Rick Stein, Sandbanks Reviews Summary

Service

Pros:

• "The service is wonderful and the staff are friendly, quick and went the extra mile to ensure we had a great experience."
• "Nothing was too much trouble for Ramon, he was very attentive and managed to lift my sister's mood."
• "The staff were very friendly and attentive."
• "The staff were very polite and attentive."
• "The staff... were so accommodating and friendly."
• "The staff were amazing attentive knowledgeable and very smartly dressed."
• "The staff were extremely friendly and knowledgeable of the menu."

Cons:

• "We had a long wait to order our food & that was after my daughter-in-law asked to order."
• "Service can be a bit off too - it can be very busy and it can feel hard to get attention when you need it."
• "After 15 minutes, we still hadn’t received our coffees despite only six other customers being present in the restaurant."
• "The waiting staff or who we had anyway, could do with more training. They weren't rude but they were slow and lacked knowledge of the dishes."
• "Although our waiter's section was not large we were not checked on enough with our main water providing no eye contact whatsoever."
• "Service could have been more attentive."
• "Service was mediocre and clearly by summer season student staff."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The food was outstanding, and the non alcoholic drinks were lovely."
• "I enjoyed an excellent plate of linguine with crab, superbly seasoned and very tasty."
• "Indonesia seafood curry. Fantastic."
• "The food was amazing and the choice of wine was superb."
• "Great fresh ingredients cooked well."
• "The food was excellent."
• "The food oh the food was incredible. The presentation was like looking at a piece of art."

Cons:

• "I had the fish soup which was very average."
• "Food was average."
• "Our desert wasn't completely cooked and the kitchen were happy to take it back and replace it."
• "Very disappointing overall...food was quite shocking and didn't find the fish fresh."
• "The food is nice but it's just not impressive, especially for the price."
• "The food was good quality but the flavour was lacking."
• "The food is very expensive."

Ambiance & Setting

Pros:

• "Certainly, climbing up the stairs and passing the kitchen to be greeted with the view of the harbour is fantastic."
• "Around half the restaurant enjoys harbour views."
• "The ambiance was perfect. We were seated overlooking the harbour."
• "The atmosphere was calming welcoming classy but you don't need to be overdressed to enjoy casual is the code."
• "The amazing setting was such a bonus and the service was fantastic."
• "The view the restaurant offers really added to our experience."
• "The restaurant area is very cosy, and almost all the tables have a perfect view to the water, boats, clouds and SUN!"

Cons:

• "The atmosphere was terrible, there were children crying and screaming everywhere."
• "Given today's challenges re. COVID not the best set up for Social Distancing, Tables too close less than a metre from others."
• "Disappointment as the restaurant was cold, at least where we were sitting."
• "The table was not facing the sea and it was not the same experience everywhere in the restaurant."
• "Ambience & decor average."
• "Very quiet for a Friday evening in December, lack of Christmas decorations probably too understated."
• "The atmosphere was terrible, there were children crying and screaming everywhere."

Value

Pros:

• "Price in accordance with the experience."
• "Fantastic value for money coffee shop, get a coffee and a piece of cake for £2.50, sitting a very nice environment."
• "At less than £100 per head for 3x courses, stunning views, smooth-as-silk service and plenty of wine, I thought this was well worth it."
• "We find the three course meal and drinks we had, was superb value."
• "Great food at a reasonable price."
• "Great experience I wouldn’t even call it expensive it was worth every penny."
• "Was pricey as expected, but worth it which is all you can ask!"

Cons:

• "Parking across the road was extortion."
• "The food is nice but it's just not impressive, especially for the price."
• "With dessert and wine the bill was almost £400. Really poor value."
• "£5 for a bottle of still water and £4 for a flat white, is bit excessive in my opinion."
• "The food is very expensive."
• "The food and prices were not at the level we expected."
• "Very disappointed. Felt ripped off. Paid nearly £500 for 5 but food was average."