Monti Ristorante Italiano — Restaurant in England

Disappointing! I am giving two stars due to the service, which was brilliant. Otherwise it would've been one, since there are no lower ratings to describe the food. The service, once again, was brilliant, but in shocking contrast with the food. Not only the quality was unbelievably poor, but the taste was worse than a canteen, although the food in the latter is arguably better. I have been served 3 king prawns as a starter (£9.98), which I later identified as coming from the stew that was to come later, instead of the pan fried ones in garlic and parsley with a touch of brandy/cognac, as the menu indicated. My wife had the deep fried lamb chops as a main which were well overcooked and over salted. Hence the missing salt and pepper mills from the table, since the cook made sure they are salty enough. Back to my pan fried bathed in brandy prawns. Despite the assurances of the very friendly co-national bartender, who indicated that the food is fresh, I have my reservations regarding the prawns, since they were breaking up from the shell in tens of pieces. With the veins in, I must add. I am adding all these details because I was drawn to this location by the extremely good reviews who made me hope that it might be true. And I also believe that people need to know what to expect. The food was nothing close to an Italian cuisine experience, which you'd expect for the price paid. Although there were three of us, we only had two starters and two mains between us, with two pints and an alcohol free bottle that set us back £80. Plus £5 as a tip for the service, which again, was spot on. The other starter was the mussels in sauce which I suspect, and you might have guessed right, were coming from the same pot where the stew was prepared. I admit the kitchen prepares the sauces in advance for certain dishes, but I don't need a bouillabaisse instead of pan fried prawns flambeau in cognac, nor a stew with only mussels as a starter. These should be dishes made on the spot from scratch, since they only need to stay in the pan or pot respectively no longer than 5 minutes. If they get a chef instead of a cook, they might reach their target to correctly relate to their undeserved high rating, which is totally misleading and inaccurate. And after all, my main, a very nice idea for a dish otherwise (a canoed sea bass with fish stew) came with another prawn on top, just like the ones I had for my starter, with the very same mussels my cousin had as a starter and a few rings of squid. There's your fish stew for £24.99. Such a shame, as the place...

Finally I went to Monti restaurant after that I heard so many good comments. It is no easy getting satisfied when you have very high expectations on Italian flavours, but Monti restaurant even surpassed them! At the entrance you immediately have the feeling of taking a step into Italy ( I come from Rome) in a nice an cosy restaurant. In the hall there was a representation of the Nativity crib entirely made with homemade sweets ( I went there during Christmas holiday). This was a very good clue of what is their speciality if you had a doubt. We had some starters of fish very tasty and light. Then the children ordered pasta with mussels and another portion of bolognese. Both were very good and enjoyable. Me and my friends had differerent kind of fish (cod, bass and soup) for main accompanied with vegetables. All the disches were well cooked and full of flavours for the joy of the palate! The atmosphere was superb and owners and waiters very friendly and empathic putting the customer in the core of their business. Eating in such environment is without any doubts the added value and the most powerful ingredient for having an extraordinary experience: a wonderful travel through the Italian flavours. As anticipated, we understood since we stepped in this restaurant that we had to save room for the sweets. The results again didn't betrayed the expectations. Tiramisu and biscuits made the job. We had the variety of cannoli, sfoglia, pistachio cream. Everything homemade. Another pleasure for eyes and palate. We spend two quality hours with family and friends feeling in Italy and everyone was satisfied and happy! Owners Enrico & Sabrina made the dream. If you miss Italy go in their Monti restaurant and have a taste of the ancient food tradition that a family business had revived...

While not in the centre of Southend, this restaurant is only a short walk (or drive with parking on street) and well worth a visit. As an independent Italian restaurant run by an Italian family, their food is authentic and delicious.

For starter I tried Zucchini Ripiene off their specials - this is courgette stuffed with beef mince, oven cooked and served with pomodoro sauce and mozzarella. Portion size was good, everything was seasoned nicely and tasted great; the photo may make it seem like there was a lot of sauce but it was about right. My main was also off their specials - at Italian restaurants this is usually a good way to try traditional dishes less common in this country. I chose the Spaghetti Al Granchio; this is spaghetti, crab and garlic with a bit of pomodoro sauce. The crab meat was a mixture of white and brown and properly shelled; it's not often I get the claws but actually easy enough to eat off. The dish contains chilli but more for heat and flavour so didn't overpowering any flavour. There was a lot on the plate so definitely filling and good value for money; highly recommend this dish if you like crab. For dessert I fancied something fruity (it helps cleanse a mouth after chilli) so the waitress recommended Frittelle de Mele; deep-fried apple doughnuts on crema pasticcera (the Italian version of crème pâtissière). Fruity and refreshing this dish is a really nice way to finish the meal.

This restaurant is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor in Southend and I can see why. With great food and really friendly staff it's a great evening experience and somewhere I look forward to returning to the next...