An old mate dropped by my pad recently for a catch up and we decided to go and have lunch. I had in mind a “Toby Carvery” but my friend suggested we go for a “Wetherspoons”, which have a number of pubs and eating outlets across the country, some of which he had frequented in the recent past and quite liked.

Fancying myself as a restaurant connoisseur, who often reviews after visiting yet another eating establishment and ever up for trying something new, I went along with my friend’s suggestion and we ended up at the Last Post (back in the day, Southend’s main post office) opposite Southend Central railway station, that also happened to be where he wanted to go next. I recall visiting there some years back to catch up with another friend and while I was favourably disposed having visited I did find the place rather noisy and a contrast to the quiet serenity I favour. (It was five years ago and I wrote about my experience – see here ed.) Another recollection was also back in the day, when I produced a leaflet designed to help rough sleepers I cited this establishment as a place to go and sit for a couple hours at the price of a reasonably priced refillable coffee, which incidentally was one of the things that attracted my friend, although he did relate a recent experience of re-visiting a “Wetherspoons” outlet only to find his coffee order was neither reasonably priced nor refillable, as it had been taken over.

The interior of the Last Post was deceptively spacious and there was a good number of people inside at the time we visited (1.30pm) and it didn’t seem too noisy. I got the distinct impression that most of the people were regulars attracted by the setup, in part due to an extensive menu at a surprisingly low price. Having forgotten my glasses, I decided not to do my customary survey on what was on offer and, having in mind their cod, chips and peas, I decided that was what I would go for and, since it was a pub and it was my favourite tipple, a pint of Stella. My friend’s order was less straightforward and based on the fact he was on a low carb diet and finding he could do this at other Wetherspoon outlets he asked if his chips could be substituted by a vegetable roast. After some checking by the patient lady serving at what was a busy bar that request was denied and we had to pay (not much) for the substitute (which was fair enough) but he did get his refillable coffee. We didn’t have to wait long for our order to arrive and we served ourselves from a wide selection of condiments (I was intrigued by the mango chutney on offer and decided to be adventurous and give it a try).

I enjoyed my meal and especially liked my fresh tasting fish (with the mango chutney). If there was a minor criticism, food was a bit on the cold side (a common complaint). Service was basic but courteous and value was superb. These days with my growing disability this is something I look out for in eating places (some I rule out for that reason). I was particularly struck by the range of seating arrangements and we could use a high stool chair, typically found in some bars. The main downside was I couldn’t use the gents as it meant climbing two steep (for me) stairs and I had to request a staff member to open up with the special key the disabled toilet. But all in all it was a pleasant two hours spent, surrounded by a pleasant ambience and relaxing atmosphere as we finished off our catch up and putting the world to rights etc. before going our separate ways. I should add that I have visited other Wetherspoon eating outlets, without even realising it was part of the Wetherspoon empire and while basic in what was on offer was more than acceptable.