ON our arrival at Bourgee, in Chelmsford, we were greeted at the door by a friendly member of staff who took our coats and, as we had arrived early for our booking, escorted us upstairs to wait at the bar.

All of their cocktails sounded amazing and, when I struggled to decide which to have, the lovely bartender gently nudged me in the direction of their raspberry pornstar martini – served with a shot of pink fizz on the side the drink was bursting with fruity flavours and had just the right amount of “kick”.

Down in the restaurant, the menu was huge; we decided to take our time with choosing so mulled it over with some olives and some amazingly lobster, langoustine and cheese-filled profiteroles – the little puffs were the perfect little taster to get us in the mood.

After taking some recommendations from our waitress – who was friendly, chatting and helpful without being over attentive – I decided to go for the lobster bisque with Dublin Bay prawn risotto while my boyfriend chose the tempura soft shell crab.

My starter was delightful – piping hot with a creamy flavour and a decent amount of seafood it was all I could do not to shovel it down as quick as I could. My boyfriend’s soft shell crab was also delicious – a little greasy for my taste but then I’m not a massive fan of tempura but it was right up his street. It also came with a side of mojito mint mayonnaise which was so good I was tempted to just eat it out the tub with a spoon.

Our starters were followed by a raspberry vodka sorbet shooter and lemon and lime sorbet shooter, which our waitress had recommended to “cleanse our palate”; both were delicious and icy cold, a nice contrast to our hot starters. The vodka one was the clear winner, disappearing in a matter of minutes but the lime was refreshing and got out taste buds tingling.

When we ordered our mains, the waitress had brought over a huge meat platter to demonstrate what cuts of meat were available and what would be best depending on how you like it cooked. Having spoken of my love of steak the waitress recommended the rare fillet – and how right she was! It came out tender and cooked exactly as I like it, with dauphinoise potatoes and greens while we had also ordered a side of asparagus – again, cooked just how I like it, with a nice bit of crunch, and tomato and onion salad.

My other half had gone the whole hog and ordered one of the large Bourgee-style lobsters – this was a whole split lobster - which had already been prepared so no messy fingers! – and which came with a cheese sauce, shallots and woodland mushrooms.

It was – in my boyfriend’s words – the “best lobster I’ve ever had” and I echo the sentiment. I was never that bothered by lobster as I’ve been put off by having to faff around to get to the meat but now I’m converted!

We were completely stuffed after our main so rather than have desert opted for an Oriental Beauty tea – which “flowered” on contact with the boiling water – a lovely way to round off a perfect meal.

It was definitely the best meal we had had in ages and – although I think it is a bit pricey for a normal night out – would be a wonderful way to celebrate a special occasion.

Verdict Atmosphere 4/5

Food 5/5

Service 5/5

Decor 5/5

Value 4/5

The bill Lobster, langoustine and cheese-filled profiteroles - £4

Harissa spiced market olives - £3

Lobster bisque with prawn risotto – £8.50

Tempura soft shell crab - £8

Raspberry vodka sorbet shooter - £3

Lemon and lime sorbet shooter - £2 F

illet steak - £29

Bourgee lobster - £49 A

sparagus £3.5

Bottle of Malbec - £22

Oriental Beauty tea - £4.50

Charlotte Austen-Hardy