The Flamingo

In the delightful seaside town of Holland-on-Sea, the rose-pink Flamingo overlooks the vibrant promenade. On arrival, we were greeted by the smiley staff, whilst mellow music played in the background; the scene was set for a lovely, laid-back evening.

To begin, I enjoyed the delicate goat's cheese tartlet wrapped in Parma ham, which was nicely crisp yet smooth and velvety in the middle and was offset beautifully by sweet plum and chilli jam. My companion selected the garlic mushroom, served with lashings of garlic and parsley butter which begged to be mopped up by the crusty bread. For mains, my generous portion of tender venison with rich red wine gravy, creamy mashed potato and vegetables was simply divine. The fresh, local seafood platter was served up to my partner, featuring smoked salmon, mussels, king prawns and a whole crab, with a colourful salad and hunks of bread.

Chilled profiteroles, presented with chocolate cross-hatching and enhanced with mint and salt, rounded off my meal perfectly, while my partner opted for a decadent tiramisu with a choice of sauces - the wild berry was particularly excellent. Every Friday is steak night, and we can't wait to return to sample two steak dinners and a carafe of wine for just £20