Blue Strawberry Bistro — Restaurant in Braintree

On 17th July we took my brother in law and his wife who live in Warwickshire and who we haven't seen since before covid for a celebratory meal at the blue strawberry. The following day was my husbands 65th birthday and we were joined by our daughter and her partner for a family BBQ. We have eaten at this restaurant several times before with satisfaction. This time we were seated in the "marquee", this borrowed space was part of the car park which under normal circumstances is tight at the best of times, with cars turning tightly to get out, their nearside headlights and wings were inches away from my chair legs. The table behind ours was crammed in so tightly our chairs were back to back making it impossible for the waiting staff to get through and provide a proper waiting service, ( although they could have used the other side of the table). The service was atrocious, our aperitifs were slow, my pink grapefruit gin was so full of crushed ice it was mere water, while my husband was aware this slow start endangered our starters coming before the drinks he tried to slow it down only for the waiter to comment twice " the gentleman cannot seem to decide". The wine choice was dreadful, two reds, two whites and one Rose, we were half way through our starters before the wine and water arrived and they had to be reminded that we ordered it. When it did arrive I was offered the first tasting, the waiter passed it across my guest and the whole service was conducted in this manner, passing dishes across the table instead of the usual standard of serving each person individually and when they came to take the used dishes we were expected to pass them along the table to the waiter. Appalling service for any price, considering this was over £212 for 4 people without deserts or coffee, which we couldn't be bothered to have by that point, we'd had enough by then, and they have the audacity to add a 10% service charge to the bill. I felt embarrassed for my guests who I had told was a great restaurant . The marquee has zero atmosphere, noisy clatter more akin to school dinners with the same level of service. By the way they asked for my review on their site a day later which has, ironically, not been published so far, I posted it 3 days ago! My advice, take your money where you will get good service and value. I, as a local will not be going back there nor taking any guests of mine with...

Went for the day after valentines. I had heard good things from others and the restaurant came highly recommended. Unfortunately there were some things I would recommend the restaurant take a look at improving, as it wasn’t to the standard I thought it could be. Price - obviously prices are increased anyway owing to valentines; however the menu was £49 with a champagne reception and then drinks on top. I have no issue with paying this for good quality food, but I thought the food was average and the cocktails were a bit watery. (Raspberry wizz). Food - as mentioned, it was average really. Very standard gastro pub grub, or a Sunday roast you’d have at home. I thought the portion sizes need to be reassessed as the sea food starter was served on a single scallop in a sauce which made it feel slightly soupy. The chicken liver pate was generous, but lacked flavour and was served with toast. It would be good with some artisan bread for example. There could have been more thyme as that is beautiful with pate! Mains were okay, again a little average. Lamb and beef were very tender, but the veg felt over done and under seasoned. Perhaps a choice of sauces with the beef would be good. The lamb sauce could have been thicker. Puddings - crumble and sorbets were lovely. The sorbet tasted home made, with grated lemon etc. Atmosphere - was pleasant, not overly loud. However, I think that it’s a shame the the theme at front of the restaurant as you come in is the best feature and this could be carried through to the whole restaurant more effectively. The rest of the restaurant feels like someone’s house. Waiting staff were okay, however, perhaps owing to Valentine’s Day, it felt rushed initially and a bit disjointed with so many waiting staff and kitchen staff serving the mains. It would be nice to have more rapport with fewer staff. One waiter was a little abrupt with clearing plates. We are both fit and young, but felt the chairs were uncomfortable and gave you a sore back afterwards. I wouldn’t recommend...

Sunday 26 March 2023 - Sunday Roast x4.

Welcome was warm/friendly and was seated promptly.

Efficient bar service - Drinks were ordered and delivered quickly.

Starters - Well presented & full of flavour.

Mains (Sunday Roasts) - Small bowls of vegetables were placed on the tables 3-4 minutes before the main meals came out. They were smoking hot, including the actual bowl, which did make me wonder if they were microwaved. Meats were ‘ok’. Roast potatoes were hard and dry and were clearly cooked some time ago. Yorkshire Pudding was solid right through, and tasteless. Mains were luke warm at best.

Desserts - Well presented & full of flavour.

Service was friendly but very very slow between courses (we managed to get two rounds of drinks in from the bar between mains being cleared and desserts coming out). Only one table check completed by the staff and that was on clear in. One of our party had to leave the table to find a waitress to request extra gravy and condiments due to inattentive service. Servers lean over full length of table to deliver food & drinks, across others food, rather than serving from beside the relevant guest which was possible at our table.

A 12.5% service charge is added ‘for your convenience’. Whilst I agree a tip is appropriate for good service etc, 12.5% (£26 in our case) for a less than perfect meal isn’t. Especially when already charging £27 for a two course Roast, or £34 including dessert. There’s nothing convenient about that for the customer!

Then came the stomach cramps that night…. Perhaps related to the luke warm food and I since note their 1* Food Hygiene Rating.

All in all.. Would I recommend.. Probably not. If a venue is going to charge a premium and market itself as a premium venue.. Provide the service, food and hygiene to match, as you would expect when booking such...