Miller & Carter Southampton — Restaurant in Eastleigh

Table of 4, requested a booth but ended up on a small square table. This is too small for 4 people, we just about managed room for the starters, but for the main we had cote de boeuf & chateaubriand. There was barely enough room for it, including the sides & 4 plates. We had to give up the table water and glasses in an effort to make room, leaving some dishes precariously perched on the edge, an accident waiting to happen. The table itself was situated at a pinch point with a walk way between it & the servers station. This meant my OH was constantly brushed as people squeezed through and at one point a chair was lifted over his head (?!), he had to get up and move to allow a person with a waking frame to get through also. It didn't make for the most comfortable dining experience, which incidentally was a birthday celebration.

The food arrived and as the server was trying to lean over to place chateaubriand on the table, it proceeded to roll off of the serving plate towards the floor but my friend managed to catch it, however the juices dripped on to her new white trousers...The servers were very apologetic, they did offer to cook a fresh one but that wasn't necessary, what would have been nice, would have been the offer of a drink on the house, a free dessert or something off of the bill for her but none were forthcoming.

The majority of the staff were very polite and friendly, with the exception of our "dedicated" server who was quite abrupt and it really seemed they just wanted us off their hands asap.

One of the ladies toilets was out of order, what would a night out be without a queue? Also the hand dryer didn't work, but this seemed be a theme as according to the gents, theirs wasn't working either and there were no handtowels supplied as substitute.

All in the food was great, we really couldn't fault it and I'd love to give this a 5 star review but the experience just wasn't as good as we have had in the past, and it should have been. Ultimately being squeezed on a ridiculously small table, fit for 2, in a tight spot put a dampener on it. The table was booked well in advance but we felt like we had "squeezed" in at short...

We came to this restaurant as a group of four on Wednesday evening for a birthday celebration.  We were not  to be disappointed. Having arrived early for our 730pm booking. An aperitif seemed in order, choosing a nice booth table in the bar area we ordered our drinks. We ordered a mix of cocktails and beer. The Estrella was fresh, cold, and clear in a clean branded glass. The Porn Star Martinis were served to the top of the glass, silky smooth, fruity and with fresh passion fruit slice garnish. I have eaten at, at least three other M & C restaurants around the country and these were the best made cocktails I have seen thus far. Well done. After a couple of drinks we moved off to the table for our dinner.

We were soon seated at a very comfortable table. Our waitress Sue came over and introduced herself. At this point we ordered our wine . As this was a birthday celebration and no one needed to drive. We ordered a Magnum bottle of Mouton Cadet red. This is a rather robust French red, light and dry but full of depth. 12.5% ABV.

Soon we were ordering our meal. Two of us ordered from the Festive menu and the other two from the normal menu. Unfortunately, the Turkey main was not available so can’t make comment on that. However our steaks were exceptional. Succulent and tasty, cooked to perfection. Presentation was precise, and appealing. All the meals were served hot on very clean plates. All accompaniments were delivered quickly, and efficiently. Cutlery was clean, polished, and in good condition. Wine glasses too were very clean and polished.

Desert too was fantastic. I recommend trying the Festive menu if you are intending to go any time soon.

The restaurant is very clean and well decorated. I like the use of red and shiny glass. The toilets too were in exception condition and some of the cleanest I have experienced anywhere in the brand. Tables are well lit without being too overpowering.  Ample free parking available if required. Also fully disabled access.

Sue did a terrific job taking care of us.. Well done all round.

WE look forward to...

We recently (2 adults) went for an early dinner and catch up at Miller and Carter (Southampton) which is actually in Bursledon lol! Just before the big Tesco.

We had a booking for 4:30pm to take advantage of the fixed lunch menu as this runs 12-5pm. We were seated quickly and our server came over shortly after to ask about our food and drink choices. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to choose and said we needed a few mins. This turned into 15/ 20mins and us trying to find someone to say we were ready. In the end our server came back (after some prompting) and took our orders. We approached the person who greets you when you arrive to ask if they could ask our server to come back when she sees her however this was not greeted with much enthusiasm sadly.

The food was lovely and the choices I made I was very happy with. There is limited choice for the starters and desserts however they do cover a variety of different options and allergies which is great. I had the THAI SPICED BUTTERNUT SQUASH & CARROT SOUP (VE) to start. For main I had the RUMP 7OZ (GF). Served with parsley butter, onion loaf, balsamic-glazed tomato and seasoned fries (VE) with BONE MARROW BÉARNAISE (GF) with a side of Mac and cheese (V). For pudding I had the WHITE CHOCOLATE CRÈME BRÛLÉE (V) (GF). All were tasty, a decent portion size and served hot. It took around 15/20mins between courses which was not too bad and gave time for us to digest the previous course which was actually quite welcome. This branch recently re- opened after a refurb, I couldn’t personally see a difference in the layout etc but what I will say is the dining areas are clean, crisp and look good. It’s a nice place to go for a meal and I enjoy the lunch menu offerings as they suit my appetite. I would happily recommend this branch...