http://www.essexrestaurants.com/ 105-928 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html I had been to The Alma years ago and was very happy with the food and service. On this occasion I was disappointed. The service was poor, we felt an irritance to the staff who didn't ask us how our food was. We had Prawn Cocktail which had no taste to it, the salad was a limp leaf and the chef had poorly chopped some dill and buttered it onto bread. Why? The roast was appalling, meat tough, vegetables lacking taste and the colour of freshness. Roast potatoes were burnt and soggy. I would advise against going here,a shame as a time now long gone ago this restaurant had quality food. ]]> Sun, 08 Aug 2010 23:47:45 +0100 105-732 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html We have a visited the Alma a number of times over the last six months and have never been disappointed. The service is excellent - the waiting staff are attentive but you are not rushed or felt the table is needed for someone else. The food is excellent, we are always impressed and the dishes are not just cooked to perfection, but they are also very tasty with clever uses of flavours and well presented.
My only concern about the Alma is it will continue to become known and it will become increasingly difficult to get a table! Definitely somewhere you will want to go back to again and again. ]]> Thu, 28 Jan 2010 11:16:51 +0000 105-634 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html New to the area so went to the Alma on a friends recommendation. I cannot fault the service, the waiter/bar staff were very courteous.
We were disappointed with the food however. We did go on a midweek night so it may not have been the usual chef but the tuna steak was clearly not cooked in a hot enough pan as the outside was a palid grey colour, to be honest it probably would have been nicer if served as sashimi. The sea bass was cooked perfectly with a nicoise salad however there was just far to much onion in the salad.
The creme bulee for desert was a disaster, the top had been over caramelised so it had a very bitter taste and the actual desert had not been properly cooked as it was cold at the bottom and hadn't set properly.
All in all I don't feel the quality of the food merited the bill at the end of the meal. The chef may have just had a bad night, but as we're new to the area there are many other places to try before going back to the Alma. ]]> Sat, 17 Oct 2009 09:26:09 +0100 105-584 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html I have been eating at the Alma on and off for fewn years,but on my last vist,what a dissapointment. The food was very poor. I had the green lipped mussles as a starter, they were luke warm and chewy. Shank of lamb, over cooked and tough. We needed a steak knife to get through it.I ordered a Rocket salad and was pressented with a lettuce salad covered in loads of parmesan. (maybe they thought i would not notice there was no rocket in it). Very poor. ]]> Sat, 22 Aug 2009 08:40:10 +0100 105-522 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html So I was in charge of organising a family meal and I chose The Alma. It had been years since I was last there, but I remembered it was good then and I could only find good comments online.

I was NOT disappointed! From the initial enquiry to the bill, the staff were friendly and helpful, the food was delicious and the restaurant itself cosy but not cramped.

I'll certainly be going back, and even people who travelled up from Kent for the meal said they'd certainly like to visit again.

If you don't try this place just once you have no idea what you're missing! ]]> Mon, 08 Jun 2009 11:42:25 +0100 105-330 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html The Alma looks great since the recent refurb and it has an opportunity to give restaurants like The Waterfront a run for their money. Tables are set perfectly; wine glasses polished and gleaming as was the cutlery. Napkins were disposable which was fine but took the edge off the quality feel of the setting. The service was superb but the restaurant was cold and needed a blast of central heating. The food was good but not great and I'd like to see the chef be a little braver. One of the specials was 'kangaroo steak' which I would have tried but for the fact it came with a peppercorn sauce which I felt lacked a bit of imagination. Our party all had lamb and while it was very nice it wasn't what it could be. Ultimatley it was just lamb, mash and gravy, all cooked quite well but that's all you can really say. The Alma are so very close to hitting the nail on the head and the formula just needs tweaking. If the chef pushes him/herself that bit harder, people will hear about it and the place could really take off. ]]> Tue, 09 Sep 2008 08:13:16 +0100 105-4 http://www.essexrestaurants.com/chelmsford-venues/chelmsford-restaurants/the-alma-bar-and-restaurant-chelmsford-essex.html Fantastitc food and atmosphere, well recommended ]]> Sun, 25 Nov 2007 09:45:49 +0000