22nd April 2007
Oh, trendy vintage chic cafe activity in Southend? Well I never.
Well. I am surprised. Being born, bred and raised in southend on sea (a wee seaside blackhole in the south eastern corner of essex), I believed it to be merely a mess of bad haircuts and rude faces and that little would ever change.
Well, perhaps the tide is turning...
Specimen a) is The Horrors. Everyone's heard of them now, I'd imagine. But rumour has it that whilst I was gallivanting around London town, they were starting a "art-goth-rock" movement in my hometown. I was only alerted to this by a Guardian article, which almost certainly spelled it's death. But that doesn't matter - what does matter was that something vaguely relevant happened in a place that I believed to be as relevant to contemporary culture as the size of Jordan's breasts are to Will Self's intellect.
Specimen b) The Glasshouse. Now, this is by no means as cool, and having only been back home a few times in the 8 or 9 months, I can't say whether this is a one off or part of a growing trend. It's basically a really nice cafe, wonderfully decorated with the kind of nice "vintage" furniture and pretty statuettes that wouldn't look out of place in the cafe at Liberty's. But, most exciting of all it has a grandfather clock and knight of armour! All set against pure wooden white walls, exposed brick wall and, at the back, a glass ceiling. For a town where that has it's own unique form of Chlamydia, this is physically brilliant.
And the food? Well, it's well presented, a good selection of modern cuisine, maybe slightly french-influenced in places. I had the sea bass with asparagus and puff pastry and I almost wet my pants. Delicious, perfect, and complimented by a wonderful glass of Pinot. My friends tucked into risotto so rich she couldn't stop grinning and a bangers, mash & onion rings combo that was the only disappointment on a delightful saturday lunchtime.
All in all, it's a lovely little place that allows you to escape from the horrors of the high street and enjoy some excellent food and stylish surroundings.
Booking is probably required in the evening, but the place is surprisingly large (featuring a downstairs and private dining room too) so you will probably be able to chance it quite successfully.
So, something is happening in Southend. I would've killed for a cafe like this when I was living there. Next they'll probably open a contemporary art gallery with pieces by local people "healed" by Resonance FM, whilst Jarvis Cocker will executive produce a film about gorwing up in Tracy Emin's Stomach , which is exactly like Southend Pier. The only way is up.
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