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Wednesday 17 February 2010

Verveine Restaurant opens to rave reviews

Our new local fine dining fish restaurant has now opened to rave reviews in Milford on Sea. Already people who have dined there are saying it is even better than Pebble Beach at Barton on Sea, & that is quite an accolade. Now of course you should not take my word for it, particularly as Stacey & David are friends of mine. Having visited the build on numerous occasions the transformation is extraordinary, Stacey’s eye for design is very impressive. However, as with most projects of this kind there was blind panic in the run up to opening. I would have course lent a hand personally, but I am more of the cerebral & arty kind. My wife however is the practical one in our family, so I sent her along to do a few hours of painting alongside Uncle John & several others. The end result was staggering as you will find when you visit. (Particularly the painting of the ‘arched window’ I have been instructed to tell you.)

I do have one complaint though. ‘My friends’ had sold out on the night we wanted to go, friends eh! Anyway, to keep myself happy I decided to gate crash their ‘opening reception’ for local hoteliers & B&B’s on Tuesday night. Free drinks & canapés is my kind of evening. (My wife couldn’t make it as she was still trying to get the smell of white spirit out of her hair.) As I had no formal invitation I told the guy on the door that I owned Chewton Glen, & he happily let me in. The amassed gathering were having a great time, so I just blended into the background & tucked into the canapés. Did you think that smoked salmon & granny smiths apples would go?, what about chocolate truffles with peanut butter? No, I didn’t either but they were amazing & the hot smoked salmon & mackerel pate was fantastic. (Yes, I did eat them in that order.) It will come as no surprise that everyone else was equally impressed & the bookings taken proved this. It was also great to have a chat with Chris Monk who had run the original Monks Fishmongers on the site for many years. Chris was thrilled with the transformation, & he was more than pleased that not only have we retained a great wet fish shop in the village, but we have also gained a great restaurant.

Last Saturday my son Matthew, took his girlfriend Kayleigh to Verveine’s for an early Valentine's treat. You would think that I would be pleased when he confidently told me that they both felt it was the best meal they had ever had. However, when I considered all of the expensive restaurants I have taken him to over the years, I was slightly annoyed that Verveine hadn’t opened sooner. Dave is without doubt an amazing chef & Stacey is passionate about ensuring everyone has a great experience. One day we will get to dine there, - that is if ‘my friends’ can fit us in, & my wife can eradicate the white spirit from her hair! http://www.verveine.co.uk/

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