Sunset Italian Restaurant South End

Residents of Southend will have to forgive me for having a cliched view of this popular seaside town. Well, despite the amusement arcades and the ubiquitous fish and chip shops, I was to discover a very different culinary scene which frankly left me feeling a bit of an ignorant twit, equalled only by my complete joy at finding a culinary jewel.
This cosy Italian called Sunset was run by a friendly and welcoming crew, set in a quiet spot very close to the sea. They offered a set menu (although not available on Fridays and Saturdays) which included a glass of wine for £20. I kid you not. Where in the UK would you be charged twenty quid, unless you time travelled back to the seventies?
Anyway, I ordered the mussels marinara and the seabass which was served with a spinach mash and a delicate, buttery sauce, topped with a pile of rocket.
I could not fault either dish. It was just bonkers, in a really fantastic way. The tomato sauce served with a generous portion of large mussels was a perfect balance of sweetness and acidity and the fish, flaked onto the fork with a dollop of the mash and sauce was almost too good to be true.
I don’t really know how they do it, but for the price I have never eaten so well.
The atmosphere was jolly, the waiters were charming and I just take my hat off to them. I left almost incredulous and with a grin into which you could have shoved a saucer.
Sunset Italian Restaurant
208 Eastern Esplanade
Southend on Sea
SS1 3AD
01702 831010