Eating in Jersey

[Revoman]

I am heading off to Jersey for a couple of weeks work and wondered if anyone can suggest a "great little place" to eat decent food there. I'm not looking for a tourist retreat or somewhere particularly attractive, simply somewhere with good local food (presumeably fish) and not over-priced. A hut cooking fresh crab on the beach? You tell me.

[PoppySeedBagel]

If you're planning to go to Guernsey while you're there I can help out - let me know - or there's a good place for lobster on Sark

[Spam]

Not many hidden secrets in Jersey - it is very small afterall. Zanzibar in St Brelade is good. So is Suma's in Gorey.

Cooking for yourself in Jersey is a real treat. In case ... Beresford market in St Helier excellent for fish (esp. the brown shrimps and local diver caught scallops), and Lucas Bros in St Brelade has very good salad leaves and veg'. Midland Stores in St. Saviour is the best bet for making picnic lunches - very good bread, and really good selection of fresh fruit.

[Revoman]

Somebody has mentioned to me the Green Island Restaurant in St Clement - does this mean anything to anybody? It was suggested as being on the beach with great fresh daily specials.

[Paul de Gruchy]

Revoman,

You have come to the right place!

None of the restaurants in Jersey are world class gourmet experiences but there are a number of competent places in pleasant locations. The best food on the Island is undoubtably at Bohemia in St Helier, but it is tucked away on a busy street and the atmosphere is a bit noisy at night. the food is excellent though and there is a very good value set lunch (£17.50 for three courses). If you go on the carte the chef is a whizz with duck.

green island is very nice - I went there last weekend and the location is beautiful (right by the beach, though overlooking the car park rather than the beach). The food is very good and fairly inventive. At Suma's the food isn't as good as it used to be (the chef went to Bohemia) but the view is fantastic (it overlooks Gorey Bay and the castle) and if you can get a table on the terrace on a summer's evening with the tide coming up and get quietly sloshed it is a wonderful way to spend the night.

Zanzibar again has wonderful views (right on the beach at St Brelade) but the food is hit and miss, though the set lunch is unbelievable value for money. What else? Le Chambertin in town is a chi-chi French place with fantastic bread but the simpler downstairs is better than the posher upstairs. Nice for a bite of foie gras and a pork chop. La Capannina used to be the place and you can spot Jack Higgins in there at lunchtime but the food is 1970's Italianish. The Longueville Manor had a Michelin star until recently and is a fairly pricey hotel restaurant - good but not that memorable. The Village Bistro in Gorey is another option - again, a bargain set lunch, which is probably your best option as the carte can be variable. I live by Gorey so I tend to go to the Village, Green Island and Suma's the most. Green Island probably does the best food but sometimes one of the others pleasantly surprises. The style in all these places is fairly similar: modern, Med-ish, with a fair bit of seafood.

The only other place that springs to mind is Zest in St Aubin. It has a website but I am too lazy to find it. the food there is very inventive and competently done, but as they don't do lunches and I have a baby so don't get out much in the evening, I've only tried it once and that was a while ago. It looked - potentially - the best of the bunch.

I hope you have a good trip. There are loads of great places on Jersey to visit and you can't do much better than having a long walk, followed by a nice lunch and a bottle of wine and a snooze on the beach. Oh, and the zoo is a very nice place to take a picnic and a bottle of wine.

[howardlong]

None of the restaurants in Jersey are world class gourmet experiences

Hi Paul

I'd certainly put Longueville Manor up there as World Class, although I've not been for a year or so. Although I wouldn't call it cheap, it is good value traditional French, and is certainly haute cuisine.

Cheers, Howard

[britcook]

I'd certainly put Longueville Manor up there as World Class, although I've not been for a year or so. Although I wouldn't call it cheap, it is good value traditional French, and is certainly haute cuisine.

Longueville is excellent, expensive for Jersey but still relatively cheap by normal Brit standards. Indeed world class food with impeccable service, very friendly too. Village Bistro turns out good food for the price but avoid the coffee - dire!

[Paul de Gruchy]

There is certainly nothing wrong with Longueville and the service is fantastic but the food I find a bit lacking in inspiration. But we can agree to disagree. It depends where you live usually - if you come from the back of beyond and want a formalish eating experience it's great - if you're a Londoner you may be less convinced (that sounds patronising but you know what I mean).

What Jersey lacks to my knowledge is a spit and sawdust type of place that just does freshly cooked fish and shellfish. The sort of shack you dream of finding on a beach with a fire outside and freshly grilled whatever comes off the boats and not much else.

Suma's also does a very nice breakfast on a Saturday (that's where I've been) and they're very nice to children.

[Revoman]

Trouble is I'm not a child ...

[Jon Tseng]

Maybe you could find local abalone there? Its fished in the channel isles (called ormer) but rarely makes it to the mainland - my suspicion is the chinese get there first

J

[Paul de Gruchy]

Ormers are truly great but your chances of obtaining them are slim. I have a "friend" who gives me half a dozen once or twice a year and they are fantastic, but I have yet to see them on a menu in Jersey or at the fish market. Your best bet would be to either speak to someone at the fish market or ask any fishermen you come across (though I'm not sure of the legality of selling them). There is a fisherman's pub nearish to the harbour but I forget its name. The other thing about ormers is they tend to be caught on the big spring tides and I think they go by the normal "r in the month" rule. But they are delish, though I've never had abalone.

If you're feeling adventurous, the best meal to be had "near" to Jersey is in cancale in France at Oliver Roellinger's place, Le Maison des Bricourts. Now, that's special and not far from St Malo.

[Rusty Shackleford]

I'm in Jersey for 4 nights next week, so thought I'd give this old thread a bump and see if The Collective can come up with some up-to-date recommendations.

We're booked in at Longueville Manor and have stayed there a few times previously so we know what to expect i.e. a warm welcome, excellent food & accommodation, and outstanding service.

So where else to try? Dinner is included at Longueville 3 of the 4 nights, so places to lunch while we're pottering around the island are the order of the day.

Cheers,

R