Joseph Benjamin Restaurant

That’s a wrap. Goodnight Joseph Benjamin!
Lovely to see so many of you this week. It’s been extremely busy and excitement levels are high for reopening in 10 days as new and improved Porta Tapas Chester] !!
I had big plans for a week of social media build up to this point but… well, it’s been bloody busy. All good.
See you soon. Follow us on Porta Tapas Chester] to keep up to date - refurb starts tomorrow morning at 8am!
X
Ben, Joe and team JB/Porta!

Serving this little cracker tonight…. From Porta… cos Jb electrical fault not repairable till tomorrow…
Life’s so flippin mad at the moment…
Thanks to all those booked in tonight for being so understanding!

We should be open for dinner tomorrow night as usual.
🤞

Sardines escabeche on toast.
On the specials board tonight.
👌

.
Building on the ongoing popularity of our little tapas bar, Porta, we are making the leap to convert our entire Chester operation - Porta & Joseph Benjamin - in to one single larger Porta Tapas Bar.

The new expanded restaurant will embrace the informal, buzzing atmosphere and top-quality tapas for which Porta is well known and we’re also incorporating the sensational paella that has become the backbone of the post-lockdown JB menu. Our paella have gained a huge following and it’s fantastic seeing how much you all love them - as I’ve said elsewhere, those pans of tasty rice totally sum up what we’ve always loved about good food and restaurants; proper ingredients, skilled cheffing, good value, flavour-packed and low on faff!

It’s a nice feeling knowing that almost exactly 15 years after we opened, we can draw a line under Joseph Benjamin while it’s a busy, popular restaurant. We’ve been a little anxious about this announcement - there’s some sentimentality, of course - but we’re super-proud of everything JB’s has achieved over the years from tiny deli to 10 years of Michelin Bib Gourmand (by the way, we’ll aim to keep that, Michelin if you’re listening!). With the current iteration of the JB menu majoring on small plates and paella, you actually may not find this latest development all that surprising!

Aligning our Chester operation more closely to our Altrincham and Salford sites (both are Porta) makes so much sense and is very much about ‘doing one thing well’. The complications of Covid and Brexit have brought things in to sharp focus and we’re determined to come out of this challenging (obstinate, lingering) period as a stronger, fitter, better business.

To enable this change, we’ll close for a week in September to refurbish the restaurant and kitchen. Last table bookings for Joseph Benjamin will be Saturday 4th September. Please do join us for some fun there over the next few weeks!

We’re really happy to be making positive, proactive changes for the future. We love Porta and everything it stands for.
Thanks so much for all your support. We hope you’ll join us on the next leg of our journey.

¡Hasta luego!
Ben & Joe

A little bit of an emotional day today as it’s Richard’s last day on the floor at JB.
Richard has been our GM, my righthand man, good friend and confidant for 12 years. He’s been an integral part of the development of the business in that time from one tiny restaurant and deli in to four busy restaurants. His steady hand on the tiller in Chester (overseeing both JB & Porta) has enabled us to expand and grow. Richard is one of the most level-headed and composed restaurant professionals you could wish to encounter, and will be sorely missed.
The great news for me is that I’m not losing him completely as he’ll be moving in to a part time office manager role. He will also be helping out with a few ‘bits & pieces’ on the floor over the next few weeks, so you may still see him!
THANK YOU, Richard, from Ben, Joe and all the team, past and present.

Morning.
Plenty of space for lunch & dinner today (thurs). Pretty full for the weekend, but still space at the moment. Lots of options for Sunday (serving all day). Book online or give us a call.
01244344295.
X

What can I say?
Still space for tomorrow afternoon. We serve all day on a Sunday (noon till 8.15pm), and would you believe it, there’s space tomorrow night!! Shocking!!

Courgette flowers stuffed with our own ‘homemade’ ricotta, smoked salmon and herbs. Served with our now famous rosemary honey!
On special tonight.
So good.

Special on today: Grilled mackerel fillet, red pepper aioli.

providing tonight’s mega special! Fresh radishes with taramasalata.

Paella Valenciana back on the menu today.

Bomba rice, cornfed chicken, globe artichoke, runner beans, saffron, smoked paprika.

This is kinda the classic - the first paella José made for us back in the day. The first one that went on the ‘JB at Home’ menu all those months ago.

We’ve got a mega special on this weekend starting this evening!
Fried wild prawns with lemon mayonnaise. 🦐🧡
We’ve got a few tables left early evening, give us a buzz on 01244 344295 you don’t want to miss this one!

Fancy a job working front of house at JB?
Full time and part time positions for floor staff and a supervisor.
We’ve already filled our management roles and the team is good!
We’re busy, we have fun and we work hard. The food is great and the customers are the best in the business!
Hours to suit you, a nice environment and good tips.
Pop in, speak to Richard or Ben or email [email protected]
Thank you.
👍

English asparagus with hollandaise sauce on special tonight, really simple but can’t be beaten, English asparagus is bang in season now but won’t be around long so get it now while you can.

What a week!
Thanks everyone for your support.

An amazing start and a brilliant show of optimism, passion, dedication and chin-up cheerfulness from our lovely team.
Thanks everyone! ☺️

It’s been great to be busy again and see so many familiar faces, there has been a real buzz around the restaurant. Thank you to everyone who has been in so far - it’s looking like another busy day today but we do still have a couple of tables left for lunch. If your quick you can book one online.

