'Seaford restaurant La Maison is perfect after a beachside walk'

From the South of France to the South of England, the excellent La Maison restaurant in Broad Street had the French seafood dish as a special when I visited this week and it was everything I hoped it would.

I planned to have a bouillabaisse when I went to its spiritual home in Marseille to watch England play Russia at the European Championships in 2016.

But my hopes of a relaxing saunter down to the old port, sitting in some harbourside restaurant and listening to the water lapping against the rocks as I ate were dashed.

After leaving the hotel back then the smell of tear gas soon filled our nostrils and we had to head away from the portside area. English fans had been boisterous as usual and then when the Russians turned up intent on serious violence all hell broke loose.

The French police stepped in to break it up and all chances of a relaxed pre-match build-up were ruined. The restaurants pulled up the shutters and pretty much everywhere was ‘ferme’ until the morning.

So anyway I’d waited to eat this classic French dish at the place it originated and for now that chance was gone.

As I headed past the Tesco Express and Value Essentials shop in Seaford the other night all was quiet. Thankfully no Russians wearing gumshields and clearly trained and primed to attack. There were a couple of youngsters listening to hip hop outside WH Smith but they were pretty friendly looking and there were no signs of any trouble near Julie's Scoop and Weigh or the Sweet Moments Belgian chocolate shop.

We were in the clear.

We wanted to find somewhere quickly, not far from the station or seafront and La Maison a la carte Restaurant and Bar is right in town. It has plenty of space on two split levels and is run by a very friendly young couple with a clearly strong knowledge of very good food and how to make it.

I'd never been so was excited to see what was on offer.

The place was pretty busy for a Wednesday evening. It has daily special offers through the week, with burgers that day.

We tried the breaded brie bites with house chutney, perfectly melted and oozing flavour. That tangy chutney was delicious with a fresh salad too, at £9.

Then for the showstopper £21.99 bouillabaisse special. If you’ve not had it, bouillabaisse is a fish stew or soup but the word soup does not really do it justice. The sauce tastes a little like a lobster bisque. It can be made as a rich vegetable, wine, garlic and saffron broth.

As soon as I walked in I could smell that lovely garlic prawn-type smell though and fish is the dominant taste of the dish. What made this so special too was the huge prawn and chunks of fish in the broth, as well as mussels and clams. If you like this sort of thing, this dish at La Maison is heavenly.

It came with a gorgeous buttery garlic dip to spread on some sourdough bread and dip into the dish.

The vegetarian burger and chips looked excellent as well. As a Burger Wednesday special that came with French fries, coleslaw and wine for £14.99.

To keep the French theme going I tried the chocolate and Baileys crème brulee, which was a rich take on the dish, perfectly cooked with that crispy top and smooth dessert below.

They also sell ice cream from the local Holy Cow ice cream parlour.

La Maison on Broad Street is perfectly placed after a walk at Seaford beach, Seaford Head and the Seven Sisters, easy to jump on the train or 12 bus to Brighton or Eastbourne.

So their hearty food is the perfect stop-off.