Fine dining magic left me dreaming of my next visit

How did they cook the fish so perfectly? What was in that sauce? Why doesn’t my homemade bread ever turn out like that?

There aren’t many meals that stay in my mind for longer than 45 minutes, but this was the exception.

Arriving in the late afternoon, we found the Billericay restaurant was bustling.

We had tried to book a dinner reservation, but were told Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays are usually fully booked a couple of weeks in advance. And no wonder, the restaurant ticks all the boxes from the tasteful decor to the sumptuous food.

Seated, the waitress brought us some freshly baked bread with butter, which was scrumptious.

The starters came out piping hot and won extra points for the hot plates.

My scallops and pea puree, dribbled with truffled oil, had a delicious smoky depth. The other half’s crab tempura was subtle and perfectly accompanied by a lemon, caper and gherkin mayonnaise. At a push, he said the tempura was a tiny bit oily.

For the main course, the other half’s eyes lit up when his fillet steak with chunky chips and slow-roasted vine tomatoes arrived. The steak was succulent and enhanced by a spicy butter. My sea bass with samphire was a revelation. There was a delightful crunch as I broke through the crispy skin which encased the moist flakes of fish, complemented by the salty burst of deep green samphire. We let conversation take a back seat as we concentrated fully this fine dining experience.

We rounded off the meal with two excellent desserts. I had a light, yet indulgent, lemon posset with champagne jelly, and the other half plumped for the strawberry cheesecake.

This restaurant leaves you feeling utterly spoilt – and dreaming of your next visit.

What we ate Tempura battered crab £8.95 Pan fried scallops £9.95 Fillet of Scottish beef £23.50 Fillet of sea bass £18.95 Strawberry cheesecake £6.95 Lemon posset £6.95 Our verdict Atmosphere 4; Food 5; Decor 5; Value 5; Service 5; Disabled access Yes