Mistley Thorn - Manningtree

Had a very pleasant lunch with an old fried at thee Mistley Thorn. We both had excellent Shellfish and Fish starters and mains which were beyond reproach. I also pushed the boat out and on my waitresses recommendation had a divine cheesecake with Toffee Sauce. I rarely go for cheesecake but on this occasion, the recommendation was spot on.

As a fan of their sister restaurant [Lucca at Manningtree], we were keen to try The Thorn but sadly, it didn't come up to our expectations. The lunch table I'd booked via email on 11 January had since been reserved for other diners and the staff spent a few minutes trying to re-organise another suitable table for us, despite the fact that we arrived at 12noon prompt and only one other couple were already dining. After sitting at our table with a couple of glasses of Prosseco, we ordered a main course only and it took at least 50mins for this to arrive. We both had the Plaice which was OK but not memorable, although the skin-on fries were tasty and the salad was OK. We enjoyed a couple of large glasses of number 17 [Tin Pot Hut] at £8.45 each. I then choose the Tart of the Day for dessert and my partner had a Vanilla Pot, both of which were OK. However, my pastry was so tough and I had to request a dessert fork to enable me to eat it with the dessert spoon. They clearly don't automatically set the table with both items of dessert cutlery, which should be normal for a restaurant of this standard, despite my initial pleasure at noticing very nice linen napkins at all place settings. The restaurant quickly filled up [well, it was Valentine's Day] but we were surprised that a couple who arrived at the next table to us were given only one menu with apologies from the waiter saying that he was waiting for more menus to be printed! We felt the male member of staff who appeared to be in charge was very poorly dressed in a rather tattie pair of jeans for a restaurant of this quality, although the other waiting staff were nicely dressed, very polite and helpful. All in all, an OK sort of lunch but for £80 [including tip] it was pricey and we'll undoubtedly be heading back to Lucca next time.

The staff were friendly, attentive and offered a warm welcome. The service was impeccable with just the right amount of time between courses. The menu offered lots of choice to suit all palates and pockets, with the local menu bring excellent value. The wine list was extensive without being overwhelming and the staff were knowledgeable about what was on offer. The foot was superb! Nicely presented without being pretentious, hot and full of flavour. We will certainly be going back.

We eat here often. The staff are friendly and attentive and are always happy to advise a dish. The food is exceptional for the money and so far they have never failed to produce a first class meal and we have been many many times. Cannot recommend them enough. I cannot make a comment on the hotel element as I have never used that facility

Starters were really good and I enjoyed the main course too just the delivery was poor, service was very slow I would understand if the restaurant was busy but it wasn't. We had to ask twice to get our first drinks and still didn't get them till after some of the starters arrived, the food was served a plate at a time with long delays in between so some had to start so their food didn't get cold waiting for other meals to arrive. Normally the service here is good so quite disappointed.