So all I have literally heard, and seen on Twitter for the last few months is Sheesh Chigwell this and Sheesh Chigwell that. I have been to a couple of the usual haunts in Chigwell for food, including the King William which is lovely (Blog on that is here: http://confessionsofasoberessexgirl.co.uk/2014/06/29/king-william-iv-chigwell-great-food-in-essex/).

So when my friend Foreign Lauryn came down to Easter (she’s not actually Foreign, just from the North), she asked if we could go and I thought, ‘sod it, I’m always up for a kebab no matter how posh it is’.

Sheesh is a Turkish restaurant which is family run, and set in the imposing building that used to be Ye Olde Kings Head. When you arrive, the fact that you have to buzz in to get into the car park may give you a hint that is going be be an experience a million times better than popping to the Harvester for something to eat.

When we walked in we were greeted by an incredibly well dressed gentleman who showed us to the exclusive upstairs bar while we waited for our table. There’s nothing like a pre-dinner prosecco and I am pleased to report that our table was ready very quickly other wise I would of been too drunk to report on the food.

We sat in the smaller dining area tp the right of the door, which was cosy and the decor and lighting was perfect. The decor actually reminded me of Le Versace in Patong, Phuket. With garish crowns and cow print chest’s of drawers mixed with the dim lighting and log fire, the juxtaposition of brash and beautiful, Sheesh just gets it right.

There is so much choice on the menu, one day I’d like to go back and literally sample everything. I had to remind Foreign Lauryn she probably wouldn’t eat a whole lobster and to contain herself, so she went for lamb with potatoes and I went for the half chicken sheesh and half lamb sheesh with spicy rice.

The reason I went for this, as I didn’t think the portions would be too big (I only eat little and often, unless I am hungover in which case I eat large and often and would probably eat the person standing next to me if they stood still long enough to appear dead). I was definitely wrong.

The ‘half and half’ was actually ‘full kebab’ and was served with loads of different salad bits and a basket of bread. Not to mention the rice. The chicken was cooked as such that it literally ‘popped’ in your mouth, and the lamb literally fell apart quicker than Bonnie Tyler could have a total eclipse of her heart.

The rice was perfect. Some times restaurants get the wrong mixture between ‘spicy and nice flavour’ and ‘you now have no taste buds left’. The lamb my friend had looked lovely but by this time I was so full from my main I was actually having hallucinations. She opted for the Tiramasu which again looked lovely, but she couldn’t even persuade me to eat her garnish leaf as I was that full.

All in all, we only spent about £80 in there between us, which is really good for food in Chigwell. They also had an upstairs bar exclusive to diners with a live band but unfortunately we couldn’t stay for this as we were meeting a friend.

Basically, if you want to go and eat substandard food for a tenner, go to Nando’s. If you want to pay that bit extra for an all round incredible dining experience, go to Sheesh.

http://sheeshrestaurant.co.uk/