If you’re looking for a restaurant that has character, history and serves delicious high-end kebabs (and a whole lot else), then head over to Sheesh Restaurant, which is situated deep in Birds of a Feather territory, Chigwell, Essex.
The award-winning, family-run restaurant lays claim to being the second oldest pub in England, with famous visitors being Dick Turpin, Winston Churchill, Orson Welles and even Arnold Schwarzenegger frequenting the venue, although it was reopened under new management in 2014.
As you drive through the electric gates, you know you’re in for a treat; your car will be valet-parked and you saunter, as much as you can in heels along the cobbled pathway, to the entrance of the restaurant. The occasion was a belated Mother’s Day family get-together and we were warmly welcomed and sat at our table.
The interior was a little dark, although lit with candles on the tables (it would make a wonderfully romantic date venue). It wasn’t long before an attentive waiter came along to take our drinks requests and we decided to order our meal straight away. We all ordered cocktails, I went for a Strawberry Daiquiri which was delicious. It was sweet and fresh. A quick look at the menu showed no prices, this should tell you all you need to know about the establishment.
Between us we ordered starters (A large Karisik Meze) a mixed selection of homemade dips, which came with fresh baked assortment of different breads), Kalamari and Shrimp Saganaki. Everything was cooked to perfection and whetted our appetite for more.
For mains, I ordered the Lamb Sis (marinated cubes of lamb on skewers) and a side of chips. My mum ordered Levrek (a whole wild seabass), which looked impressive to even me, a non-fish eater. She said her fish was tasty, light and fluffy.
A word of warning, even though it was a late lunch and we were all pretty ravenous, the portions are humongous, and none of us managed to finish our meal, not for lack of trying. My lamb was scrumptious, well-seasoned and full of flavour. It came along with a veritable garden of vegetables along the side.
Needless to say, none of us were able to squeeze in a dessert, sad face!
A quick look around at the other diners showed no surprises, well-off Essex crowd. There is a strict ‘dress up’ no trainers rule. The no children policy also ensures a sophisticated and chilled out vibe. Initially I was a bit negative about this, but in the end, it was a great to have a lovely meal sans playing the usual attentive mum role. Not every day hanging out with the kids!
Although we were given the usual 1.5 hours’ time to eat our meal, this was more than enough. We eventually ventured out to the courtyard and the comfy seating, sculptures and art made an excellent backdrop for the numerous selfies and pics which inevitable comes when I hang out with my family.
Thumbs up from me!
