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St Clements Restaurant

St Clements Restaurant - www.stclementsrestaurant.co.uk

Fine dining at St Leonard’s-on-Sea.

HOT columnist Sean O’ Shea celebrates St Clement’s Restaurant, St Leonards-on-Sea and describes his own quick & easy recipe for Seafood Spaghetti.

Residents of Hastings Old Town can be a bit uppity when they compare themselves and the resources at their disposal to the more humble, and certainly less affluent, residents of St Leonards. However, St Leonards has many of its own distinct charms. As far as eateries go it is home to St Clement’s Restaurant situated at 3 Mercatoria next to the Horse & Groom – with a discrete access door in between. This, in my opinion, is one of the best restaurants in town.

St Clement’s had been occasionally described to me as posh gaffe and too expensive for the precariat. However, on visiting there recently with a friend I was very pleasantly surprised. It is certainly not the cheapest restaurant in town but it is in fact quite reasonably priced, and if you approach it with a little prudence you can have an enjoyable and inexpensive evening, and leave not only with a full stomach but with a sense that you have had a special treat and been quite spoilt.

Recommendations

The quality of the food – generally fresh local produce – which is served at St Clement’s is top notch and this in part accounts for the prices. Also the chefs and waiters are of a high quality and understand the meaning of customer care. My recommendation to those on a tight budget is to approach the menu as you might in a tapas restaurant. Select some items from the range of Starters and from the Something for the table list. Alternatively avail yourself of their special offers: weekday evenings you can have two courses for £18.50 each or three courses for £23.50. Or nip in for Sunday Lunch – a set menu at £20 for two courses and £25 for three is available including the option of traditional Sunday roast.

From the wine list the house white is the Castillo del Moro Airen Sauvignon Blanc, 2011 at £15.95. The least expensive beer at St Clements is the Peroni which at £2.95 a bottle is the same as you’d pay for bottle beer in many pubs. However, if you’re an inveterate pint drinker, you may want to opt to enjoy your pints at the Horse & Groom and then go to the restaurant for your meal confining your alcohol consumption there to just sharing a bottle of the house wine.

On my visit I choose the spaghetti with seafood, chilli, garlic, white wine & parsley. At £9.50 this is one of the more expensive items on the starter list but it is worth every penny and the helpings are generous. Bear in mind that you can pay up to £8 for fish and chips but it will not have your taste buds zinging like the multifarious delights of this dish. Also available from the starter list was duck & pork confit terrine with piccalilli & toasted sourdough at £6.50 and the Hastings fishcakes with herb & caper crème fraiche for the same price.

My friend and I had the grey mullet as our main and this was mouth-wateringly good. The overall bill came to £53 approx inclusive of wine. We had enjoyed a fine dining experience in an aesthetically pleasing environment with excellent customer service. We left determined to spread the word about this excellent eatery and return again soon.

Irish seafood spaghetti – quick and easy method

If you can’t afford to go out but would still like to enjoy a seafood spaghetti meal with a friend, read on. I am assuming a budget of £10-£12 approx which will enable you to prepare a meal for two to three people inclusive of wine plus dessert. I hasten to say that this will not be quite up to the standard of St Clement’s but will certainly bring your friend/s back for more.

Preparation and cooking time: 10-15 minutes approx

Equipment: You will need a wok, a medium sized pot for the spaghetti and a wooden spoon.

Ingredients you will need

500g pack spaghetti at @ £0.20

Frozen seafood selection @ £2.50

Desert spoon of capers

Olive oil

Oyster sauce

Encona hot pepper sauce

One large tomato, one onion finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, some slivers fresh ginger (6)

Lemon @ £0.15

French fresh goats cheese 150g @ £1.75

Crusty bloomer or French stick @£0.45

Fresh parsley, coriander or pea shoots

 

Instead of using the already mixed seafood selection you could get a bag of frozen prawns and bag of mussels separately @ £2.50 for 375g. You will need to use only half the contents so the remainder of your frozen mussels and prawns can be safely tucked away in the freezer for another day. If you are wondering what you might do with these consider seafood chowder, a stew such as bouillabaisse or seafood paella.

