Haywards Restaurant

It gave me great pleasure that i was able to continue my support for the hospitality industry and even more so on saturday when I returned to visit my very good friends at Haywards in Epping. It was not only very nice to see everyone again but also to enjoy once more the amazing food created by Chef Patron Jahdre and his team. We arrived on saturday and as we entered received a fabulous welcome back before being escorted to our regular table. The restaurant have made all the changes to make it feel as normal as possible during this current situation. There was a hand sanitizer on the front desk and in fact they had put one on each table. The staff themselves were all wearing face shields although necessary just made it a little difficult to understand at times but then at the moment safety is the main priority. They also managed to space the tables in the restaurant out quite nicely which allowed for plenty of room between each one. So yes I’m delighted to report it’s all good here. So now on to the food itself. We were shown the menu which like other places we’ve been to is a bit smaller than usual but actually this didn’t matter to us as we were told that chef had created for us a special Tasting Menu to which we very happily accepted. After enjoying some fabulous snacks we moved to our first course which really did refresh the palate. It was an Oyster topped with cucumber , dill & apple that was just sublime. This eased us into the next course which was a highlight of the day. The Kohlrabi , egg yolk , green bean , almond salad with a lemon emulsion was a taste sensation. We then moved on to the Duck Rillette with brioche , roasted pineapple , pineapple gel and a homemade piccalilli.

Oyster

Kohlrabi

Duck Rillette & Homemade Piccalilli

Next to arrive was the fish course which was Plaice , chicken wing , leeks , new potatoes & pickled celery and a delight it was to. Now we moved to the main course of Lamb Three Ways. First a rack of lamb then a shoulder terrine and finally a confit belly accompanied with courgette , peppers & black olive.

Plaice

Lamb

After a little rest it was dessert time which we started of with a delightful pre dessert of Elderflower Ice Cream & raspberry. This led us nicely onto a new dessert creation from pastry chef Luke an Apple Mille Feuille with spiced creme diplomat , caramelised apple & puree with apple sorbet. It was just devine and the pastry was absolutely perfect.

Pre Dessert

Apple Mille Feuille

So that was it or that’s what we thought when another fork & spoon appeared on the table and when we looked at the waitress she just laughed and said oh by the way just a little something extra. Well it was another stunning dessert that appeared. A Mango Mousse with a mango & lime sorbet and lemon curd simply delicious.

Mango Mousse

Now that really was it a fantastic tasting menu was finished. It was then nice of Jahdre to come out and have a coffee & petit fours with us so that we could have a bit of a catch up. It was amazing to be back at Haywards especially as you know how much we love this restaurant. The food never disappoints and you also receive nice friendly and efficient service from the team of young staff. So your not surprised when I say once more that I would highly recommend a visit here as to me it is the best restaurant in Essex. Already looking forward to seeing them all again very soon.

Petit Fours