Where I ate:
Masons,
Ingrave Road, Brentwood
I hadn’t been
to Masons for years, in fact, I don’t think I’d been since the year it opened –
I can’t even remember how long ago that was! I have to say it’s always been one
of the better restaurants in Brentwood and being on the Ingrave Road you miss
out on all the chaos of Wilsons Corner and the High Street.
I booked a
table for three, meeting with Janine and Kim (my friends from Uni) for a
post-birthday meal and long overdue catch-up. It was busy when we arrived
(8:15) and I sat in the bar awaiting their arrival; we went straight to our
table however, with no fuss. We sat next the pianist which was lovely and he
definitely added to the overall ambience. Unfortunately, being so close, it was
quite loud, which made conversing difficult.
What I drank:
Garganega
Pinot Grigio - £16.95 a bottle
Prosecco -
£21.95 a bottle
What I ate:
To start – smoked duck with rosemary parmentier
sweet potato, crisp onion rings and red wine jus
To follow – honey roasted shoulder of lamb with
mash, vegetables and gravy
To finish – maple and pecan crème brûlée
The Monday to
Friday menu is priced at £19.95 for two courses or £23.90 for three. Everything
was beautifully presented and not only looked good, but tasted amazing too. As
you can see from the picture, my main course was absolutely huge too – well
worth the money.
I opted for
the duck to begin with and it was incredible – possibly the best starter I’ve
ever had at a restaurant. The duck was thinly sliced and the smoky flavour was
amazing. The mini onion rings were so cute and I loved the diced sweet potato;
it’s definitely my new favourite vegetable.
I panicked
when choosing my main course and went of the lamb, as I’d not had it for ages.
I was, however, a little disappointed. While there was a lot there and the meat
fell off the bone, it was far too fatty. I know lamb can be, but I wasn’t
expecting it to be that much. We shared vegetables and there were plenty. I
have to admit I struggled to eat it all, but saved room for dessert – there
were so many things on the menu I had my eye on.
As everyone
knows, crème brûlée is my favourite dessert and this variation worked a treat.
The maple flavour wasn’t too overbearing, but I think the pecans should have
been chopped. I don’t really like pecan nuts, but being whole, they ruined the
texture of the texture of the dessert. They could have been mixed into the
topping, more like a brittle. However, it was very nice – and a lot better than
the previous brûlée I’d had out.
All in all,
it was a lovely evening and once we’d eaten, we moved to the bar area, where we
shared a bottle of prosecco. It was lovely to be away from the table and feel
more relaxed. We settled up at that point and with the restaurant closing at
11:30, left. I definitely recommend going to Masons if you’re in the Brentwood
area and have also heard good things about their roast dinners. There’s also a
fixed price lunch menu.
No comments
Post a Comment
Enjoyed this post? Let me know. Leave a comment, or find me on social!
Love, Lucy xx