Essex Restaurants - Part 2 - IgoUgo Essex Journal

Bengal Spice

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Restaurant | "Best of Bengal"

Quote:

To congratulate ourselves on surviving January, some colleagues and I decided to go out for a curry. We decided to visit Bengal Spice, on Forest Road, Loughton, Essex. A few of us had been here before, but not recently, so decided a re-visit was on the cards. We booked a table for 5 at 8.30pm one Friday. I believe the restaurant was an old furniture showroom, and it has a bit of a strange layout. There is an open reception area where you can wait if collecting takeaways, but the actual restaurant is quite a way back, down a long corridor. I sometimes find not being able to see the restaurant quite off putting, but it has been here over twenty years now, so they are obviously doing som...Read More

To congratulate ourselves on surviving January, some colleagues and I decided to go out for a curry. We decided to visit Bengal Spice, on Forest Road, Loughton, Essex. A few of us had been here before, but not recently, so decided a re-visit was on the cards. We booked a table for 5 at 8.30pm one Friday.

I believe the restaurant was an old furniture showroom, and it has a bit of a strange layout. There is an open reception area where you can wait if collecting takeaways, but the actual restaurant is quite a way back, down a long corridor. I sometimes find not being able to see the restaurant quite off putting, but it has been here over twenty years now, so they are obviously doing something right. The restaurant wasn’t that busy – about a third full and we were seated promptly and handed menus. We ordered poppadoms (I had a spicy one, everyone else went for plain) and they came over promptly with dips – mango chutney and the mint yoghurt are always my favourites. They also have the onion dip as well as a pickle one. We skipped starters and got on with the mains.

I am a creature of habit in Indian restaurants and went for my vegetable dhansak (£6.90). It is a hot and sour dish with lentils, and the Bengal Spice use the spices to enhance flavours rather than blow your head off. The curry was flavoursome, with good sized pieces of vegetables, cooked so they can be cut with a fork, in a lovely, spicy sauce. Others in the party went for the Cashew Chicken, Dargiling Chicken Tikka (marinated in spices to make it look brown, it was supposed to come with a dip, but my colleague didn’t realize until after) which was described as tasty, well cooked and having a pleasant kick to it. Another colleague had green chicken tikka which was also tender and marinated in different herbs and spices before being cooked in a clay (tandoor) oven. Most of these main courses were about £7.50-7.95. Alongside these dishes we had some pilau rice (£2.60 per portion), plain naan bread (£2.40) and an assortment of sides. I love saag paneer, a spinach and cottage cheese dish - some places make this quite spicy, but here it was mild, but pleasant, with plenty of cubes of cheese. We also went for a courgette bhaji (which was pieces of courgette chopped up small and served with ginger and herbs and aloo gobi which is potatoes and cauliflower in a mild sauce. They have a good range of side dishes at £3.45.

The toilets are back along the corridor to the front of the restaurant. There is only one Ladies cubicle, but it is clean, spacious and well stocked. Service was polite and attentive. I really enjoyed my meal and would come back here again. Overall our main dishes, side dishes and a couple of rounds of drinks came to approx £22 each.

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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on February 18, 2013

Bengal Spice
12 Forest Road
Loughton, England IG10 1DX
020 8508 7185

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Wildwood

Restaurant | "Wild about Wildwood"

Quote:

Wildwood is a small chain of restaurants operating in London and its surrounds. They offer mainly grills and Italian inspired dishes. I recently ate at the Loughton (Essex) branch with a friend early on a Friday evening. The branch is situated on the High Street at the opposite end to the Underground Station (approx 10-15 minute walk).We arrived at about 6.20pm and hadn’t booked. There were a few families dining early, plus a few couples. We were seated at a table for two by the window and brought a food and drinks menu. It took us a while to get round to looking at the menu as we were catching up and exchanging Christmas gifts and we didn’t feel rushed at all. The décor is simple a...Read More

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on December 21, 2012

Wildwood
275-277 High Road
Loughton, England IG10 1AH
02085 021920

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Pancho's Cantina

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Restaurant | "Can't Fault this Cantina"

Quote:

I recently realised I was overdue to perform by regular nieceing duties and visit by Aunt and Uncle in Rayleigh, Essex. Usually when I visit we visit the local pub chain and have a nice lunch, but as it was a hot day and we thought their garden would be busy, we took a chance and decided to try Pancho’s Cantina in Rayleigh High Street. We parked in a nearby public car park which is free on Saturday afternoons ands walked around. The glass front of the restaurant was opened up so we got the benefit of the fresh air whilst sitting in the shade at the front of the shop. The restaurant has wooden tables and chairs in rows, with simple wooden placemats. The wall décor fits in with the them...Read More

I recently realised I was overdue to perform by regular nieceing duties and visit by Aunt and Uncle in Rayleigh, Essex. Usually when I visit we visit the local pub chain and have a nice lunch, but as it was a hot day and we thought their garden would be busy, we took a chance and decided to try Pancho’s Cantina in Rayleigh High Street.

