Celebrity chef promises good value posh nosh

Mark Baumann opens Bourgee – the first of 15 branded restaurants – on Eastern Esplanade on Monday morning.

The first few people through the door of the former Tiffins restaurant, next to the Kursaal, will be treated to a free coffee ground from his own Bourgee branded beans.

Mr Baumann and business partners James Welling, Anthony Tropeano, and his father Dominique Tropeano – who are both also directors of Colchester Zoo – had been talking for years about opening a restaurant.

Their vision was for a place which offered the highest quality in fine dining, but was accessible to all.

After a £1million revamp of the building, which started life as the Minerva pub in 1890, the restaurant has a sophisticated feel. There is even a work of art painted by Colchester Zoo’s sealions on the wall. Steak and lobster starts at a reasonable £20, and Mr Baumann said: “People are fed up with being ripped off.

A display at the Bourgee bar, which is also open to non-diners

“Too often we accept mediocrity when we’re going out for lunch or dinner, and accept paying a certain sum of money, and we want better value.

“We considered steak and lobster to be what the majority of people enjoy, certainly steak in any case.

“Lobster, which used to be the food of the rich, will now be accessible to all.”

Although the restaurant focuses on these two ingredients, with lobster sourced from Colchester and beef from northern Spain, other dishes include various tapas, charcuterie, halibut, hamburgers – and even afternoon tea.

“Our Bourgee on the Lawn is afternoon tea, but a little bit different,”

Inside the new Bourgee restaurant

Mr Baumann added: “It’s served on Astroturf with things like sausage rolls, cloudy lemonade, a beautiful choice of teas and even a little picnic blanket.

We also have a menu for young gourmets, called Bijoux Bourgee, which serves things like fresh chicken goujons, because we think children should eat highquality, fresh food, too.”

About 40 local people are employed full and part time by the restaurant.

This number is expected to rise to as many as 60 as it settles into the Southend restaurant scene.

Mr Welling said there was no contest over where to open their first venue.

A painting by the sea lions at Colchester Zoo

He said: “We chose Southend very deliberately after a lot of background research into where our first place should be launched.

“We worked very closely with the council and looked into the significant level of regeneration that was taking place, and will take place.

“We felt it was somewhere that’s really going to be put on the map in the next few years.

“There is the potential for a topquality restaurant with sensible pricing to really strike a chord with people and we felt this was an iconic, handsome building that we could really do something special with.”

Bourgee is open from 9am to 2am every day, serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or just drinks.

BANG BANG LOBSTER SOUP

Following my tomato and chorizo gazpacho shot, which was a beautifully fresh and clean palate primer, out comes the lobster.

This small, but perfectly formed starter, is a combination of Colchester lobster tail reclining on a bed chow chow (chayote) shoots in sumptuous lobster bisque.

The “Bang Bang” bit is the cheeky addition of a mystery ingredient which, when scattered over the dish, crackles like popping candy.

Bisque is one of my favourite dishes and it doesn’t disappoint; there was just the right amount of sweetness in the lobster and the crunchy texture of the chow chow really made eating it a great tactile experience.

If you like your seafood, this one is a must.

SMOKED MACKEREL WITH CUCUMBER SORBET

I’ve been slightly greedy and had two starters. But, if the idea of a cucumber sorbet puts you off, all I can say is conquer your fears by giving it a go because it really is a revelation.

Think the slice of cucumber you get in your gin and tonic, and you’ll get the idea.

It is slightly sweet but, most of all, it’s highly refreshing and is the perfect accompaniment to the mackerel, which is itself an excellent catch, and comes with a smattering of pesto.

STEAK AND GRATIN DAUPHINOISE

Now for the big deal: A mouthwatering lump of 20-day aged Galician steak, accompanied by an indulgently stodgy tower of dauphinoise potatoes.

The first thing you notice with this dish is the smell – it’s heavenly. It’s unlike any aroma I’ve experienced from steak, which backs up the restaurant’s claim that its meat is unlike any you’re ever likely to taste.

When it comes to the eating, it really is divine.

The naturally deep, earthy flavour of the meat, cooked medium rare, is complemented by the charcoal of the grilling and finished perfectly by rocks of Himalayan mountain salt.

The texture, too, is soft enough to make it an easy chew, while still giving your teeth something to do.

The dauphinoise side is a rich, creamy, buttery, citadel of delight, with a cheesy crust and is pure comfort food.

I’m quite sure it’s no good for me, but it sure feels so darn good.

ICE CREAM SELECTION WITH CONES AND FLAKES

As a palate-cleanser, a handsome selection of ice cream appears, each in its own little square dish with a tiny cone and chocolate flake poking out.

The flavours were toffee popcorn, dolce de leche and an obscure fruit sorbet I can’t remember. Needless to say, however, they were all delicious.

The popcorn one I couldn’t place at first but, once you know what flavour it is, it becomes strikingly obvious. The dolce de leche was a soft, sticky heaven, while the sorbet nicely washed away the excess of the previous flavours.

CHOCOLATE FONDANT WITH CREME ANGLAIS, VANILLA MADAGASCAR ICE CREAM AND RASPBERRY JUS

I love chocolate almost as much as I love seafood, so this little number didn’t stand a chance.

You really can’t ask for much more from a dessert; a soft barbican of chocolate sponge surrounded by a delightful custard moat and capped with a creamy castle of ice cream.

Break into the fondant fortification and it is soon swimming in a pool of its own gooey, chocolately innards; by far the most delicious siege I’ve mounted.

Chef Ben Wells, who previously worked at the Roslyn Beach Hotel 

BEEF is at the centre of the Bourgee menu – and no expense was spared in finding what its bosses consider to be the best in the world.

Travelling to countries such as France and South Africa for inspiration, the northern Spanish region of Galicia, above Portugal, became the starting point for each and every steak served.

Mr Baumann said: “Between us in this group of directors, we’ve travelled the world looking for ideas on what we want to achieve and, when it comes to sourcing, we’re very particular about provenance and delivering the best quality.

“With the beef, we found ourselves a man in Galicia, near San Sebastian, who we were directed to through our co-ordinator Dominique, after he suggested we taste the beef.

“There’s a very good climate there for raising cattle because unlike much of Spain, it rains a lot.

“It means the grass is lush and they are breeding superb cattle – we believe it’s the best beef we’ve ever tasted.”