The Peterboat is a pub owned by the East Anglia Pub Company situated in Old Leigh which is a part of Leigh on Sea near \Southend. I visited this restaurant with 2 people, Louise and Tina, last night for food and a few beers.
I am told that in the summer this pub gets very busy with tourists but on a Monday in mid march it was pretty quiet. There were 4 different ales on offer and the Brewers Gold brewed by Crouch Vale brewery was very well kept. It is the food however that really made this pub stand out. Portions were very generous and all of us were really quite satisfied with 2 courses. The food is quite traditional British fare using a touch of wine and garlic to make things a little more exotic. Starters cost £5 to £7 and mains are £10 up to £18 or so for some steaks. This is good basic restaurant food but the size of the portions are generous.
For starters, Louise had garlic prawns which were cooked in garlic and white wine. They come with their heads still on but the kitchen staff happily removed them on request. Tina and myself had Cockle Leak and smoked fish chowder. This was locally caught cockles, smoked white fish and leeks with bacon and some other vegetables in a thick soup which was more like a stew. This was served with bread. It really was a small meal in itself. We opted for the small starter portion but I understand it is available in a larger portion for a main meal. The garlic and white wine sauce used in this dish helped give it a real warm rich hearty taste with bags of flavour. I don’t generally like cockles from seafood stalls as they tend to be full of grit and they often come in vinegar which I am also not keen on. I’m glad though that I tried this dish. I understand the Peterboat is famous for this chowder and that’s totally fine by me. It’s well worth a try! It’s also worth pointing out that there is an on site cockle shed selling cockles to eat on the premises or to take away.
Other starters included white bait, soup of the day, prawn and salmon cocktail and breaded mushrooms
For the main course, Louise had a dish called Peterboat Drunken Chicken which consisted of chicken in a thick sauce wrapped in bacon. I think the sauce was quite sweet though I had so much of my own food to eat that I didn’t really try it. Tina had lamb Kleftiko which is essentially slow cooked shoulder of lamb. She said it fell off the bone and was extremely tender.
For my main course I had calves’ liver and bacon served with mash and shallot and red wine sauce. I also got a dish of vegetables containing cauliflower, carrots and spiced German style red cabbage. The liver was, as you would imagine, very tender. The bacon was of good quality and the mash was smooth and creamy. It was really like very good quality home cooking and I can’t really fault it.
Other main dishes included Lancashire hot pot, Irish stew, home made chicken pie, fish stew, fish and chips, Cajun fish cakes and belly pork. we all left the restaurant bursting full, unsure whether a sleep or a walk would be the best thing in the world! In reality, Louise and Tina had to get home to Southend and I had to get the train back to London so we walked about quarter of a mile or so to Leigh on Sea station and went our separate ways all full and happy with the meal.
I did try for dessert but they were all heavy school dinner desserts such as apple pie, fruit crumble, treacle sponge and custard, etc. there was also a gateaux I believe as well. I decided in the end I was just too full to eat anymore!
Our experience at this pub and restaurant was very enjoyable. I liked the fact that the food area was kept separate from the bar. The restaurant and bar were not far away, there was indeed an adjoining door. I do think however that keeping the bar and the food a little separate is a good idea which allows the Peterboat to be both a good pub and a restaurant so that those who just want a drink still feel quite welcome.
We were almost the only people in the restaurant though a few people did come in later on. Staff were still very attentive and helpful and they were happy to help us read the menu and answer any questions. In fact, Tina was able to read the menu but it is good that they offered.
In summary, the Peterboat should be seen as a pub with a restaurant attached. The prices are typical of a mid range restaurant and the food is somewhat better quality than typical pub food with good home made dishes served in very generous portions. We paid £33 each for 2 courses and 3 drinks each. Louise had 3 hot chocolates with whisky and Tina and myself had 2 pints of brewers gold and an Irish coffee each. I suspect the drinks would have cost about £12 a head for tina and myself with Louise’s drinks costing maybe £15 so I would say that the 2 generous courses cost us about £20 each.
Staff were helpful but then the pub and restaurant were not busy on a Monday evening. I would give this restaurant an 8 out of 10 for now. if the service remains as good when the pub is busy then it would certainly deserve a 9. There could perhaps be a better variety of starters, but this is splitting hairs somewhat. If you are in the area then the Peterboat is definitely worth a visit.
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