The Tea Bar - Basingstoke

Lovely surroundings for a bit of lunch with my two children the staff were very happy helpful and polite the food was delicious tasting and all the other food t... read more Lovely surroundings for a bit of lunch with my two children the staff were very happy helpful and polite the food was delicious tasting and all the other food that was coming out around us looked yummy too . my only negative things are the food was a bit expensive for the portion sizes . And my serious negative is , my son has allergies (egg and nut staff were very helpful and he was able to have lunch fish and chips but slipped up when time for pudding luckily I always check the packaging before giving him anything as they over looked that the ice cream tub he asked for which was said to be fine for him said it may contain traces of nuts . We were very lucky it came in it’s original packaging. we parents who have children with serious allergies put a lot of trust in businesses in the food industry and there seems to be a lack of education and awareness . Please educate you staff regularly .

For such an excellent seeing the food v was va major disappointment. The paradise bravado were soft diced potato cubes on a bland tomato sauce. The fish eaters... read more For such an excellent seeing the food v was va major disappointment. The paradise bravado were soft diced potato cubes on a bland tomato sauce. The fish eaters were unimpressed with the squid and other overcooked fried bits. There was one vegan option, other than said patatas which were dull tasting cauliflower wings. While advertising two for one tapas and cocktails it was in fact only the cocktails that were 2 for 1 and it seemed they had one portion of alcohol across 2 drinks. Deeply disappointing. Will not be returning. What a waste of a glorious venue.

The Courtyard restaurant located at the Southsea Castle in Portsmouth has the potential to be a 5…but today they struggled. We arrived only 10 minutes after the... read more The Courtyard restaurant located at the Southsea Castle in Portsmouth has the potential to be a 5…but today they struggled. We arrived only 10 minutes after they opened and wanted to order the Sunday Roast. We were told that due to low staff they were sold out. I am not sure what happened, we assume that others made reservations for it ? .We were told that they were low on staff…maybe in the kitchen ? as there seemed to be plenty of staff serving the outdoor tables with beverages…however for some reason when we ordered TWO coffees we were only given one…they came back to inquire if we wanted any more beverages, at this point we said no. Over 30 minutes later the salad we ordered still did not come out, we had to ask for it. When it came time to pay we waited a very long time, no one came to ask for payment, we had to track someone down. If we did not see so many staff members out and about we would of simply thought they were low on staff, but visually that did not seem a fact.The Americano we ordered was very good. It cost 3 GBP/approx. $4.15 USD, a little steep.The Buddha bowl consisted of baby spinach, 2 beetroot falafels, avocado slices, roasted butternut squash, harissa fried chickpeas, toasted pumpkin seeds, coriander and line tahini dressings 11 GBP/approx.$15.25 USD. It was extremely good. Something that was rather unsettling was that one of the waitress’s played with a customers dog, allowed the dog to lick her hands and then retrieved our napkins and cutlery without washing her hands.If what we ordered was not so good I would lower my rating, I turned a blind eye to things that I normally would not. In truth, that is unexceptable.

Had 2 hot chocolates that were cold and one elderflower drink and a coke total cost £15. £3.75 a drink is very expensive I will not be returning. read more Had 2 hot chocolates that were cold and one elderflower drink and a coke total cost £15. £3.75 a drink is very expensive I will not be returning.

We went to the Courtyard for lunch and were disappointed in both the food and hygiene of the place. We ordered an camembert and onion tart that had a horrid tas... read more We went to the Courtyard for lunch and were disappointed in both the food and hygiene of the place. We ordered an camembert and onion tart that had a horrid taste and bizarre texture and the ham, and cheese toastie had so much rocket (which it did bot mention on the menu) in it it was overwhelming. The chairs were stained and the heater and window shelf were disgusting and clearing hadn't been cleaned in weeks. If we would have noticed this earlier we would not have eaten here.