We parked in a nearby public car park which is free on Saturday afternoons ands walked around. The glass front of the restaurant was opened up so we got the benefit of the fresh air whilst sitting in the shade at the front of the shop. The restaurant has wooden tables and chairs in rows, with simple wooden placemats. The wall décor fits in with the theme with Mexican style pictures and sombreros, but manages not to look cluttered or over the top. We were also very impressed with the cleanliness on the restaurant. All the tables were clean without smears, glasses and cutlery were sparkling.

They have an extensive menu of Tex-mex cuisine but our eye was caught by the lunch special of two courses for £7.95 everyday, and we decided to go for this option. The a la carte menu is more extensive. For starters we all selected Viva Mushrooms (£4.95 on the a la carte), which is basically deep fried breaded mushrooms with a garlic dip. The portion was generous and well presented with a colourful side salad with a slightly spicy tomato dressing. I like the fact that the salad was made a feature of the starter rather that an after thought with unimaginative ingredients plonked on a plate. We all enjoyed our starters and found them quite filling. Other starters included Jalapeno poppers (jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese and deep fried), ribs and Buffalo wings amongst other items, all priced at £4.95.

For mains my aunt went for Smothered Chicken which was served with a cheese and Creole sauce, which she chose to be served with rice (she could also have had salad or fries). She enjoyed it but felt it was too much at lunchtime, particularly after the large starter. My Uncle went for chilli con carne and he seemed to love it. I don’t think ti was a very hot one (I would have heard about it if it was) but he certainly tucked into it with gusto. It was also served with Mexican rice. I went for a Vegetarian Burrito, which was served with Mexican rice, refried beans and salsa, guacamole and sour cream on top. There was a good mix of veggies in there, which I liked (some Mexican restaurants just stuff in peppers and onions) such as courgette, carrot and sweet corn alongside the onions, peppers and tomatoes. All were finely chopped and seasoned with a mild spicey sauce. I noticed that they also do a chicken or beef version on the a la carte menu. I really enjoyed it and managed to eat nearly all before being defeated. If I was being picky I would have liked more sauces with mine. Mains were priced normally from £9.50 (for the burgers) to £17.95 for the steaks. Most Mexican dishes (chilli, Burritos, enchiladas etc) were about £12.95 and barbeque dishes (chicken, ribs) were £13.70.

To drink my aunt and I had a glass of wine each and my uncle a Sprite. They also offer a range of cocktails. We passed on desserts or coffees in order to waddle back to the car whilst we were still able to move. I visited the Ladies, which was typically clean and well stocked; it would also serve as a disabled toilet. We were served by a lovely girl, who was obliging, friendly and polite. The restaurant seemed to serve a variety of people whilst we were there, from young families (there is a kids menu – but mainly suited to younger ones), to friends looking for a casual lunch, to solo shoppers stopping for a coffee. Judging by the posters they also serve large groups and can cater from Christmas parties. I didn’t see the final bill as I was being treated (yay!) but I gather it was very good value. We were all thrilled with our food, and at £7.95 per person for two courses, I don’t think it could be beaten on value for lunch and all of us would be happy to eat here again.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on August 28, 2012

Pancho's Cantina
129 High Street
Rayleigh, Essex SS6 7QA
01268 772 479

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Clocktower Restaurant

Best Of IgoUgo

Restaurant | "On the Clock"

Quote:

The Clocktower is a contemporary brasserie style restaurant in Epping. Recently my parents and I wanted to try somewhere for lunch in Epping. We used to visit this place regularly in a previous incarnation but now tend to eat elsewhere. In the light of their 2-course for £10 lunch, we decided to try again one Saturday. The restaurant has grey walls and ceiling with very dark wood tables and chairs. We chose a round table in a corner with charcoal grey banquette seating as well as ordinary chairs. The seats were comfy even if I wasn’t particularly inspired by their décor. There is seating outside on the patio at the back, which is shaded by umbrellas, or a few spots in the ‘car-port’...Read More

The Clocktower is a contemporary brasserie style restaurant in Epping. Recently my parents and I wanted to try somewhere for lunch in Epping. We used to visit this place regularly in a previous incarnation but now tend to eat elsewhere. In the light of their 2-course for £10 lunch, we decided to try again one Saturday.

