Taste Test
|  | | | | | | | | | | | | | SOUTHEND UNITED | | | | HEALTH | | | | | | | COMING UP IN YOUR ECHO | | |
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Savouring a Californian setting
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| Ocean Beach |
DESPITE being built from an old public toilet block, Ocean Beach Cafe Bar Bistro is now a cute little eaterie.
It sits on the beach past Southend Pier on Eastern Esplanade and although I went along for an evening meal, breakfasts and lunches are also on offer.
One wall is full of windows overlooking the sea, while everywhere else there are stunning pictures of Southend at its best. One end of the building is a bar, so people can pop in just for a drink, or take a pew while they wait for a table.
The other end of the building is the restaurant, where there is room to seat around 50 people.
The atmosphere is great. Relaxing music plays in the background and the decor is simple and comfortable, yet stylish and sleek.
The menu isn't extensive, but they cover all angles with steak, chicken, fish and veggie main meals, and tempting starter options such as muscles and soup.
I chose the Sri Lankan tiger prawns to start with, while my boyfriend ordered mushrooms stuffed with liver pate. My prawns were delicious - soft and tasty, but the surprise came when I tasted one of the mushrooms, a food I normally dislike. I was blown away - the breadcrumbs were so crispy on the outside but melt-in-the-mouth soft on the inside.
The food was served extremely quickly, so we didn't have to wait long for the main course.
I had a herb-crusted cod fillet with roasted veg and garlic sauce. Unfortunately it was nothing out of this world. It was nice and simple, but the fish wasn't overly flavoursome.
My boyfriend ordered the 8ox fillet steak on fat chips (basically potato wedges), served with port and peppercorn sauce.
It was good. The meat was obviously prime quality and the chef knows how to cook it properly. The only complaint was the small portion, a hazard of well-presented nouveau cuisine.
We ordered dessert and soaked up the scenery while we waited for it to arrive. I got the impression that on a perfect summer's evening, this could be one of the most divine places in Essex to sit and sip a glass of wine while watching the sun go down.
The desert was a mixed bag - the classic tiramisu was rather plain but the strawberry and mascarpone was heavenly and along with the gorgeous California-style setting, are enough to tempt us back.
What we had:
Sri Lankan Tiger Prawns: £7.95
Mushrooms stuffed with liver pate: £5.95
8oz fillet steak on fat chips with port and peppercorn sauce:£16.95
Herb-crusted cod fillet with roasted vegetables and garlic sauce: £15.95
Tomato and red onion salad: £1.95
Side order of chips: £1.95
Strawberry and Mascarpone: £4.25
Classic tiramisu: £3.95
TOTAL: £58.90
Our verdict out of five:
Service ***
Decor ****
Atmosphere ****
Food ***
Ocean Beach Cafe Bar Bistro, Eastern Esplanade , Southend. Tel: 01702 611363
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CommentPosted by: lydia james, Southend on 3:46pm Sun 1 Apr 07
I really loved it here. Such a nice place although it is difficult to park
I really loved it here. Such a nice place although it is difficult to park
Posted by: David, Southend on 1:49pm Wed 18 Apr 07
Dreadful food. Drab decor, terrible music, Wonderful Location.
I am local to this place, I have been several times, Breakfast, lunch (twice) and dinner (twice), Each time for the first time I was paying, the second time on each occasion I was a guest. Not one person I know rates this place as a restaurant, but several may go there for coffee.on a sunny Sunday morning. I will not return 9unless invited – I’m polite like that you see).
Breakfast - 'Fresh' O-J from - carton for chris sakes! How hard can it be! Pancakes from a packet - I guess Sainsbury’s but I must confess I do not know what supermarket the chef (stop laughing at the back) lives near..
Overpriced is a word that springs to mind. Dinner - fancy every starter drizzled in a balsamic reduction with some lettuce? Then Eat away! - Prawns - mediocre all 3 of them. Mains – dull small, portions, One course that particularly sticks in the throat was Chicken served with mashed potato, come on get stuck in everyone - yum yuck.
Friday nights the place is empty - no atmosphere at all, and a large portion of the floor space is given over to the bar.. I read the owners (who never seem to be there BTW just bored looking 19yr gelled haired Management), have replenished the beach at the front to stop the place being swept away – in some ways this is a shame. If you go in the bar staff dd not recognise your exist, what happened to service “Good evening Sir, would you like a drink before your meal?” Not hard is it? Maybe if the owners were there then things would improve.
