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An Early Mother’s Day Treat

3rd March 2017 // katytaylor // Travel No Responses

I decided to celebrate Mother’s Day a little early this year by taking my mum to The Royal Hotel for a delicious three course meal and cocktails.

We don’t often have the time to spend the afternoon together, so it was a real treat to steal some mother daughter time. We arrived at 2pm and left around 6.30pm… that’s four and a half hours of pure indulgence, and it was a truly splendid way to spend a bright and sunny Saturday afternoon.

We were greeted by Matthew (the director of The Royal Hotel) who lead us to the ballroom. We were sat to the left of the ballroom – on the plush cushion seating that lines both widths of this large and opulent room – a great place to be situated to soak up the atmosphere.

Starters

We opted for something light from the ‘While you wait’ menu, as opposed to the Starters menu, to share between us. The Maldon oysters served on crushed ice (£7.50) accompanied by balsamic vinegar and oil with a selection of the Chef’s homemade breads and bites (£4.50) took our fancy. As usual, the presentation and flavours of both dishes were amazing…



Mains

For our main meals, my mum opted for the North Atlantic centre cut cod fillet, Tiger beer batter, chunky chips, peas a la Francaise, and lemon and tartare sauce (£14.50). She liked the tiger stripes that the Head Chef added using squid ink, such a nice touch to remind you that it is Tiger Beer used in the batter. This is a large dish and the fish is of the finest quality. The Tiger beer batter and squid ink, make the dish unique and particularly photogenic (great for those, who like me, LOVE taking pictures of food).

Being a vegetarian, I found there to be a lot of choice, and opted for the Braised garlic and herb puy lentil tapalone, leek wrapped green beans, sour cream leek, and sautéed asparagus spears (v) (£17.50). This Lithuanian inspired dish looked absolutely stunning and the puy lentil tapalone tasted beautiful. Additionally, it was light and nutritious enough for me to consider an indulgent pudding, which made me extremely happy.



Dessert

Having chosen very carefully (dessert is the most important part for me), I couldn’t wait for my Cherry Bakewell tart (£7.50) to arrive, and I’m pretty sure it was consumed in three seconds flat! Slight exaggeration but you get the point, it was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Admittedly, I probably should’ve savoured it, along with the black cherry and crème fraiche fool, cherry and cinnamon reduction, and vanilla crème Anglaise that accompanied it, but inevitably, it was very much enjoyed. I’ll even go as far as to say, it was possibly the BEST dessert I’ve ever had… and that’s a HUGE compliment considering the sheer volume of cake I consume on a weekly basis.

My mum opted for a lighter dessert option, the selection of ice creams (£5.50), which refreshed her palette and came in a delicious variety of flavours with the added touch of delicate dark chocolate pieces and strawberries.



Cocktails

After completing our wonderful three course lunch, we headed down to the cocktail lounge. It’s great to see how radically the atmosphere changes in the cocktail lounge from day to night. My mum chose the Lychee Martini (£8.50) made up of; Sky Vodka, Kat Feh Lychee Liquor, lemon juice, sugar and lychees, muddled and double strained into a chilled martini. And I opted for the Royal Pimms (£8.00) made up of; Pimms, Tiptree Damson Gin Liqueur, shaken with mint, fresh strawberries, cucumber, lemon and summer berries then topped with Fever Tree Lemonade. Both were deliciously fresh and elegantly presented.



Mother’s Day at The Royal Hotel

You too can treat your mum to a wonderful three course meal in The Royal Hotel’s ballroom restaurant. There will be extended dining available on Mother’s Day, Sunday 26th March. Call 01702 899 222 to make your reservation today or click here to book online.

For those unable to celebrate Mother’s Day on Sunday 26th, The Royal Hotel are also hosting a special Mother’s Day Afternoon Tea on Saturday 25th March. This indulgent afternoon tea starts at midday, and includes a selection of sandwiches, savouries, sweets and scones.

Yet to visit The Royal Hotel?

For those of you still to venture to The Royal Hotel, Southend’s best restaurant and cocktail bar, you can find it at: 1 High Street, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, SS1 1JE. For more information, take a look at their website and Facebook page today.
A Sunday Well Spent at The Royal Hotel

6th November 2016 // katytaylor // Travel No Responses

The Royal Hotel is one of the most significant buildings in Southend-on-Sea, built in 1791, it’s a listed building steeped in history. Back in the early 1800s, the hotel was frequented by royalty and leading societal figures… If only walls could talk! Its period features and charm make it an important building of Southend, along with other Victorian delights such as Southend Pier and the iconic Kursaal building.

In October 2015, The Royal Hotel underwent a huge refurbishment and all thanks to the Garrett family. They took over the shabby (not so chic) premises, left for disrepair, and turned it into a decadent à la carte restaurant, lounge and cocktail bar. The grand unveiling of this painstaking refurbishment — which still retains many original features — took place earlier this year when The Royal Hotel opened it’s doors to the public.

I’ve walked past many times since the refurbishment, and seen the chandeliers shimmering in the light, and to my delight, I had the pleasure of visiting the Royal Hotel for myself last weekend. It was truly a Sunday well spent, sampling some of their finest dishes and sipping on delicious cocktails with my Dad, Alan.

3 Courses of Splendour



We were seated in the bright and airy ballroom by wonderfully attentive waiting staff and were able to browse the menu whilst looking out of the beautiful sash windows to an epic sea view.

Our food was delicious to say the very least, for starters I tried the wild mushroom fricassee on toasted garlic and rosemary focaccia bread, whilst my Dad sampled the chicken and herb liver pate served with caramelised onion jam and mixed breads.

For mains, I had a colourful concoction of spicy cous cous stuffed tomato with Welsh rarebit and herb crusted poach egg, which was utterly flawless, my dad went for the more traditional lamb Sunday roast, which came with generous side portions of fresh broccoli, green beans and cauliflower cheese, he was extremely happy with his choice.

For dessert, we indulged further, I opted for the chocolate brownie, mint chocolate ice cream, and pistachio praline, whilst my Dad tried the sticky toffee pudding, toffee sauce, Jack Daniels and Fudge ice cream in a brandy snap basket, both of which were heavenly! I love chocolate and have a seriously sweet tooth, so for me, this was ultimately my favourite course.

It’s no wonder the food was so tasty given that The Royal Hotel have appointed an award-winning Head Chef, taking their menus to a whole new level, and hands down beating any other restaurant in Southend.

Cocktails on a Sunday… why not?



After our three courses, we were taken down to the cocktail bar to enjoy more sea views in a cosy yet classic setting. I really enjoyed the atmosphere in the bar, and found it fascinating to watch the cocktails being made from scratch. The cocktails are far from mediocre, they’re painstakingly put together with the finest detail ensuring the very best of flavours. I tried the creamy and indulgent Amaretto Sour cocktail and my Dad went for a fresh and minty Mojito. It was such a great way to wind down on a Sunday.

Score out of 10…



A definite 10 out of 10! Simply delicious food in a stunning setting, not to mention the sophisticated atmosphere and efficient staff. It’s great to see a family with vision, restore a beautiful building to its former glory, complete with such elegance and grandeur.

If you’re thinking of dining at the Royal Hotel, I would certainly recommend taking the opportunity to visit this fabulous establishment, it’s a real treat and a great way to spend the afternoon or evening. As for me, I’m already planning my next visit, this time to try the afternoon tea and I can’t wait!