The Secret Garden — Restaurant in Babergh

Not sure if they have changed chef but our dinner experience was VERY disappointing. On the plus side the ambience and service were great. Also the dessert (almond macaroon and ice cream) was excellent. However the starters and main were appalling. Three limp squid rings on a veritable mountain of beetroot mush and some other indistinguishable white sauce should have been warning enough. However, being a Birthday treat our choice of walking out at that stage was not really an option. The mains were no better. Tempura prawns seemed passable if not spectacular. The rump steak turned out to be a minute steak and "medium rare" was interpreted as "well done". It went back. The replacement had a hint of red and, as the others in the meal had finished their mains, it was accepted and eaten. However, it was massively over-seasoned and had the thickness and consistency of shoe leather. Not a pleasant experince. The other main was a cep soufflé on what appeared to be freezer-burnt peas. That was finished off by a bill of £60 a head (with the cheapest wine on the list) and a 15% gratuity that wasn't advised to me until I received the receipt after paying! We will never return and recommend anyone to think twice. There are so many good...

We had a party of 22 mixed aged adults staying in Sudbury for a wedding on 21st June 2014. We liked the look and user feedback on this restaurant to host a pre wedding family gathering on Friday 20th June. In making the booking for our 22 diners, Stephan the owner was so helpful, suggesting a menu for the occasion and a table set up that would meet our needs. The arrangements were perfect on the night and exactly as we had arranged, the food through every course and across the choices for our menu was really fabulous and better than many London restaurants we frequent. The house wines both white and red were of an unusually high quality which made the dining experience even better. The food arrived in a timely manner for all our guests and everyone was so delighted with the venue and the fine dining delivered. I would have no hesitation in recommending the Secret Garden as the find of 2014. Well done to the staff who really do go the extra mile to make the dining experience first class. We have already spread the word of this great find to the other more local wedding guests in the local area. You won't be disappointed and the per head price was...

I have just been for the first time to the secret garden. The waitress was very pleasant, we came at 11:30 and I had a good coffee and we ordered lunch but was told by her they could only start cooking at 12pm. We said fine. The order however went to the wrong table by the male that part owns the establishment stephan. I informed him our order had been sent to the wrong table, we were two females. The couple who had mistakenly started eating the food were a male and female. He went to their table and apologied and said he would bring their order right away. He would have totally disregard us until I said "could you come here" and I explained I was not happy as I had no apology or indication our meal would be dealt with. He told me I was disrespectful and asked us to leave. This was so poorly managed, his behaviour seemed blantantly misogynistic and at best rude. He was embarrassed and allowed his ego to dictate appaling behaviour. I would never go there again which is a shame as the food seemed good. People make mistakes, I have no problem with this but I doubt he has the insight to see how...