Tides Grill at The St David's Hotel & Spa

RM (9 August 2008)

Having read some good reviews of Tides restaurant, we decided to book a table for a special occasion that was coming up. We were both excited to visit this place and the impression you get when walking in is a very positive one. The décor and atmosphere are both different and welcoming. We decided to opt for the ‘two courses for £26’ on this Tuesday evening. My bowl of mussels arrived and over half of them were closed. I have been warned many times not to eat mussels if they have not opened and so alerted the waiter. He asked me if I wanted him to open them for me at first and then went to replace the bowl. However, after 15 minutes the mussels came back still closed and now a little warmer but with no sauce. The risotto and clam chowder we had for main meals resembled something from a greasy spoon and to top it off the bill came still charging for the mussels I could not eat. This is one restaurant I will not be visiting again in a hurry.

Haydn Blackey (28 April 2008)

I've been to Tides Grill at the St. David's Hotel three or four times before. On each occasion the food has met the standards one would expect of a five star hotel. However, I think that since its sale to a new owner, the food has gone downhill. On arrival we had to ask for a menu and waited a long time before someone could get it for us as the staff were busy talking to the manager. The menu looked interesting and we assumed it was just the service which was not up to the mark. We moved into the restaurant and noticed that the number of tables had doubled since our last visit, which made dining less of a five star experience and more like a dining hall. The food seemed prepared beforehand and reheated. My partner’s Brill on crab risotto was congealing. I had asked for the trio of lamb pink and it came more than well done, with lots of burnt bits at the end of the meat. The drinks list and the wine were excellent.