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Restauranteering runs through Alec’s blood, having
been in the trade over 30 years. Alec had owned and
run the successful Smith’s restaurant in Ongar for
fifteen years. Alec’s is actually named after both
his father and grandfather. His father was also a
restaurateur; prior to that he’d been a porter at
Billingsgate fish market, just like his father before
him. Black and white photographs of his father and
grandfather on the restaurant walls remind diners
of this heritage.
The restaurant has been carefully designed to ensure the
operation runs as smoothly as possible. Everything has
been well thought out, from the natural light flooding
into the kitchen to freshness of the fish on the menu.
Wine is a significant feature of the dining experience.
Next to the bar a Sorrells display case showcases their
wine selection. The bottom half is refrigerated and acts
as an overflow storage area to a larger cellar downstairs.
The top half allows the bottles’ labels to be displayed
which helps diners select their wines. “Sorrells are a
wonderful firm,” says Alec, explaining that they
installed the display case just as he wanted it and were
very accommodating.
Here at Alec’s wine lists are offered to all members
of a dining party: he believes it important to make
everyone feel part of the experience. The wine list is
also intentionally slimline so guests don’t spend a
long time studying the selection. Making the choice
easy means guests have more time to enjoy themselves.
There is an elegant and relaxed area upstairs to cater for
pre-and after-dinner cocktails and champagne, which
can be sipped whilst listening to the in-house pianist.
The wine list is constantly evolving in line with
trends and a quirky element is brought to the selection
to keep it fresh. Favourites include Picpoul de Pinet,
Albarino and Margaux. Guest wines are regularly
rotated and the house wines are of a similarly high
quality. It’s a wine list that is constantly evolving
and changing.
Alec says that in the five years the place has been open
the response has been overwhelming. Now with 80 staff,
it has the reputation for being one of the best restaurants
in Essex and is often compared to Scott’s of Mayfair.
“I love what I do. It’s my life. I go to bed thinking about
it and wake up thinking about it. We are all passionate
about it.”