THE Christmas season is almost upon us, and with it comes the traditional round of meals out with friends, family and work colleagues.

This year our little gang of like-minded diners decided to head out of town to the village of Mistley.

The downside of the location is it’s not the easiest place to reach. However, that was to be the only negative in what was a truly memorable experience.

To keep it short, I’ll stick to simply describing what my wife and I ate. But you can take it from me, the food across the table was equally excellent.

I had the scallops to start and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Every restaurant seems to serve scallops these days, but sometimes they can be a letdown if they’re not fresh, or cooked with the care and attention neccessary.

My wife had the chowder, which left that warm, cosy feeling inside that you relish at this time of year.

Due to its coastal location, the menu is quite rightly dominated by fish, although carnivores need not fear, there’s still plenty for you to get your teeth into.

From the array of delights, I chose the sea bass, because I quite fancied the lentil accompaniment, while my wife chose the fish and chips.

The sea bass was excellent, but it was the lentils that really made the dish for me. I love their earthy flavour, which really adds depth to a dish. As for the fish and chips, I’d go as far to say I’ve rarely tasted better anywhere.

Moving on to dessert, it was impossible to pass over the chance to try the fantastically-named Sherri’s mom’s cheesecake.

Sherri Singleton is the proprietor and it seemed a fitting tribute to a wonderful meal to try the family dessert. Needless to say, it earned full marks again.

I also had a plateful of cantucci (delicious hard Italian biscuits), which I took great pleasure in dunking in the Italian dessert wine that came with it.

The last to leave, as I was putting on my coat, I noticed the staff putting out the cereals for the overnight guests.

Even the Weetabix looked good!

ROBIN JAMES