Grain, Colchester

I’ll avoid puns about ‘going against the grain’ when describing Paul Wendholt and Jordan Sidwell, two young local chefs who have combined to open new restaurant grain (no typo, it’s lower case on purpose), bringing a touch of urban cool to Colchester. Really.

After launching a crowd funding campaign to the raise much of the money, they bring personality and a new dynamism to the local food scene and ‘redefine dining’, as they put it, with their small plates of modern British fare categorized by garden, water, land and sweet. Sample dishes include pumpkin risotto, pumpkin seeds and oil, goats cheese; sea trout fishcake, beetroot, sorrel, buttermilk and lamb hot pot, new potato, carrot, peas, onion and not forgetting puddings such as popcorn mousse, sour cherry, popcorn. Prices seem incredibly reasonable for the quality, ranging from £5 to £9.50.

The chefs are visible in the open kitchen and serve guests at their tables. And who said men can’t multitask…

* Open Tuesday to Sunday, www.grain-colchester.co.uk