Not many dinner reservations require me to check the tide tables first, but getting to Stark, a small, tasting menu-only restaurant on Mersea Island in Essex, on a full moon or a new moon when the Strood causeway is flooded can be a bit tricky.
We made the trek one Saturday evening, and were originally booked in for 6pm, until the Crittendens called to ask if we’d not prefer to eat later, because we’d be dining alone, a sweet attention to detail that only small operations such as this have time to pick up on (see also the Troublesome Lodger in Marlow).
The couple, seeking a better work/life balance, upped sticks here to the Côte d’Azur of Colchester, to open this brand-new Stark, which has slightly more covers (20 or so) and is, frankly, about as “independent” as a restaurant can get.
Stark by Ben and Sophie Crittenden is the latest reprise of the pair’s former 12-seater in Broadstairs, Kent.
They’ve realised the dream of fine dining without the fuss or stress.
