Restaurant review: The Last Anchor

Where I ate:

The Last Anchor, Haven Marina, Ipswich

Last Sunday was Jake’s mum’s birthday and to celebrate, he treated us all to lunch at The Last Anchor. I’d been really looking forward to it all week, as we had been there before and the meal last time was very good (also on a Sunday).

Situated on the docks, it definitely has a maritime vibe and on a sunny day, you could quite honestly be eating on the French Riviera or Med! The restaurant is light and airy and with the French doors open, was a lovely breeze – we sat inside. Since our last visit, there’s also seating outside which would have been lovely, but for the rain and stormy weather. The views are just perfect and make the dining experience all the more relaxing.

As much as I’d have loved to raise a glass to celebrate, I was driving home after, so had to stick to sparkling water. We all ordered from the Sunday menu – priced at £12.95 for two courses, or £16.95 for three.

What I ate:

Roast leg of lamb with redcurrant and mint jus, followed by lemon posset

The last time we ate at The Last Anchor, I totally lucked out the fish and chips and was almost tempted to have it again – but it was Sunday and everyone was ordering roasts, I had to follow suit. I have to say the fish and chips was probably the nicest I’d had (outside of Whitby!), so thoroughly recommended. Mum cooked roast beef the weekend before, so I went for the lamb, which was cooked to perfection: still pink in the middle, with minimal fat. It was served with roast potatoes and a giant Yorkshire, while we shared two portions of vegetables between us. This worked out well as we could help ourselves and I didn’t take too much – although we could have maybe done with a larger selection.

I didn’t feel overly full afterwards, meaning I could manage a dessert without stuffing my face and feeling sluggish. After much deliberation (there were four options to choose from), I chose the lemon posset. It arrived in a large terracotta pot, topped with blueberry jam, some mini blueberry meringues and a lemon shortbread biscuit, which looked fresh from the oven. It was quite rich and there was an awful lot of it, but it was enjoyable nonetheless. I honestly thought I was going to burst driving home down the A12!

The only thing to let it down slightly was the service, which was slow in parts. The restaurant was pretty full with a couple of larger parties, so it was understandable and it wasn’t really a problem. It was a lovely afternoon and so nice to spend some time with his family, as normally we do our own thing!

I’m desperate to have brunch at The Last Anchor, which is what I said in my last post – why hasn’t this happened!? Ha... hopefully I’ll get to go while the weather is nice!