‘My Kitchen’ Review

February 24, 2016 by Rich - Foodie Reviewer

‘My Kitchen’ Review

It's Lou's birthday! I'm not going to share her age for the world to see, that wouldn't be kind; I'm much more of a gentleman. But, let's just say she is fast approaching that milestone I think we all struggle with. To give you a clue, complete this well known age related saying, 'life begins at...'? Well there you go, I've almost given it away, she's gonna kill me! Lou is rather inconsiderate having her birthday in February; it’s always a little tough on the old purse strings. I mean, I've just totally overspent at Christmas, and without any time to replenish my meager bank balance, it's Lou's birthday! But I won't complain too much, as birthday celebrations always involve two of my favorites; eating and drinking!! What better excuse do we need to pop out for some birthday grub on a Tuesday evening? Yep, I know, Tuesday, what a naff day to have a birthday! But hey, I can't remember the last time we went out for dinner on a Tuesday!

Lou also shares her birthday with some rather famous people. Actors such as Joe Pesci, Mia Farrow and lets not forget the football manager Gordon Strachan!! But also a good friend of ours, Chris. As Joe and Mia were up to other things, we decided to pop out for a bite to eat with Chris and his wife Ruth; a double birthday celebration! Lou’s sister and her husband decided to join us too. Being a School night none of us wanted a heavy one, lets save the real celebrations for the weekend. So where do we go? Any one who may have wandered along Hamlet Court Road in recent years would probably remember the Nosherie. A pretty ‘run of the mill’ café, serving up breakfasts and lunch, nothing to write home about there. However, a few years ago it was given a make over and became ‘My Kitchen’. A smarter looking café, and quite a nice place for breakfast and a cuppa. Not content, these guys decided to go one step further, subsequently opening another ‘My Kitchen’ directly next door. Now, this caught my eye. This was a full blown licensed restaurant, open late where you can enjoy three courses and a bottle of wine.

My Kitchen has been open for sometime now; I’ve never been, to be totally honest, it’s never really appealed. Not for any reason I suppose, I’ve just always fancied going elsewhere. But, I had it on good authority from my foodie comrades it was good. They all thought it a great place for a bit of informal Birthday grub. It probably wouldn’t have been my first choice for a celebratory dinner; I’m always open to suggestions though. Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it and all that, so why not!

We arrived, and the restaurant was a little quiet, only a couple of other diners, but I guess it was a Tuesday, and I am sure the six of us will liven the place up after a couple of glasses. Shown to our table for 6, the very friendly lone young waitress quickly distributed the menus, and took our drinks order. Ok, so far so good, you know I can often be put off by not having that all important drink to sip whilst perusing the menu, I was in need of first pint refreshment after all. So the all important menu, which is quite a lengthy volume! I reckon I could have got through 2 or 3 pints whist reading through this. Classic starters such as, soup of the day, mussels, bruschetta’s, baked camembert, where all present and correct. The mains? An array of choices here; pies, skewers, burgers, steaks, ribs, fajita’s, peri peri chicken, pizza’s, pasta, seafood, and salads. Gosh, try reading all that without taking a breath! Where the hell do I go, this was a little overwhelming to be honest.

Just to digress slightly, have you heard of ‘Gyms Kitchen’? A small chain of restaurants tailored towards those who watch what they eat. A firm favorite amongst the ‘Towie’ crowd. Whether you are looking to slim down or bulk out, they’ve got you covered. I’m sure some would argue; if your going out for dinner why bother worrying about it, just let yourself go. But, if you are a gym bunny, it’s nice to know the chefs on your side! Well, My Kitchen could be our local answer to Gyms Kitchen, as in the back of this menu you’ll find ‘Gourmet Nutrition’. Two pages of food for the body builders and health conscious amongst us. Everything from protein pancakes and egg white omelettes for brekkie, to healthy burgers and chicken for dinner. Against each dish, is detailed its protein, carbohydrate and calorie content, so you know exactly what your scoffing down ya mush! Impressive I thought, as I do like to make healthy choices whenever possible, its not all pies and herbed butters for me don’t you know.

What did we all order? For starters I had the Mozzarella, Parma Ham, Tomato and Basil Tower. Not bad at all, just a simple fresh starter. So, Going round the table, calamari with garlic mayo, prawns in sweet chilli sauce for Ruth and Chris. Lou and her sister shared a rather large plate of calorific cheesy nachos (piggies!!). But, my brother in law, Karim, went for my food nightmare; breaded goat’s cheese. Quite simply, I cannot stand goats cheese. Any food that actually smells of the living beast shouldn’t be allowed. Trust me, if you ever find yourself within close quarters to a goat, give it a little sniff, they smell of goats cheese; rank! Yep, I agree it sounds a little odd, but its true. All the starters looked tasty, and nobody had any complaints. Even the goat’s cheese looked all right, topped with fig chutney and beetroot, shame my food nemesis lay hidden beneath the golden crispy crumb.

I thoroughly enjoyed my main too; Tzatziki steak. Just a tender grilled steak, wholemeal pitta and homemade tzatziki, simple but tasty and healthy. Again, a quick tour around the table, Rib Eye steak, curly fries and blue cheese sauce for Karim, homemade fish cakes for Ruth, seafood spaghetti for Chris, beef Fajitas for Lou’s sister Lorraine, and probably the dish I was most impressed with, Lou’s superfood burger (from the gourmet nutrition menu!) An almost guilt free steak mince burger in a wholemeal bun with avocado, beetroot, red pepper, spinach and onion. It was huge, juicy and very tasty. This alone will definitely draw me back. I didn’t get a chance to pinch a taste of all the dishes, but as with the starters, no complaints. Pudding? Not for us tonight, but no nonsense delights such as chocolate brownies, apple and berry crumble can be had, and served with local Rossi ice cream, well done. The cost? £65 a couple, and that included drinks, and we didn’t hold back in that department! Priced spot on in my view.

I’m often wary of a restaurant with so many choices. I mean why try and be a jack of all trades, surely a single kitchen cannot cook all those dishes, fresh and to order? I just find it simply overwhelming. But, saying that, my food was genuinely good! From what I could see around the table, the other dishes looked equally good. I’m gonna be totally honest here, I probably wouldn’t choose My Kitchen as a Friday or Saturday night treat. However, its perfect for a cheeky midweek chow down, or, if you’re going out with a crowd, I’m sure it wouldn’t fail to satisfy, as the selection is so vast! Finally, don’t forget, If you try and ‘clean eat’ Monday to Friday as often Lou and I do, My Kitchen can serve you up an almost guilt free mid week dinner, not forgetting breakfast or lunch for that matter.

You can visit My Kitchen at 159 Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff. Tel: 01702 346277

Read our @foodierich's previous reviews here https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/tag/listing/blog/restaurant-review