New Orb is gem of an eatery (From Echo)

New Orb is gem of an eatery

9:00pm Friday 15th January 2010

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THERE’S a little gem of a restaurant which has just opened off Billericay’s High Street.

The Orb has only been going a few weeks, and the manager said staff wanted to keep the opening fairly low key as they were confident quality would prevail.

And, it seems, his confidence was not misplaced.

The restaurant, a converted hay barn, is decorated in a simple, but sophisticated fashion. Notably, the upstairs accommodates a huge table, which would easily cater for the largest of family outings.

Back on the ground floor, I was tempted by the mussels and my wife opted for the scallops.

My shellfish came in an absolutely delicious, creamy, Thai coconut sauce, which had a real spicy kick to it.

The mussels were warm and plentiful (and didn’t last long) and afterwards I couldn’t help but tuck into the sauce.

I was impressed, but my missus was even more delighted by the queen scallops, served in the shell with truffled potato puree and herb crust. Great taste and value.

The fillet steak caught my eye for the main, but it was the rib-eye I went for. My wife opted for the breast of corn-fed chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce and saute potatoes.

They soon arrived and my steak was a fair size, cooked medium rare as requested. It was tasty, with a fatty vein giving it that extra bit of flavour. I was also happy with the Cajun sweet potato chips, which were gorgeously fluffy with a crisp skin.

There were four of five of these little beauts, which went down well after being dipped in the accompanying chive Hollandaise sauce.

I had a little taste of the wife’s meal and the chicken was so succulent. Both mains came with a selection of winter vegetables, including parsnips and sprouts.

So far, so very very good. Therefore, it was a bit of a shame when both desserts didn’t quite live up to what had come before.

My treacle and pecan tart, served with vanilla pod ice cream, was pleasant enough, although the pastry base was a bit too chewy.

The warm chocolate pudding, served with rich chocolate sauce and clotted cream, which my wife ordered, was again okay. Yet the sponge wasn’t that moist or tasty.

Still, the dissatisfaction at the end didn’t leave too bad a taste in my mouth. Overall, it was a very enjoyable experience at Billericay’s latest upmarket eatery.

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