A Look back at 1985: Thackeray's Club and Restaurant

Now long demolished, this was part of Jersey’s thriving night club scene.

From the Islander, September 1985

 
Thackeray's Club and Restaurant
58/59 Esplanade
St Helier

Thackeray's upstairs disco and small restaurant has been part of the St Helier scene for many years, but in July, under new management, the now completely transformed club and separate downstairs restaurant emerged from its chrysalis as Jersey's newest and certainly most spectacular venue.

What a transformation! The lovely 30s decor has been carried out with perfect taste and tremendous style, both in the spacious upstairs disco and the trendy downstairs restaurant with its cocktail bar, tiny, comfortable lounge area and spacious restaurant with lots of greenery and flowers, plus picture windows looking out on to the Esplanade.

The service is faultless — pretty girls who seem really to care — and under the watchful, expert eye of manager Antonio Mileti. The food is outstanding and although not cheap, a tremendous amount of care and expertise has been lavished on the preparation. Toni's presentation of food has always been rather special, but in this new restaurant he has created some really superb dishes. The result is the most imaginative menu I have seen in a long time —for instance, many dishes are served with wild rice (almost un-heard of on the Island), long, slim grains of rice (a mixture of light and dark shoots) giving a deliciously crisp, crunchy taste.

One of Toni's specialities is Chateaubriand du Veau Bouquetiere (a fillet of veal for two people in a sauce of Muscadet wine, cream and spring onions, garnished with sauted mushrooms). Another is a whole fillet of lamb cooked with herbs de Provence, flambeed in white wine with wild mushrooms and finished with a mint and cranberry sauce. There are lots of other dishes, equally imaginative and all guaranteed to get your taste buds jumping with delight!

As a starter I chose Poires Mascharpone (fresh pears with an Italian cheese and watercress dressing), which was superb, followed by Filet de Sole Renoise (poached fillet of sole in a Champ-agne sauce, packed with large pieces of fresh lobster) — the beau¬tifully arranged dish of fresh vegetables included mangetout, tiny carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and small potatoes in their jackets. The wines are excellent and the coffee praiseworthy, as only Italian coffee can be! Incidentally, all pasta dishes are cooked individually at the table.

The restaurant is open seven days a week — lunch is from noon to 2.30 p.m., dinner is 7.30 to 11 p.m. after which late suppers are available to disco patrons who get peckish! There are two special menus for Sunday lunches — one is excellent value at £4.50 plus 10 per cent, and the other (with fantastic choice) is at £7.50 plus 10 per cent.

This bright new venue, with its Art Nouveau decor, would seem to be especially useful for lunchtimes, situated as it is on the promenade in the heart of St Helier.

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