon & garlic, crisp baguette. French free range chicken supreme 'roast on the bone ' Espelette, lemon & soft green herbs.

Situated above an amazing 'old fashioned' sweet and chocolate shop the Cornelian is a simple yet…read morevery upper class French restaurant. Modern art covers the walls and although it is small it is great for either afternoon tea or a 'posh' evening out. The menu does have a couple of really nice pies on but to really get a taste of the quality I suggest a chef's special which is ever changing. What really stands out about this place is the wine, the manager has a really keen eye for wines and his advice is definitely worth noting. From his descriptions and histories of wines to his high class serving and pouring, you really feel like you have your very own butler. The prices are higher than normal but this keeps the atmosphere at a manageable state. And after your meal you have to walk back through the sweet shop just tempting you to once last homemade chocolate. Great for visitors to the area or locals alike.

Don't go looking for this as it was a bit toooooo expensive for Felixstowe and the quality wasn't…read moreall that good for the expense. As a result the well-meaning Frenchman has gone and the cafe has reverted to the name it had from when it first opened many years ago. The new owners have renamed it Bonnets and gone back to the old regime - excellent cafetiere of several different coffees, or one of several different teas with scones, tea-cakes, sandwiches or light meals for lunch. Sensible prices - reasonable quality - Lots of patrons. Oh - and the Frenchman did not sell handmade chocolate - That was always a Bonnet speciality - Not sure where the new folks are getting their chocs.