Great idea, but pathetic, lazy execution. You want a beach bar? Go to any decent resort in Europe, fresh local ingredients, staple bar food menus, served with enthusiasm. If there were another 5 Ocean Beach places offering genuine competition, within a 10 minute walk then this place may pull their socks up, they would have to. Presuming they wear socks on their flip flopped feet. Since there isn't any competition, apart from the Harvester, they will continue to be lazy serving boring, poorly prepared, overpriced food – note the cost of the reviewer’s dinner @ £30 a head excludes booze. This is shameful for the quality.
[bold]A missed opportunity.[/bold]
Dreadful food. Drab decor, terrible music, Wonderful Location.
I am local to this place, I have been several times, Breakfast, lunch (twice) and dinner (twice), Each time for the first time I was paying, the second time on each occasion I was a guest. Not one person I know rates this place as a restaurant, but several may go there for coffee.on a sunny Sunday morning. I will not return 9unless invited – I’m polite like that you see).
Breakfast - 'Fresh' O-J from - carton for chris sakes! How hard can it be! Pancakes from a packet - I guess Sainsbury’s but I must confess I do not know what supermarket the chef (stop laughing at the back) lives near..
Overpriced is a word that springs to mind. Dinner - fancy every starter drizzled in a balsamic reduction with some lettuce? Then Eat away! - Prawns - mediocre all 3 of them. Mains – dull small, portions, One course that particularly sticks in the throat was Chicken served with mashed potato, come on get stuck in everyone - yum yuck.
Friday nights the place is empty - no atmosphere at all, and a large portion of the floor space is given over to the bar.. I read the owners (who never seem to be there BTW just bored looking 19yr gelled haired Management), have replenished the beach at the front to stop the place being swept away – in some ways this is a shame. If you go in the bar staff dd not recognise your exist, what happened to service “Good evening Sir, would you like a drink before your meal?” Not hard is it? Maybe if the owners were there then things would improve.
Great idea, but pathetic, lazy execution. You want a beach bar? Go to any decent resort in Europe, fresh local ingredients, staple bar food menus, served with enthusiasm. If there were another 5 Ocean Beach places offering genuine competition, within a 10 minute walk then this place may pull their socks up, they would have to. Presuming they wear socks on their flip flopped feet. Since there isn't any competition, apart from the Harvester, they will continue to be lazy serving boring, poorly prepared, overpriced food – note the cost of the reviewer’s dinner @ £30 a head excludes booze. This is shameful for the quality.
A missed opportunity.
Posted by: Darren, Southend on 1:20am Thu 19 Apr 07
Disappointing is the word that best summarises this restaurant. The dinner menu is limited but I wouldn't have minded if the food had been anything other than ordinary. The roast vegetables were greasy and the sea bass sevely lacking in flavour. And the less said about the deserts the better. For the price we paid you can get a much better meal elsewhere in Southend. Great location but views alone could not make up for the very average food. Give me The Dinning Rooms or Stefans any day of the week.
Disappointing is the word that best summarises this restaurant. The dinner menu is limited but I wouldn't have minded if the food had been anything other than ordinary. The roast vegetables were greasy and the sea bass sevely lacking in flavour. And the less said about the deserts the better. For the price we paid you can get a much better meal elsewhere in Southend. Great location but views alone could not make up for the very average food. Give me The Dinning Rooms or Stefans any day of the week.
Posted by: oliver gozzett, southend on 9:45pm Mon 23 Apr 07
[quote][bold]David[/bold] wrote:
Dreadful food. Drab decor, terrible music, Wonderful Location. I am local to this place, I have been several times, Breakfast, lunch (twice) and dinner (twice), Each time for the first time I was paying, the second time on each occasion I was a guest. Not one person I know rates this place as a restaurant, but several may go there for coffee.on a sunny Sunday morning. I will not return 9unless invited – I’m polite like that you see). Breakfast - \'Fresh\' O-J from - carton for chris sakes! How hard can it be! Pancakes from a packet - I guess Sainsbury’s but I must confess I do not know what supermarket the chef (stop laughing at the back) lives near.. Overpriced is a word that springs to mind. Dinner - fancy every starter drizzled in a balsamic reduction with some lettuce? Then Eat away! - Prawns - mediocre all 3 of them. Mains – dull small, portions, One course that particularly sticks in the throat was Chicken served with mashed potato, come on get stuck in everyone - yum yuck. Friday nights the place is empty - no atmosphere at all, and a large portion of the floor space is given over to the bar.. I read the owners (who never seem to be there BTW just bored looking 19yr gelled haired Management), have replenished the beach at the front to stop the place being swept away – in some ways this is a shame. If you go in the bar staff dd not recognise your exist, what happened to service “Good evening Sir, would you like a drink before your meal?” Not hard is it? Maybe if the owners were there then things would improve. Great idea, but pathetic, lazy execution. You want a beach bar? Go to any decent resort in Europe, fresh local ingredients, staple bar food menus, served with enthusiasm. If there were another 5 Ocean Beach places offering genuine competition, within a 10 minute walk then this place may pull their socks up, they would have to. Presuming they wear socks on their flip flopped feet. Since there isn\'t any competition, apart from the Harvester, they will continue to be lazy serving boring, poorly prepared, overpriced food – note the cost of the reviewer’s dinner @ £30 a head excludes booze. This is shameful for the quality. [bold]A missed opportunity.[/bold] [/quote] a load of rubbish. you're obviously far too old for the place. yes the food isn't 4 michelain stars but its ok. the music is good, tastefull for the young generation and good background noise. maybe tomassi's is more your kind of place. the setting is great, all the staff are friendly and the food is good, tapas especially. it's a young place which is exactly what drab thorpe bay was in need of. i fully recommend it for the younger generation.
