The Black Tiles — Restaurant in East Suffolk

It says something when, in 'soft opening' week, the car park is full, the place is rammed and they are not accepting any walk-ins. Clearly this venue is much-needed in the local area. They've obviously spent a fortune on the refurbishment and very nice it is too. Lots of exposed brickwork and soft tones on the painted walls. Nice artwork as well. But why is there only a single hot air hand-drier in the gents, which is designed to provide facilities for up to 8 folk at one time? Nicely designed sinks, though. With our group numbering mid teens, it was nice that we had one dedicated server to look after us. Ashleigh was brilliant from start to finish, introducing herself at check-in, guiding folk to our table in the lounge area and staying attentive throughout the evening. All done with superb efficiency and a charming smile. Service at its very best! The food was good too, although there was an element of style over substance. I opted for the very well-presented and extremely tasty burger, which had a pathetically small basket of french fries to accompany it, while the Eton Mess was in Kilner jars with open lids, making them liable to topple over. A nightmare for the servers. Pretty to look at, but completely dysfunctional. The pud, not the staff! It was also impressive that,when it came to table-clearing, other staff appeared as if by magic, whisking everything away in record time. If Black Tiles management maintain this level of standard and staff training, then they are on to a...

This is a review for the most disgusting Christmas meal I have ever had put in front of me. The meal was on Christmas Day and if it were not for the fact that I was with my family and in laws and not wanting to spoil their dinner I would have kicked up a fuss at the time. The starter was bland and unappealing and the main course was so obviously cheap the chef should be embarrassed to have serve it up. It was served in a pasta bowl and consisted of 2 wafer thin slices of "turkey" which looked as if they were sliced off a processed roll, a spoonful of gravy, 4 roast potato's the size of apples, 3 slices of parsnip which were coated in a chilli sauce of some sort, 1 thin slice of carrot, 4 small sprouts, 1 sausage wrapped in bacon that was so salty it was not edible and a slice of stuffing which was so dry and hard, there were no Yorkshire puddings, no cranberry sauce and the mince pies served with the coffees looked like somebody had sat on them, we were given 6 pies to share amongst 13 of us. I managed to fight my way through the carrot and 2 of the potato's, my son in law could not even manage that and I would say that more than half of the "food" served up, on our table of 13, was not eaten. I paid over £240 for my children and their families (5 of the adults & 2 children) and I begrudge every penny of it. I am quite sure I will never visit this...

After meeting with friends to celebrate a birthday, we sat eagerly waiting to be served. Shortage of staff meant a long wait. We ordered our drinks, which arrived quite swiftly. Our order for food was taken about 10 minutes later. Our food arrived eventually, but after a 20 minute delay, we were all getting hungry. Apologies were given by the server, and we did notice a 'Staff Wanted' poster as we entered, so accepted this was the problem. Our food arrived. All of us agreed that it was well presented, but my chicken was very dry, and the coating which should have been soft, was very hard and crunchy. My green beans were too undercooked for my taste, and very few potatoes were arranged around the plate. All in all, not particularly enjoyable gor around £20. We did not order pudding, only coffee. The place looks fresh and modern, but is lacking in atmosphere. I'm sure it will get better, but the menu should include a few more dishes that are traditionally British. Would be a nice venue for wedding reception though especially if they made outside prettier..maybe a solar water feature would be lovely! I will go again..but not the best meal...