King Prawn Cocktail
Piccolo

Piccolo

1-4 Shorefield Road, Southend on sea, SS07RH, Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom

Pizza • Pasta • Seafood • Italian


"The moment you walk into this restaurant, you realise you are going into a family run business where you are going to be treated very specially. And quite simply, I can’t wait to return. We were all made to feel like we were the most...important people in the room. What made our attendance a little bit more complicated, was that there were eight of us with four children under the age of four, but the staff couldn’t be any more accommodating if they tried. Squeezing us in but still given the space and respect accordingly With a menu that boasts some of the most imaginative and mainstream options that you would expect from an Italian restaurant, it’s when taking the order that you realise that everything is bespoke and completely made fresh on site. What would appear to be a huge disappointment when we found that the half lobster pasta, which was showcased on the specials board, was no longer available, we were then presented with a waiter who wanted to showcase the very large Nigerian prawns that he could substitute with. Incredibly motivating in his presentation of this, he also highlighted that this would be a huge reduction financially. What turned up with a selection of some absolutely outstanding food. Of course these prawns served with a crayfish and calamari tomato cream tagliatelle was absolutely out of this world and probably one of the best dishes I have ever eaten in the area. But the Dover soul, pizza, and even chicken Milanese was out of this world. No similarity in flavour, everything was made to each other’s tastebuds without just chopping and churn in the same sauces in every dish. What secured an outstanding set of service was when we found out that one of the deserts was also not available as they had run out of strawberries to create the eton mess. Within seconds the head waiter pulled cash out of his pocket and instantly another waiter went outside, jumped on his motorbike, and drove up to the local shop to buy some strawberries so we were able to have the dessert! I cannot think of another time or restaurant where they will give so much special attention to make sure that their guess got what they wanted. Brilliant. Outstanding food. Outstanding service, what an absolutely wonderful restaurant!"

Sonnets Restaurant at Wroxall Abbey Estate

Sonnets Restaurant at Wroxall Abbey Estate

Birmingham Road Wroxall, Warwickshire CV35 7NB, CV35 7HY, United Kingdom

Tea • Beer • Wine • Bars


"A fabulous building in a magnificent setting, so it is to be recommended to those interested in architecture, let down by the delivery. Staff were all well intentioned but would benefit from further training and a uniformly neat appearance. Our set Valentines meal should have had fizz and canapés beforehand but neither arrived. The waiter did not ask how we wanted the fillet steaks to be cooked when the order was taken, which was unusual but not a cause for alarm in a larger premises like this. A waiter brought the matched wine for the first and second course at the same time, which was seconds after the bread basket had just been offered, and could not say which glass was for which dish. Moments after the innocuous starter and subsequent sorbet had been whisked away another waiter delivered our steaks: one blue and the other rare not our preference at all, but we ate what we could and left the rest. Our only specific request when ordering the food was for one dessert to be substituted by cheese and for that to be placed on or beside our table immediately rather than removed from a chiller moments before serving. This was ignored despite repeated requests for it to happen and so the cheese proved to be tasteless. Overall the entire menu lacked imagination and the chef did not show skills that encouraged a return visit. We will monitor the menu for a change in the kitchen and return once the front of house staff have had an opportunity to gain a little more experience."

Sonnets At Wroxall Abbey Estate

Sonnets At Wroxall Abbey Estate

Birmingham Rd, Warwick, United Kingdom

Full • Dining • English • European


"A fabulous building in a magnificent setting, so it is to be recommended to those interested in architecture, let down by the delivery. Staff were all well intentioned but would benefit from further training and a uniformly neat appearance. Our set Valentines meal should have had fizz and canapés beforehand but neither arrived. The waiter did not ask how we wanted the fillet steaks to be cooked when the order was taken, which was unusual but not a cause for alarm in a larger premises like this. A waiter brought the matched wine for the first and second course at the same time, which was seconds after the bread basket had just been offered, and could not say which glass was for which dish. Moments after the innocuous starter and subsequent sorbet had been whisked away another waiter delivered our steaks: one blue and the other rare not our preference at all, but we ate what we could and left the rest. Our only specific request when ordering the food was for one dessert to be substituted by cheese and for that to be placed on or beside our table immediately rather than removed from a chiller moments before serving. This was ignored despite repeated requests for it to happen and so the cheese proved to be tasteless. Overall the entire menu lacked imagination and the chef did not show skills that encouraged a return visit. We will monitor the menu for a change in the kitchen and return once the front of house staff have had an opportunity to gain a little more experience."