We’re back! Bookings are looking good for the next few weeks, and Richard is here keeping the whole thing running like clockwork. It’s so great having the full team back together.
Thanks everyone - see you soon.
Open lunch & dinner weds-Sunday.
👍☺️🙏

Final testing ahead of next weeks reopening.
Chocolate & hazelnut tart.
You’re going to want to try this one!
Book now for Wednesday lunchtime!!

Last day for online orders for collection this weekend.
Order now (before 9pm) and collect Sat or Sunday.
Easy reheating. No faff.
👍

Feels so positive getting the teams back together.
Training sessions in full flow.

We’re looking for two really great people to join our team.
As we emerge from lockdown we’re determined to raise the bar and continue the evolution of the business.

To help us do this, we’re strengthening our management team. We’re looking for someone to work alongside (GM) Richard and (Assistant Managers) Becky and Fi across Joseph Benjamin and Porta. This is a new full time role and to be honest could suit someone at a variety of career points. Mainly we’re looking for the ‘right person’.
If you genuinely enjoy the buzz of restaurant service and are a ‘people person’ with a few years hospitality/management experience and a strong interest in food & wine, get in touch. Good hours, good pay (equal split of good tips), nice people!

We also have a kitchen opening for a Chef de Partie - someone with a couple of years experience. Again, we want the ‘right’ person. You will be interested in food and drink and keen to learn. The hours are good and you will be respected and valued. This is a great opportunity to join a strong, friendly team.
Equal split of tips plus good salary based on experience.

For the management role email Ben - [email protected]
Chefs contact Joe - [email protected]

(Please help us spread the word and fill these great positions.)
👍🤞

Thanks for all the JB at Home orders this week. Not too bad considering all the new eating-out options available.
Anyway, online bookings are open for table reservations from 19th May onwards... YEAH, INSIDE... AT TABLES... WITH FRIENDS!!
That’s more fun than all the take away in the world.
See you then.
👍

Bookings for sitting inside a flippin’ restaurant!!! Nearly there!
Rule of six (up to six people from different households).
You can book online now.
Thanks for all the support, Chester. We can’t wait to get going and see you all for the proper JB thing!
(JB at Home also continues too as far as we can see 👍).

As we plan for reopening we really need EVERYONE to understand how much of a problem ‘no-shows’ could be this year. THINGS ARE TIGHT. If you need TIGHT explaining further, let me know.
If you know anyone that books multiple restaurants and then ‘chooses on the night’ or just ‘can’t be bothered to cancel’, please say something. Businesses and livelihoods are at massive risk. No shows are so futile.
🤞

Until a few weeks ago scaffolding covered those beautiful city walls and you couldn’t get across the Northgate. Good to get our backdrop (and a nice new set of steps) back!
A busy weekend in the bbq. Thanks everyone that came along. Same time, same place next week.

Dessert on the Easter ‘at home’ set menu.
Basque burnt cheesecake with sour cherry jam.

If you visited JB last year, you may have tried our Basque cheesecake. It goes down extremely well. It’s amazingly decadent, creamy, sweet and a bit cheesy (yes, it tastes of cheese) and might be my favourite dessert ever. Next year, go and have the version at La Viña in San Sebastián.
A chilled glass of Pedro Ximenez sherry is a recommended accompaniment (in San Sebastián or indeed Chester).

Easter set menu main course: belly pork & Toulouse sausage cassoulet with wild garlic salsa verde.
Serious flavour!
(Order online by 9pm Thursday).
👍

Shetland smoked salmon - the starter on the JB at Home Easter set menu - with celeriac remoulade and caraway & fennel seed crackers.

Easter Weekend Menu.
Set 3-courses:

Starter:
Shetland smoked salmon, celeriac rémoulade, fresh dill, caraway & fennel seed crackers.
Desc: Top quality smoked salmon, (sliced nice and thick by us, so that you can taste it), with a lovely fresh celeriac rémoulade (what coleslaw wants to be when it grows up) and homemade seed crackers. Technically complicated & deliciousy simple!

Main Course:
Belly pork and Toulouse sausage cassoulet with wild garlic salsa verde.
Desc: A classic one-pot (or foil tray) wonder. Top quality haricot beans cooked in proper stock with cured pork belly and garlicky Toulouse sausages. Topped with crusty breadcrumbs. Another dish (like our paella) where stock is the linchpin, and you need a really good quality, deeply flavoured, gelatinous stock from good bones to make it work properly. Good meat and beans should go without saying.

Dessert:
Basque burnt cheesecake, sour cherry jam.
Desc: If you visited JB last year, you may have tried our Basque cheesecake. It goes down extremely well. It’s amazingly decadent, creamy, sweet and a bit cheesy (yes, it tastes of cheese) and might be my favourite dessert ever. Next year, go and have the version at La Viña in San Sebastían.
A chilled glass of Pedro Ximenez sherry is a recommended accompaniment!

Vegetarian version available too.
Full regular menu also available.

You can order online now. Collections Sat 3rd or Sun 4th.
X

https://www.josephbenjamin.co.uk/shop/easter/

C’mon then; last couple of hours to get your weekend orders in.
Order online by 9pm.
🤞👍🙏