Astare Restaurant — Restaurant in Braintree

Myself and a very well behaved young child went for an early dinner. Restaurant was very quiet looked like there were far too many staff and even though it was so quiet we had about 4-5 different servers throughout visit. The staff on the service were polite however, the restaurant as a whole lacked the usual warmth and genuine hospitable feel of most great Turkish Restaurants. The vibe of the restaurant was very lifeless not enjoyable at all. All the waiters were polite and when I asked for a mock-tail that matched my cocktail they were very accommodating. The food was a huge let down unfortunately. Main culprit was the bulger/rice mix that came with my dish, it had spoiled meaning it had not been stored correctly or just purposely left out. That to me is unforgivable, The Turkish Bread did not seem fresh or cooked all the way right something was not how it should be. The salad lacked the beautiful notes of pomegranate molasses, sumac, whilst there was a lemon wedge it just did not have the lovely flavour it could and should have. Whilst the lamb was soft the usual seasoning that should surround and penetrate the meat were just not there so tasted rather bland. The other guest who was with me chose chicken nuggets and chips and at £9.50 for what it was I think 3/4 nuggets and portion of chips I think that is a lot. After just mains and a drink you still get added service charge which is fine so just be aware. When I only left a small tip in addition to the service charge the atmosphere became considerably more frosty. Ultimately The money would not ever be a factor as I personally have often spent £500+ on a good restaurant in my opinion this is not a good restaurant. Its overpriced and seriously under delivers. What is unforgivable is serving the spoiled food which both myself and other little guest are having poorly stomachs because of since early hours. I have left many a Turkish Restaurant raving about it and cannot wait to return this unfortunately was not one of them and I am fairly sure unless some bug overhaul happens I will not return. God knows how they are still in business with the restaurant being like that so many staff for absolutely no reason often standing and looking...

A solid 4.5 in my book. Food was excellent, very tender meats cooked authenticly. Baba ganoush was lovely and creamy with a thick smoky taste, really couldn't fault it. The vegetarian menu had plenty to offer too. Presentation was good, cutlery and glasses were all very clean and not marked. Service was good the staff were all very friendly and helpful and sang happy birthday to another table for their birthday outing. We waited around 15 minutes for food but they offer you bread with yoghurt and sauces to start. Atmosphere was lovely, we were there for 18:30 which was about half capacity but there was a little music and I could have a normal conversation with my partner. However when we were leaving the atmosphere was a lot louder and the place was almost full. But no different to anywhere else on a Friday night! The only flaw is that the toilets are upstairs, I couldn't see any disability accessible toilets, but I didn't ask! In conclusion one of the best restaurants to eat out in Witham, and THE best Turkish in Witham and...

We visited recently for my birthday. The whole restaurant was packed, I don't think I've seen a busier restaurant in Witham ever! We had our table booked for 8.30pm, but as our table wasn't ready and were given drinks menus to order while we waited. The manager apologised for the wait and then showed us to our table after about 10 mins, completely understandable with a new restaurant on a Saturday night. We were placed right next to the glass divide with the kitchen. It was pretty interesting to have a quick glimpse at them cooking. We ordered drinks and instead of 2 Cobra's, 2 cokes appeared. I'm putting this down to how loud the restaurant was with everyone's conversations. They instantly changed them for beers, with no hesitation. The food was great, although it wasn't clear that the pitta bread that came out was actually meant for the hummus starter. The price was reasonable and staff were quick and friendly. Not really a setting for a romantic meal, however it's perfect for a family/families get together or...