OH my gosh, where should I start?
My fiance's family booked…read morea late lunch here to celebrate our engagement so naturally I tried to yelp it but was met with a blank info page :[ Regardless, they had been before and raved about how wonderful the food, service and ambiance of this modernized 17th century country house was so I put on the ever-trusted LBD and went.
It truly is out in the Essex countryside so there is only one road to get you there but if you do get stuck behind a Sunday driver (or 3, like we did) try to just relax and take in the gorgeous, timeless surroundings. Once we did arrive, the gravel driveway lead us passed the front of the hall to ample, free parking (which is a rare jewel in England!). We passed the hotel on the way to the main hall which looked to only have about 6 suites and I later learned these are usually booked as bridal, groom and family suites to accommodate weddings. Unfortunately this review will only involve the hall.
We met our party in the lobby and were taken to the Garden Room passed the longest, most gorgeous chandelier I've ever seen. The Garden Room was absolutely beautiful as well. My favorite part about it was how the lovely floral fabric of the wall tapestries matched the fabric of the chairs which was actually brought to life in the live, deliciously smelling centerpieces, all showcased against the stark white furniture and wall accents. It was a party for the eyes and was only improved by the view of the gardens outside as well.
This Sunday was a set menu but you could choose how many courses you wanted, say if you did not want an appetizer or dessert then you simply don't have to and you're not charged for that course. In our party of 6, only 2 got the pork belly starter and the rest of us simply enjoyed our drinks as they did. Yes, the menu continued like that filled with these bite-size, designer flavor explosions and the staff was very helpful answering my never ending curiosities about each dish. Definitely bring your adventurous palet so you can live large and explore. We all agreed it felt like we were at one of the posh dinner parties on Master Chef.
I begged everyone in my party to order something different so we (aka I) could try them all but a few are picky eaters and most ended up ordering the token Sunday roast or the pork loin but I myself had the seared ahi over scalloped potatoes. The fish was delicious and was a perfect portion, my only gripe had to do with this very salty, VERY fishy mousse slathered all over it- I started to wipe it off after a few bites. The fish was fresh & delicious though and everyone really enjoyed their Sunday dinners... I was just loving being in such a beautiful room on a rare sunny Sunday with people I love.
A friend told me people have their weddings here which is completely understandable~ I know I would! However, I can imagine it easily costing £50k if not more. The website has tons of helpful information (and swoon-worthy pictures) if you're interested in it but above all things, JUST GO! Its gorgeous, the food is so exciting and posh and the grounds, rooms & staff will make your day.