David wrote:
Dreadful food. Drab decor, terrible music, Wonderful Location. I am local to this place, I have been several times, Breakfast, lunch (twice) and dinner (twice), Each time for the first time I was paying, the second time on each occasion I was a guest. Not one person I know rates this place as a restaurant, but several may go there for coffee.on a sunny Sunday morning. I will not return 9unless invited – I’m polite like that you see). Breakfast - \'Fresh\' O-J from - carton for chris sakes! How hard can it be! Pancakes from a packet - I guess Sainsbury’s but I must confess I do not know what supermarket the chef (stop laughing at the back) lives near.. Overpriced is a word that springs to mind. Dinner - fancy every starter drizzled in a balsamic reduction with some lettuce? Then Eat away! - Prawns - mediocre all 3 of them. Mains – dull small, portions, One course that particularly sticks in the throat was Chicken served with mashed potato, come on get stuck in everyone - yum yuck. Friday nights the place is empty - no atmosphere at all, and a large portion of the floor space is given over to the bar.. I read the owners (who never seem to be there BTW just bored looking 19yr gelled haired Management), have replenished the beach at the front to stop the place being swept away – in some ways this is a shame. If you go in the bar staff dd not recognise your exist, what happened to service “Good evening Sir, would you like a drink before your meal?” Not hard is it? Maybe if the owners were there then things would improve. Great idea, but pathetic, lazy execution. You want a beach bar? Go to any decent resort in Europe, fresh local ingredients, staple bar food menus, served with enthusiasm. If there were another 5 Ocean Beach places offering genuine competition, within a 10 minute walk then this place may pull their socks up, they would have to. Presuming they wear socks on their flip flopped feet. Since there isn\'t any competition, apart from the Harvester, they will continue to be lazy serving boring, poorly prepared, overpriced food – note the cost of the reviewer’s dinner @ £30 a head excludes booze. This is shameful for the quality. A missed opportunity.
a load of rubbish. you're obviously far too old for the place. yes the food isn't 4 michelain stars but its ok. the music is good, tastefull for the young generation and good background noise. maybe tomassi's is more your kind of place. the setting is great, all the staff are friendly and the food is good, tapas especially. it's a young place which is exactly what drab thorpe bay was in need of. i fully recommend it for the younger generation.
Posted by: Andy Roberts, Westcliff-on-Sea on 1:14pm Wed 2 May 07
I can only agree with Darren and David's comments above, in that the location is the only good thing about this place. The food I found to be average at best, and the drinks are overpriced for Southend generally. Worst of all has to be the appalling service from the bar and restaurant staff, it's obvious that they've had little or no training, either that or they just go out of their way to be rude and surly.
And I had such high hopes for this place when it first opened - such a shame!!
I can only agree with Darren and David's comments above, in that the location is the only good thing about this place. The food I found to be average at best, and the drinks are overpriced for Southend generally. Worst of all has to be the appalling service from the bar and restaurant staff, it's obvious that they've had little or no training, either that or they just go out of their way to be rude and surly.
And I had such high hopes for this place when it first opened - such a shame!!
Posted by: ollie on 9:30pm Thu 10 May 07
nothing to do with the stuck up thorpe bay people
nothing to do with the stuck up thorpe bay people
Posted by: Adrian, Southend on 10:10am Thu 17 May 07
Wow what a bag of mixed
reviews. I've been to Ocean
beach many times for a social
drink and have ate there once
on a work meal. I thouroughly
enjoyed it. I do agree that
Ocean Beach is slightly over
priced and when we went the
service was a bit slow but
then there was 15-20 of us. I
opted for the lamb which was
very nice indeed. Cooked just
right and the roasted veg was
really good. The location as
most people mentioned is very
good. I've sat out on the
balcony watching the sunset
and it is very enjoyable. I'm
going there next week on
another work do (strange that)
and i hope that things will go
smoothly. I think the above
reviews are being a bit harsh.
