Middletons — Restaurant in Colchester

An amazing visit to Middletons! :)

I and my companion ordered separate dishes so we could sample different things. I ordered the Garlic Mushrooms, which arrived well cooked and prepared in a truly amazing sauce! It was strong, peppery, and served with crusty, yet spongy bread. When I had originally ordered the garlic mushrooms I had expected something a little different, sort of similar to the battered garlic mushrooms many restaurants serve, but these were really exceptional, fresh, flavourful and very tasty! The mushrooms weren't at all greasy, and the sauce interacted with them on a deep level, with the Mushrooms delivering the texture supported by the peppery taste. They were very impressive! But there was more yet to come!

My companion ordered the Calamari, which can be tricky for some restaurants resulting in it having the texture of a plate of elastic bands. Middletons Calamari was very different. It was perfectly cooked and easy to eat whilst retaining the flavour of the squid. It was served in a nice golden batter which was light and added to the texture and flavour beautifully, the Calamari was served with a a lovely garlic mayonnaise dip.

I had ordered a 10 ounce Rib-eye steak done medium rare, with a Waldorf salad side. I elected not to go with any sauces, as sometimes they can make it hard to gauge the quality of the meat. The steak arrived was well cooked, and the flavour had been sealed in very well. I personally love steak, and it was definitely extremely good value! My steak was nicely done, and the quality of the meat was good, with nice marbling.

The steak arrived with crushed garden peas, and though I'm not normally a fan of mushy peas and similar foods, I was extremely impressed by the garden peas which were definitely freshly made there, and not out of a can. It also came with a flat field mushroom which was every bit as lovely as the garlic mushrooms I'd had earlier! The roasted tomato was a surprise, as usually they seem to arrive incinerated, but this one was very different, with no burning or singeing on the outside. It was lovely!

The Waldorf salad is a little complicated and it can be hard for some restaurants to get right. Middletons created a fantastic Waldorf, which really impressed both myself and my companion, the apples had fantastic bite and flavour, supported by a relaxing sweetness from the grapes, which is always an interesting mix with the walnuts and the slight bitterness of the celery that brings out the flavour even more and makes it one superb dish! We definitely recommend the Waldorf salads! They did an absolutely incredible job!

My companion ordered the Prime Surf and Turf, with an upgrade from prawn skewers to half lobster. This came with a 6 ounce fillet steak, which was ordered rare, and cooked to perfection. The lobster was delightful, tender and full of flavour, and nicely prepared, the steak like mine had nice marbling, and had a nice thick flavour that really complimented the lobster.

The fries which arrived as a side to the Surf and Turf were exceptional, beautifully seasoned, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, warm and full of flavour.

I chose to order the Middletons Sundae, I've rarely been able to resist a good sundae, and I was so pleased with it. The brownie was full of taste and went well with the soft vanilla, whipped cream and nuts. I really loved it. For me it was the perfect end to a lovely meal. :D

My companion ordered the Crème Brulee which was something I'd never personally tried before. The taste was beautiful, and it arrived with a shortbread biscuit. The custard cream was nice and sweet and really worked well. It's definitely something that I will order myself at some point soon!

Definitely...

Sat here in Middletons Steak House (Colchester) this fine Friday Evening. The atmosphere is amazing, a thunderous and joyful beat of satisfaction and enjoyment spreads through restaurant; clearly depicting the exceptional experience this establishment offers on a Friday night. Large groups of colleagues and counter parts, couples and families gather in an unspoken harmonious community to all taste, smell, feel and listen to the extraordinary food and beverage phenomenon that is; Middletons Steak House. My partner and I (celebrating our anniversary) have visited the restaurant once before and were quite plainly, blown away! Our return visit however, is no comparison. Our personal show of delight and desire started with appetisers consisting of soft, buttery Scallops... a smoky yet sweet, beef and bechumel Croquette... and classic Calamari served with a beautiful, silky lemon aioli. All of which, could not be faulted one way or another. The show stopper however... The pièce de résistance... The mind blowing, eye watering, jaw dropping course that is the entree, came with a phenominal BANG!! The blade of my steak knife glide effortlessly through the succulent, juicy Beef Wellington (a true staple to behold within this culinary finery), one that even Ramsey himself would bow down to. I paired this course with a peppercorn sauce, although realised almost immediately it was not required as the natural juices alone bared more flavour to take down an army of Hungry Hungry Hippos. My partners 10oz Rib Eye, equally as succulent. Every bite melting in the mouth, each one surprising you with a kick of unexpected flavour and awe as if the first bite ever. Food, to sum up. Perfection!! Nothing short of it. Just perfection!

I move on, somewhat swiftly to the staff. Now please bare in mind, for a Friday evening dinner service, I do feel the team was lacking in bodies. As a man who has worked in the hospitality trade for nearly 10 years, I understand what it takes to successfully and smoothly run a food and beverage establishment such as this. Despite being short staffed and a tad stressed, the team worked their fingers to the bone and their heals to the sound of their shoes to ensure EVERY single guest received the best possible experience (service time barely affected by this). And for that, I take my hat off to all of them! Well done!! I have never seen bar staff produce such unified and professional cocktails (handcrafted) quicker than a machine gun turret. The floor staff, one of whom was their first night on duty, ran round riot as much as they could. The one, very small thing I would ask the management of this establishment to look at, is just remembering basic service technique; serving to the left, ladies first, pouring water for guests etc. The Little elements, that although not many people notice, make an awful lot of difference without ever being noted. To conclude, all in all the company should be very proud of what they have achieved and what they are producing on a nightly basis. Keep up the outstanding work team!! And to anyone looking for a memorable food and drink experience that you will cherish for a long long time, please make sure it's Middletons you are booking a table at for your next...

Visited once before a few years back and was impressed on the last occasion with the lobster ‘add on’ with the steaks which seem to now have been replaced with prawns as the ‘surf and turf’ option, and having heard good reviews since the last visit, thought I’d try it for date night, having booked a table prior.

Service left a LOT to be desired. Initial hostess was friendly enough, we were sat 5 minutes before being asked for drinks and another 3 minutes after once drinks arrived, asked for food orders, this was rushed, they weren’t overly busy.

Food itself was very subpar. The Camembert was ok, small portions for the price bracket, but a fair deal to choose from on the menu (not many chicken/alternative meat options) if you’re looking for something other than steak, would like more of a smokehouse/grill availability. Girlfriend ordered 8oz sirloin with chips, asked for medium well. It came well done, burnt and overcooked to the point it was very dry. She ate less than half. They delivered the mains, plonked it on the table and walked off. We had to help ourselves to condiments on the hostess stand and grab salt/pepper from another table, with no check-back. BBQ Burger was okay, barely warm but tasty, but I did find what looked like a diced cube of raw, uncooked chicken? Would’ve mentioned this but again, no checkback or option to order more drinks.

Waited 20 minutes for the bill, paid cash as I received a phone call earlier in the day informing me it was cash only as card machine had gone down, so this was an inconvenience, asked for change on the bill after paying the service charge despite the lack of warmth or attentiveness and the change never arrived, instead the server went to take more orders so I got up and left. Staff generally seemed miserable, no smile or thank you as we left. For £60 it wasn’t worth the value at all, and the portion sizes have dropped somewhat since the last visit, so on this occasion, probably...