Challenging Southend’s only other gay venue, The Cliff, Hush Bar is an odd combination of concepts, but provides a good night out for relatively little expenditure. Serving food all day, from soup and salads to full English breakfasts and burgers, it’s a good place for a cheap lunch or a quick bite before a boozy night. The seating areas are clean and comfortable, with upright tables for dining and a comfy, if small, sofa area, and there is a cosy smoking patio under a gazebo at the back with picnic benches. Visitors might get the impression that Hush is trying too hard to be more like a club. Its flashy lighting and pounding dance on Saturday nights jars with the smallness of the room, and you may think that it would be much more suitable to have some soft music and candlelight to go for the sophisticated angle. That said, the atmosphere is friendly and there are a range of activities going on. Friday nights are party nights, with a mix of chart music and dancefloor classics. Thursdays are karaoke nights, and reasonably popular. In the summer, Hush runs its live lounge on Sunday afternoons, with live jazz performances free of charge, where children are welcome. The management team also run regular trips to gay venues in London, Brighton and surrounding Essex areas. All in all, it’s a friendly venue that makes a real effort to provide a range of good services, so give it a look.