Food is very good and it's a
very relaxing place and i'm
22yrs old so i'm not an oldie
like some of the above. Try
the place out i think you
might be pleasently surprised.
Wow what a bag of mixed
reviews. I've been to Ocean
beach many times for a social
drink and have ate there once
on a work meal. I thouroughly
enjoyed it. I do agree that
Ocean Beach is slightly over
priced and when we went the
service was a bit slow but
then there was 15-20 of us. I
opted for the lamb which was
very nice indeed. Cooked just
right and the roasted veg was
really good. The location as
most people mentioned is very
good. I've sat out on the
balcony watching the sunset
and it is very enjoyable. I'm
going there next week on
another work do (strange that)
and i hope that things will go
smoothly. I think the above
reviews are being a bit harsh.
Food is very good and it's a
very relaxing place and i'm
22yrs old so i'm not an oldie
like some of the above. Try
the place out i think you
might be pleasently surprised.
Posted by: Miles, Westcliff-on-sea on 9:43am Mon 11 Jun 07
A very mixed bag of opinions. I went to Ocean Beach over the last Bank Holiday. Four of us went and I was a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews on here. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The food was very good and the service of an equally high standard. The menu was well planned, not an overcrowded menu with ample choice. We didn’t have to wait too long between courses. I would agree that it is a little over priced. I think you pay a supplement for its location which is very good. As regarding the décor I think it is contemporary & minimal which I think compliments the view. I would recommend this restaurant, it is expensive but all in all worth it.
A very mixed bag of opinions. I went to Ocean Beach over the last Bank Holiday. Four of us went and I was a little apprehensive after reading some of the reviews on here. We had a thoroughly enjoyable time. The food was very good and the service of an equally high standard. The menu was well planned, not an overcrowded menu with ample choice. We didn’t have to wait too long between courses. I would agree that it is a little over priced. I think you pay a supplement for its location which is very good. As regarding the décor I think it is contemporary & minimal which I think compliments the view. I would recommend this restaurant, it is expensive but all in all worth it.
Posted by: Sophie, Southend-On-Sea on 10:49am Tue 26 Jun 07
Im young and to me Ocean beach is still rubbish... really nice look. on the beach, nice decoration.. but the rest is crap. Crap service.. they are ALL my age.. crap food, too expensive. BUILD ANOTHER ONE because it is such a good idea.
Im young and to me Ocean beach is still rubbish... really nice look. on the beach, nice decoration.. but the rest is crap. Crap service.. they are ALL my age.. crap food, too expensive. BUILD ANOTHER ONE because it is such a good idea.
Posted by: tony grossman, southend on 5:29pm Wed 22 Aug 07
as everybody else has commented, nice view, shame about the food!! service was diabolical on our last visit, & very over priced. must do better!!
as everybody else has commented, nice view, shame about the food!! service was diabolical on our last visit, & very over priced. must do better!!
Posted by: DJ, Southend on 1:02pm Thu 24 Jan 08
Despite the negative comments above I thought I would judge for myself and truly wish I had not bothered. Food was ok but nothing special - the service was however disgraceful - I have honestly never been treated so poorly in any restaurant I have ever been to before. The attitude of certain waitresses is indefensible. Rest assured I will not be returning.
Despite the negative comments above I thought I would judge for myself and truly wish I had not bothered. Food was ok but nothing special - the service was however disgraceful - I have honestly never been treated so poorly in any restaurant I have ever been to before. The attitude of certain waitresses is indefensible. Rest assured I will not be returning.
Posted by: taster, southend on 11:52pm Sun 4 May 08
absolute rubbish. i realised now i should of walked over the road to slassors resturant, far better and the food was divine along with the service.
absolute rubbish. i realised now i should of walked over the road to slassors resturant, far better and the food was divine along with the service.
Posted by: Emily, Rayleigh on 10:16am Fri 9 May 08
Don't know why everyone seems to have a problem with this place. Reading the comments put me off visiting but it was my mum's birthday on bank hol monday and she suggested breakfast so off we went. Service, location and food was excellent, yes a little over priced but what do you expect. The archers cafes are just as expensive and you have a road in between you and the beach! I went back later on in the week for a drink and sat outside and still I think it is very good.
Don't know why everyone seems to have a problem with this place. Reading the comments put me off visiting but it was my mum's birthday on bank hol monday and she suggested breakfast so off we went. Service, location and food was excellent, yes a little over priced but what do you expect. The archers cafes are just as expensive and you have a road in between you and the beach! I went back later on in the week for a drink and sat outside and still I think it is very good.
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