Jessica’s place — Restaurant in Tendring

Jessica’s Place - Who shot the Chef ? - Too much flavour! Is there such a thing?

It’s good to try and support new local businesses. And it’s also nice to see younger people running their own restaurant. But that’s where the nice stops! The place looks ok - But looks too are just a small part of the equation.

The Cajun chicken was as hot as any vindaloo I’d ever tasted. You could tell from the chunks of chicken on the plate that they’ve been cooked and then liberally smothered with far too much Cajun spice. Wait for it... usual answer when you mention it ‘oh that’s how we always do it’

Now let’s get to the liver and bacon! Not much liver on the plate, what there was comprised of some small chunks of liver swimming in gravy – And the bacon was mostly fatty bits.

As we amateur cooks know, you put the bacon in to give it a slightly salty taste. But again the chef (who was a lady) must’ve decided that half a pot of salt extra might be needed to bring it up to speed, (well at least that’s what it tasted like). Definitely not for those on low sodium diets.

Both the boy and the girl seemed well versed in apologising. Two reasons we went here it’s good to support local businesses and our usual restaurant was closed.

Can you give a score of less than 1 out of 10? Even that would be overdoing it, really disappointing and I got to the point where I would’ve gladly paid £10 not to have to eat the food which is what basically what...

Food: The food was very nice. Some confusion on what was available since there was old menus out for some reason. My partners food was delicious. Both the food was well presented. My beans were barely warm but that’s my only complaint. The Panini came with salad and crisps which I thought was amazing.

Waiting time: Short waiting time. We came at lunch and expected a longer wait but was relatively short. Wasn’t busy at this time.

Atmosphere: The design of the cafe is very unusual. There is paintings of naked women on the wall as well as a kids reading area nearby. The music was too loud, was difficult to make conversation due to this. The layout of the tables were unusual too. I feel like there isn’t a clear overall theme of the area.

Staff: Staff were polite, some confusion when ordering but nothing major. Seemed nice, no major overall interaction.

Pricing: I feel like the menus needs to be completely redone. There is no clear sectioning on food. For example there was dinner food next to lunch food. Pricing was good. We were both pleasantly surprised by the portion.

Overall review:

I would give this place a 7/10. This cafe has been here for a while and just needs to get things arranged better for it to gain a higher score. I feel like it’s a nice cafe to go...

Upon arriving at 3 o'clock, we noticed the cafe closing at 4. Initial ordering went smoothly, but when the remaining family arrived five minutes later, the lone staff member, a blonde woman, urged them to order quickly, citing an early closure due to her birthday. This created discomfort as we would have chosen another place had we known about the early closing. The worker's audible frustration, slamming of doors, and comments about wanting to finish work added to the awkward atmosphere. The rushed service impacted the food quality, considering the high prices. Addressing staffing concerns and reminding employees to maintain professionalism could enhance the overall experience for customers. Unfortunately, this unpleasant encounter discourages any future visits...