Mangetout Review

May 26, 2015 by Rich - Foodie Reviewer

Mangetout Review

Whilst driving along the A127, I noticed Southend Borough Council have erected a number of flags, one of which claims there are over 300 places to eat in Southend. I view that as a challenge! I really need to try and get round all of these! But this got me thinking, aren’t we spoilt for choice in our little corner of Essex. 300 eateries no less, it would take me years to get round all of these. You Just have to look back a few years to see how our local restaurant culture has evolved. Back then, the best option for lunch would have been something like Frankie and Bennys or a bite in the Weatherspoons. Please don’t get me wrong I am sure both would be good, but we now we have a multitude of different locations, from wonderful burgers to fine dining. Whilst on the subject of our evolving restaurant scene, I would like to take this opportunity to pay tribute to all the wonderful restaurant entrepreneur’s, each and every one of you have dived in head first to create wonderful dining experiences for our pleasure. I salute you all! Without your hard work and dedication, dining out would be so bland. It certainly makes my life easier as a food reviewer!

A great example of this entrepreneurial spirit is the brains behind Mangetout.
I first visited Mangetout a few years ago. These guys hit the scene blessing us with good quality burgers, hot dogs and ribs together with interesting beer, and we all know how much I love my interesting beer! It soon became one of the hottest restaurants in Southend, located in the old Buttery café premises, it wasn’t huge, and getting a table became a real struggle. Booking weeks in advance was essential. As a result of this success it was only a matter of time before these guys moved on to a bigger and better venue. Well, since the departure of Churchill’s it became apparent the perfect venue was vacant. Of course Mangetout wasted no time, and snapped up this golden opportunity to expand their empire. Since hearing this news I was itching to give the all new and improved Mangetout a go.

We decided though to give them a few months to settle down and iron out any teething problems, as you get with any new restaurant. Last weekend seemed like the perfect opportunity to head on down. We arrived for a late Saturday lunch; well to be honest it was more like an early dinner. A prompt and friendly greeting awaited us at the door, and they wasted no time in showing us to our table. Clearly, these guys haven’t held back on the quality and finish of the fit out. Two bars, exposed brickwork, cow hide chairs, it has been given a kind of modern steak house feel. The menu really reflects the décor. As you’d expect they have continued with the gourmet burger and hot dog theme, but now with chargrilled chicken dishes, fish, salads, wraps, they even have an ‘Eat Clean’ selection if you are conscious of your waistline! I really struggled here, I am a real sucker for a burger, and all the burgers sounded great, but I really felt I needed to try something a little different. Thankfully Louisa thought the same, so it was no contest really, the 20oz Chateaubriand steak to share. Various sauces are also on offer to compliment the steak such as peppercorn and bourbon bbq, we opted for the mushroom sauce. You have a choice of potato, but you just gotta have chips with steak haven’t you? We wanted a little extra on the side, and there is plenty to choose from; mac and cheese, onion rings, Brooklyn mash, bbq beans to name just a few. I really liked the sound of their chicken wings ‘double cooked and extra crispy’ served with Mangetout’s extra hot sauce, irresistible. We ordered 6 on the side.

To drink? Surely with all this meat, and feeling like I had returned to my caveman instincts it just had to be beer. What’s even better they have Brooklyn Lager on draft, so a pint each for Lou and I. Served in a proper Brooklyn glass it just makes it taste so much better.

The food arrived. Our steak was presented on a rustic board; cut in to thick slices just ready for us to share. It was tender, juicy and rare just as we ordered. The mushroom sauce on the side was creamy and very ‘mushroomy’ I guess as a good mushroom sauce should be, I don’t know why I seem surprised! The chips were good, nice and crispy, a classic steak accompaniment. The chicken wings, where do I start with these? I thought 6 wings would be just a small side dish, but these wings were huge, almost a main dish themselves. Oh well, we will just have to push on and get stuck in. I’m sure we will all agree, there is only one way to eat wings; just dive straight in. We did just that. These wings were great, crispy skin and a sticky spicy sauce. I like spice, a lot of spice, and after a couple of chomps, the heat started to kick in, nice! The downside? The mess! I looked like a three year old who’d been left alone to eat a bowl of spaghetti bolognaise, I was up to my armpits in sauce! Once we had finished, I scurried off to the toilet for a good wash. May I make a suggestion here; please could you install showers! It would’ve made things a lot easier. Saying that though, I wore a white T-shirt, and was very proud of myself, it survived totally unscathed. When our finished plates were being cleared, I had a chat with one of the waiting staff. They explained as ‘standard’ the wings are served with the 3 out of 10 spicy sauce. Apparently, those in the know, now including me, can request the ‘under the counter’ hotter sauce. The number 3 sauce was pretty hot, but I reckon I could take more, maybe not a 10, as I would imagine your eyeballs would melt out of their sockets, but I would have a go at a 5 or 6 next time. Bring it on; I feel a kind of ‘Man vs Food’ moment coming on!

At this point I owe you all an apology, to be honest I’m starting to get a little embarrassed as it feels like I have to apologise every time for not having a pudding! But we were both just too full up. The puddings did sound good though, warm cookie dough cup or triple chocolate salted caramel brownie stack they sounded superb. I am going to make a pledge; I WILL have a pudding for my next review, as I don’t want to upset those with a sweet tooth. That’s it, I’m committed now!

Our bill arrived, not too bad at £80. I guess some would argue this is a bit pricey for what is essentially steak and chips with some chicken wings, but as I always say, you have to pay for quality and that’s exactly what this was. The Chateaubriand is a special dish, often only reserved for high days and holidays! Not forgetting the wings, they were huge and delicious with a spicy sauce, which was spicy! All topped off by some great service, you soon realise where that money goes.

All paid, we decided to leave the table and get involved with a little cocktail action at the bar! There is a small bar near the back of the restaurant, with a great illuminated sign saying ‘Bar’ just so you cant miss it! We perched ourselves and perused the cocktail list whilst chatting to the resident mixologist. This guy knows his stuff, and has facial hair any moustache aficionado would be envious of! They have a cocktail list, but if you decide to go ‘off piste’ this chap will grasp the challenge, and get creative! Lou went for the Espresso Martini. I’m a bit of a sucker for an Old Fashioned, so that was me sorted. The cocktails tasted great and very moreish. We had arranged to meet some friends elsewhere later that evening, but I didn’t want to leave these wonderful cocktails. So a quick text, and our friends joined us to continue the cocktail fest for another hour or so!

The old Mangetout had a personal feel, as do most small independent restaurants. I was concerned they may have had lost this by moving to a larger, busier venue. But they haven’t, all the staff are very friendly and cant do enough for you. Don’t forget, its not just about the wonderful food, you are welcome to pop by for drinks, so not only is Southend now blessed with another great restaurant, we’ve got a new cocktail bar thrown in too!