Situated in a prime spot on Southend’s Eastern Esplanade, the Rendezvous Casino is not only top call for the gaming set, but also a dining destination. Striking artwork, urns filled with flowers and a regular live pianist set the mood in the sophisticated Elements Restaurant, where the kitchen delivers upmarket international cooking based on carefully sourced ingredients (meats from the Rare Breed Meat Company, for example). Grills loom large on the menu, but you might also find the likes of black pearl scallops with sweetcorn and pea purée, slow-roast pork belly with Toulouse sausage or oriental sea bass ‘en papillote’. After that, perhaps order mango cheesecake or chocolate and Cointreau mousse. Fixed-price club menus, regular ‘ladies lunches’, occasional afternoon teas and a monthly comedy club complete the picture. Over-18s only.