Dinner at the Grand Hotel, Mirabelle Restaurant, East Bourne Review by Esther Austin

SATURDAY 5TH NOVEMBER - DINNER

The Grand Hotel - East Bourne: One of the best Fine Dining experiences I've ever had.

This was a surprise billed into my East Bourne stay. I had no idea what to expect, but what I did know is anything organised by Mr Tony Jazz from Butlers of Mayfair, would always have that special touch and etiquette. I was not wrong. Once again it was a blustery evening, to be expected at this time of the year, and the walk from the hotel to The Grand took about five minutes, so it wasn't that painful. The external structure of the Grand was indeed, Grand. It was striking in presence, huge and held the air of significance and splendor. It's 'affectionately known as The White Palace'.

We were a little early for dinner, so we went to the bar which had a wonderfully calming ambiance. It wasn't particularly full, just conveniently so to enjoy and indulge in a pre-dinner drink.

The waiters and waitresses diligent in serving customers, were helpful and attentive to us. I ordered sparkling water, whilst Mr Tony Jazz ordered a glass of wine. We were also given some snacks which went down well. Once again, I was struck by the ambiance of this grand old building. I'm an old soul and it all felt very nostalgic to me. From the decor i.e the wall paper, the furniture created the atmosphere that was resplendent of a building such as this and its given name.

We were then ready for Dinner and escorted by one of the Waitresses to The Mirabelle Restaurant. As soon as I walked into the space, it felt familiar. It held a warm welcoming embrace and in the background, Evan, the pianist serenaded the evening into motion, with many old classics, that I remembered from many of the old black and white movies. We were ushered to our table, napkins placed on our laps and our adventure began. Fine Dining etiquette at its best.

It was difficult to choose our meal as there were so many wonderful dishes, and to be honest I'd never ever heard of many of them, but we took good counsel from the Head Waiter. I ordered for starters 64 Degree Duck Egg Yolk*** Broccoli Puree, Tenderstem, Smoked Duck Ham, Pickled Shallot Rings, Crispy Onions, Toasted Brioche. For my main South Down Venison Duo, Rump & Venison Pie, Caramelised Onion Puree, Pickled Walnut, Sprout, Girolle, Red Mouneyrac, Port Jus with side dishes of Green Bean Salad-White Balsamic & Miso, Roasted Sweet Potato Mash Chickpea & Olive Oil (M) Creamed Spinach-Nutmegand. Tony Jazz's starter was Sussex Smoked Haddock , Welsh Rarebit Topping, Fish Velouté and his main Herdwick Lamb Cutlets , Chervil Root Puree, Sweetbread & Ricotta Croquette, Courgette, Smoked Anchovie, Lamb Sauce. In between all the above, we were both served with two slices of handmade bread with a lovely type of clotted butter. Absolutely delicious. Just the way mother used to make bread. Soft and buttery, handmade rich and creamy. We grudgingly, our stomachs protesting, but dessert happily decided to go for dessert, one that we could share between the both of us and decided to go for a selection of Pacotised Ice Creams & Sorbets , Shortbread Crumb, White Chocolate and Black Sesame Tuille. I could barely sit straight after, but it was well worth being slightly gluttonous at the time, because the food was so maddeningly delicious. After all this was one of those experiences where the loosening of one's belt was a must.

Overall, the whole experience was wonderful and The Grand is certainly a place I would love to go back to experience more of their culinary delights. To those who served us, they were hospitable and shared their knowledge and expertise of the process as well, as making welcomed suggestions from the menu, this is a restaurant I would definitely visit again and recommend.

. Tony Jazz and myself ended the evening at the bar, to chill, to allow our food to settle, whilst reminiscing of our time. The Grand is a definite must for all those who seek exclusive Fine Dining experiences.

We will be arranging Afternoon Tea there shortly so watch this space. A great place for a day out and then Afternoon Tea after.

The Mirabelle Restaurant Manager is Martin and his front-of-house team consists of Ronnie, James and himself. You then have Michael our Mirabelle Head Chef and his kitchen team consists of Lucas, Fillipe, Amy and Ryan. Evan is our Pianist on a Saturday Night.

https://www.grandeastbourne.com/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAsoycBhC6ARIsAPPbeLvuZT1Qz_DdBiVaFOSkIcswBYB4mU89rwX0Gqja85IfviubnYF_lcEaAlqZEALw_wcB https://www.butlersofmayfairbespokeevents.co.uk/