The restaurant has grey walls and ceiling with very dark wood tables and chairs. We chose a round table in a corner with charcoal grey banquette seating as well as ordinary chairs. The seats were comfy even if I wasn’t particularly inspired by their décor. There is seating outside on the patio at the back, which is shaded by umbrellas, or a few spots in the ‘car-port’ to the right of the restaurant if you wanted to watch the world go by and ingest traffic fumes. We were brought a wine list as well as the a la carte and £10 lunch menu. There were five options for each course and I was tempted by the garlic mushroom starter, but disappointed with the veggie main course – mushroom omelette and fries. I don’t think there is much justification to offer an omelette for veggies these days – it is no longer a rare occurrence to have to cater for a vegetarian in a restaurant. Besides I had eggs at home, often making myself an omelette for a weekend lunch, not something I would choose when I am out and someone else is cooking, so I asked the waitress if there was anything else. She came back with Penne Arrabiata (tomato and chilli sauce), again something I make myself every so often and takes about yen minutes). The ‘sample menu’ on the website (and also in the window) had offered a broccoli and blue cheese tart also, which would have been something I would have liked. My parents weren’t doing to well with the offer menu either – my stepdad had decided on his dessert but preferred the main courses on the a la Carte menu and my mum was in agreement (although she preferred a starter to the dessert). We were all a bit deflated with this as the prices for main courses started about £10-12, and starters £6. Maybe not so bad for a nice evening meal out, but we had planned a cheap lunch prior to our respective holidays, and hadn’t wanted to pay those prices. They also had a specials board, prices were similar to the a la Carte menu.

In the end we ordered from the a la Carte menu. My mum and I had starters. She chose Soup of the Day which was carrot and coriander (£4.95). It was hot, thick and tasty and served with small pieces of crusty bread. She really enjoyed it and was pleased she chose it. I went for the goat’s cheese salad served with mixed leaves and beetroot chutney (£5.75). It was a good size for a starter, with a nice slice of cheese. For mains both my parents went for battered pollock with chips and mushy peas (£11.95). The fish was a good size and the batter nicely done without being too greasy. The chips were golden and there was just the right amount. My step-dad isn’t a big chip eater as he thinks some places just pile them on and fill the plate, but these were obviously home made and the good sized portion was manageable. At the bottom of the menu I had spotted a small brunch section (until 5pm Mon-Sat) and opted for the vegetarian breakfast (£6.95). They did a traditional one for £7.95 also. My breakfast plate was very full with baked beans, a whole beef tomato (halved and grilled), a fried egg cooked just as I asked for it, two hash browns, grilled mushrooms and a slice of lightly-done white toast with a side of butter. I really enjoyed it. In fact we all really enjoyed our food, which was fortunate as we were disappointed with the choices available when we arrived. In fact my step-dad was so full after his fish and chips he had to cancel his plans for the bread and butter pudding.

I visited the Ladies’ lavatories – there were two cubicles, one of which had baby changing facilities. They were compact but clean and well stocked. For most of the time we were there, they had only one server on (another lady helped out for a bit) but we found her very friendly and helpful and ready with a smile, so no complaints there.
Obviously we were disappointed to not actually take advantage of the promo offer we had intended to when we went. Therefore we spent just over £50 altogether for two starters, three mains, a glass of wine and three soft drinks excluding service which is more than we would have. We all enjoyed our food however, that is the main thing, but I doubt we will return for lunch again.

The Clocktower Restaurant
4 Station Road
Epping, Essex
CM16 4HA
Tel: 01992 575707

www.clocktowerrestaurants.co.uk
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on August 17, 2011

Clocktower Restaurant
4 Station Road
Epping CM16 4HA
01992 575707

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Essex Restaurants - Part 2

Bengal Spice

Wildwood

Pancho's Cantina

Clocktower Restaurant

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