Mersea: new images of Michelin-star restaurant Stark

Husband-and-wife duo Ben and Sophie Crittenden have relocated award-winning restaurant Stark from Broadstairs in Kent to East Mersea.

Its first night of service was on July 3 and the business is now based at the former site of Seafood at Dawn, in East Road.

The couple have transformed the exterior and inside décor of the building, changing the exterior from white to all black.

Stark signage is now on the outside wall, and flowers have been added to the front to breathe new life into the building.

New lease of life - Stark's exterior (Image: Stark)

The couple's previous 12-seat restaurant, in Kent, started life as a tiny sandwich shop.

From 2016 onwards, Ben and Sophie transformed it into a destination dining spot.

The move to East Mersea has come with many benefits such as extra seating.

Sophie said: “We've been wanting to move back to Mersea for a few years now as I grew up here and still have my family here, so we wanted the kids to be closer to them all.

“The site on East Road has been a restaurant for years and we ate there a while ago and Ben really liked the site and how quirky the building was.

“So, when we saw it was going to be up for lease at the end of last year, we enquired and went from there.”

Duo - Ben and Sophie Crittenden (Image: Stark)

Stark has become well known for its “unique dining experience” and offers seasonal six-course tasting menus.

Diners can expect £90 set menus which will include two meat dishes such as duck liver parfait, confit leg, ginger bread, hazelnut and apricot, two fish courses, such as mackerel, cucumber, dashi, lardo and borage, and two deserts, such as clean and fresh goat’s curd, pistachio sorbet, lemon puree and grape.

Guests can accompany this with an optional wine flight for £55 from wine aficionados Les Caves de Pyrène.

Stark is open for dinner, Wednesday to Saturday, from 6pm to 8.30pm by reservation only.

To find out more, head to starkfood.co.uk.