Alternatively you may wish to use fresh prawns and cook them as they are in their shells – after having washed them of course. It certainly adds colour and authenticity to your dish to do it this way, and there is a sort of sexual frisson involved in separating the shell folds to reveal and enjoy the culinary treat hidden within as you eat your meal. However, it depends on how intimate you wish to get with your crustaceans.

Wine:  Sauvignon is often recommended as ideal with fish however I sometimes find it a bit sour and lemony for my palate so I would go for a bottle of Retsina available at Morrisons and Tescos for £4.95. This is a dry Greek white wine with a very distinctive pine bouquet which goes very well with sea food. If your guest doesn’t turn up, you can polish off a bottle by yourself and you won’t have a hangover.

For your second course I would recommend bread and goats cheese which doesn’t involve any preparation. Some people rave about ciabatta but I find that it goes hard very quickly, is not easy on the dentures and I prefer the traditional crusty bloomer or French stick.

Concentrate

Timing and concentration are now of the essence and you really must keep your wits about you. If accidentally your spaghetti goes to mush bin it and cook another batch until you get the right al dente texture. If your guest arrives as you’re doing this get them to lay the table, pour the wine or otherwise occupy themselves for a short while. Unless you’re a natural multi-tasker don’t attempt to entertain them while you cook.

Spaghetti takes longest (10mins approx) so put that on first and check how it’s doing particularly near the end of the cooking time. Place 2oog of spaghetti in pan of boiling water –this is just under half of your packet. While it simmers defrost your seafood and lay aside. Chop your tomato, onions, garlic, and ginger. Heat wok and add splash of olive oil. When wok is hot add your ingredients. Also add dessertspoon capers, some ground black pepper, and flat teaspoon of Encona original West Indian hot pepper sauce and splash of oyster sauce or soya sauce. Gently stir the ingredients around in your wok as it fries. When the onions are translucent and just beginning to brown a little add splash of wine. Gently stir a little more and turn off heat. Your spaghetti should be done by now so strain and add to wok. Also add chopped parsley or coriander. Transfer wok to table, place some lemon wedges on top and serve.

To finish I would recommend a shot of Jameson Irish whiskey which may be delicately sipped or knocked down the hatch in one go. This is also enjoyable with some ice cream or a coffee. If your friend is still with you I can guarantee that they will have been impressed by your culinary skills. The whiskey is not budgeted for but I am assuming that, like me, you may be the sort of person who finds that life is a little easier to cope with if there is a bottle of whiskey readily available in the cupboard. You can purchase a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey 35cl on special offer from Tescos @£10.oo.

Strange guests – envy and gratitude

As to how impressed your guest will be by your personality and charisma, I cannot proffer an opinion. A safe tip however is to concentrate on being interested rather than being interesting. Basic listening skills are a powerful tool, and your guest may feel refreshed and surprised that you have demonstrated some unconditional positive regard for them, and some genuine interest in their world and their experiences.

Those of your guests who are mature and conscious are likely to leave you with a glow of appreciation and gratitude on their faces and a determination to reciprocate your hospitality.

However, there may be others who, upon experiencing the quality of your cooking and listening skills may end up crying on your shoulder.  So do have a box of Kleenex to hand just in case.

Also remember to interject with some occasional self-disclosure about your tribulations as well as your joys and achievements. If you are not currently troubled just share some misfortune from your past so that your visitor appreciates that you too are vulnerable and have had a rocky road to travel.

This will ensure that they are less likely to succumb to an uncontainable fit of rage or envy and “playfully” try to throttle you before they leave.

www.stclementsrestaurant.co.uk

SOS July 2013

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Posted 10:43 Monday, Jul 8, 2013 In: SOS

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