Yes, go and look at the Upminster windmill. I haven't been to Upminster for years but my best friend used to live there and I remember it being nice.

Ah-ha, excellent suggestion, thank you!

Really there is not a whole lot there. if you head left out of the station I think there are some parks and stuff, also there is a nice church. There is a cafe in rooms which is the massive department store opposite the station. I used to get my school uniform there. :D

I am afraid I am going to be at work Monday or I would come (ilford isn't *that* far away)

Thank you! I'll have a look in the department store... shame the interweb says it no longer has a haberdashery :( I have found a bookshop near the parks though!

I also need to come to Ilford at some point. Discussion (such as it is) is here.

I live just down the road in Romford, but don't visit Upminster much. The only restaurant I've heard people mention (positively) is La Grolla. I think the pubs in the area are pretty rough.

I don't think the Windmill is open every day - probably best to check in advance. There's also a Tithe Barn in Upminster that's worth a look.

Thanks for the pointer — I think La Grolla might end up being my lunch venue! The only other possibilities I have for lunch are the department store cafe that Pippa mentioned, and a place called Oh Vesuvio which may not even be open any more.

The tithe barn looks interesting, but alas seems only to be open at weekends.

Any recommendations for Romford? I'll be heading there at some point, and I have absolutely nothing on my to-try list.

Shame about the tithe barn.

I've never even heard of 'Oh Vesuvio'.

The best place in Romford (Giorgio's) was closed about 3 weeks ago, unfortunately. You could try the Co-Co Noodle Bar, close to Romford station. Or you could go for a pie'n'mash place - I think there's one on High Street (5 minutes from the station), and there may be one on Quadrant Arcade, which is even closer. Haven't been for a while myself so couldn't guarantee that either is still open. But if they are, they'll be pretty decent.

Noodles sound good... thanks! I'm not a huge fan of pie-and-mash, but it's good to have a plan B :)

La Grolla wasn't bad at all, so thanks for that suggestion too! My full review is now up on RGL.

Turns out that Oh Vesuvio has closed — it's now a "Mexican cantina and cocktail bar" called Lalo's.

Coincidentally I ended up going to Barking yesterday evening on my way back from Upminster (it was a very last-minute decision, made somewhere between Upney and Barking...) I had dinner at Chennai on Longbridge Road — have you been there?

Edited at 2009-06-16 03:27 pm (UTC)

I got a comment on this post from bromleyplumber — unfortunately it included SEO advertising so I had to delete it, but here is the comment without the spam:

"I was recommend the Golden Crane pub by some friends of mine, last week on the way home decided to pop in for some lunch, one word delicious!

"Its a really lovely pub, nice looking and a big garden. Staff was very friendly, food was a tad pricey but definitely the best pub food ive ever had."

BITE comments for the Golden Crane are here. I suspect hoshuteki and I will visit it at some point, since we plan to do a tour of Cranham.