Chelmsford
County Hotel, Samphire Restaurant

County Hotel, Samphire Restaurant

The County Hotel Rainsford Road Chelmsford, Essex CM1 2PZ, CM1 2QD, United Kingdom

Beer • Wine • Coffee • British


"My wife and I have been to the County Kitchen a few times for their Sunday Carvery. So why, you may ask have I only given the County Kitchen 3 stars and entitled my review as lacks consistency? Well the title does say it all, it isn 't that the food and service and surroundings are bad its just that as a complete package it...........lacks consistency. Perhaps I should explain rather than repeating myself Our table was crammed in with others in the small conservatory/veranda area. It felt cramped as we were against a pillar and so close to at least 6 other diners that it felt uncomfortable and unwelcoming, especially as the rest of the restaurant was empty. Moving on to our food. We opted for starters, followed by the carvery. My wife 's starter crab haddock fishcake, with chive hollandaise was presented nicely and according to her very nice but lacked flavour . Mine was pork belly terrine and chutney my comments mirror those of my wife 's. Lacked seasoning and flavour, but looked nice. I echo Greg Wallace 's thoughts on Masterchef the other day..... ...would rather have something that tastes good rather than a dish that just looks pretty... Now the carvery you have a choice of at 3 roast meats plus vegetables and if you feeling really hungry there isn 't a limit to the number of times you can go back. But for most appetites 1 visit is enough. Being a little greedy I had a couple of slices of port with yummily crisp crackling) and some beef. The carver described the beef as medium rare my preference) but it was more like medium to well done so it was a bit tough and chewy shame as it looked a fantastic joint of beef). That finally put an end to our meal, we paid our bill £59.95 incl bottle of wine, and starters) and left. I have to say that this hasn 't been our experience on other occasions, so perhaps its was just an off day. Will we go back? Probably, but we won 't be rushing back. Its not a bad place, it just.....lacks consistency!"

The Hawk

The Hawk

Hawk Hill, SS11 7RJ, Chelmsford, United Kingdom

Pub • Steak • Vegan • Vegetarian


"We visited today and glad we had booked! We received a very warm greeting at the door and were shown to a good sized table with large comfortable chairs. Even though the beamed ceilings are low it did not feel claustrophobic. The decor is tasteful, and everywhere was clean and neat. The tables are not too close to each other and positioned so that it didn’t feel like a canteen. We were greeted warmly by a lady who took our drinks order. These arrived swiftly. Our food order was taken promptly and we were impressed that she checked for any allergies first. We went for the roast with a trio of meats. There were chicken, pork and beef. Each of these were cooked to absolute perfection. Homemade Yorkshires was a welcome change compared to most pubs. Large, crisp and light. The crackling, potatoes, stuffing, and roasted veg were all delicious. They were cooked to perfection and so well seasoned that nothing needed salt or pepper adding. We ordered the trio of veg and potatoes to share, because they sounded so delicious (and they were) but we probably didn’t need to. The BEST Dauphinoise we’ve ever had! Bottomless gravy was another welcome change. Our very friendly, efficient and helpful waitress Aimee checked back on us swiftly and then regularly. Everything was just perfect with the main course, and despite feeling full we forced down the trio of desserts to share, and the too tempting Baileys Chocolate Martini! The ambience was perfect too. No loud music or chairs scraping, due to carpets. All of the staff seemed genuinely happy to be there and our waitress Aimee is a credit to the business. (We were the party with the nippy dog sorry). The plate of treats for our dog was a lovely touch too. We have already booked for the very reasonably priced Christmas meal. If it’s this good on a busy day then we are very confident for our next visit. Highly recommended."

Shapla Indian Takeaway Chelmsford

Shapla Indian Takeaway Chelmsford

137 Moulsham Street, Chelmsford, CM27LJ, United Kingdom

Pizza • Sushi • Seafood • Mexican


"Has Something has changed at SHAPLA??..... I think so, and for the good of Moulsham! I ordered about 10 items including 2 mains, 3 sides, onion Bhaji and bread. This is probably the 6th or 7th curry I’ve taken away from here over a few years. I’ve always found it decent but no more. The staff and owners have been friendly a s courteous but the food has never been stand out to me. Until this time..IF THIS IS THE NEW STANDARD COUNT ME IN! There’s a sense of establishment about the place where traditions and skills are passed down to the young lot and so forth. And it feels, from tasting the various dishes that I ordered, that they’ve hit onto good times in the kitchen and throughout. My point is.... every dish was WELL EXECUTED. The chicken Tikka in the Dhansak was big, tender, colourful and tasted like char grilled properly. the Dhansak (without sugar as requested) was perfect, thick wet consistency with a myriad of flavours exploding in the mouth at every bite. And the vindaloo hot, tandoori chicken sashlik balti was wonderful with its mix of char singed onions and broken up pieces of tandoori chicken kicking out some serious heat on the firm. All sides were banging sag paneer was sweet coconuts and creamy cheese business. The onion Bhajiis reminded of the street food in Chandigarh when I visited once. But the standout for me was the sag aloo which was well balanced in its seasoning and freshness. A complete triumph! Let me tell ya, that doesn’t happen very often. Please please SHAPLA keep up the high standard and I’ll forever be your friend. Thank you, Chad"