"For starters, we had half a dozen Colchester oysters served naturale with mignonette, lemon, Tobasco and a smoky chilli jam. Oysters aren’t something I eat too often, but are still something I enjoy and know about. The oysters tasted fresh, they were meaty and delicious, not overly salty no complaints there. All the oysters I’ve ever had, were served on ice so as to keep them fresh and cold, these were just sat on the plate, which was a little disappointing, but it didn’t take away from the experience much. We also had 3 small ‘nibble plates’ whitebait with peri peri sauce and roasted garlic aioli, chicken skewer with warm peanut relish, and sea salted flat breads with houmous and aubergine compote. The whitebait were delicious, with a good dusting and tasty condiments. The flatbreads were good and crispy with equally tasty condiments. But the star of the starters was the chicken skewer, perfectly cooked and marinated, and the peanut relish was exquisite. For the main course we had a sirloin steak (medium rare), a ribeye (medium) and a seafood grill platter (not pictured). Both steaks were cooked perfectly to taste, tender and with excellent accompanying sides compliments to the chef. The seafood platter was lovely with good variety and every component cooked well, we were even offered some bread to mop up the mussel liquor. By this point we were already very impressed. We had room for desserts! With a slice of New York style cheesecake and stewed berries, you can’t go wrong. The poached caramel pear with chocolate sauce was sweet and refreshing. But the star dessert really was the sticky toffee pudding! With a rich toffee sauce, moist and tender cake and vanilla ice cream, it was an experience in itself. The pudding was perfectly rich, you could taste the dates and paired with the ice cream well. Finally, the service. Having read a few negative comments regarding the service, I was a little apprehensive at first. This was soon put to rest as the staff couldn’t do more to accommodate us, asking how the food was at the right intervals, offering additional drinks and breads, we were very happy! Overall, I would highly recommend paying Quay a visit, it will not disappoint!"
