Butley Orford Oysterage

Ray & Gill Kinghorn (18 May 2009)

Please disregard the uncomplimentary reviews below, this place is fine. No problem with the service, sufficiently attentive but not obtrusive - I daresay being pleasant to the staff goes a long way. Food is not Michelin, but very good, fresh, and fairly-priced. Wine list is a little on the expensive side, but they do wines by the glass if you prefer. Tap water is cheerfully supplied. We would definitely visit again.

Franco Caramazza (11 August 2007)

I read one of the reviews about this place, and based on that I decided to pay this restaurant a visit because it sounded so good. On the day my wife and I attended we felt we had got lucky because it seemed without a reservation we might not get in. I wish now we had not. We ordered twelve oysters to share to start with, and cod in parsley sauce and skate in brown butter for the mains. The oysters were served without ice. With the heat of the day, they tasted quite warm. Without wishing to labour the point they were disappointing. Things did not improve with the mains. The skate wing was bland as was the cod.

The side order of salad for £2.90 was served up in a glorified ash tray with no dressing or option to put your own dressing on. The only vegetables on the whole menu were boiled potatoes, which to my mind was to say the least very poor. By this point all I wanted to do was pay and leave which is exactly what happened next. This order along with two slices of pre buttered bed and a bottle of sparkling mineral water for two came to £43.50. I did not leave a tip. I will not be going there again. I got the distinct impression for an outfit that invests a lot of time and money trading on this thing called freshness, there is no pride in what they actually do with the food and how this restaurant presents its food to the customer. It was dull, uninspiring and downright disappointing. I would not recommend it to people living locally, let alone anyone further afield.

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