The Old Boathouse — Restaurant in England

4 year ago I reviewed this with 5 stars and subsequent visits on a number of occasion saw no reason for me to change my view until yesterday. Since the renovations and Covid this was our first return visit, having been on a number of occasions previously. Sadly we were dissappointed. There has been discretional 10% service charge introduced.No mention made anywhere until bill was presented. The staff warranted more but because I object to begging in this form they got what was asked for. The food experience was all that was asked for but in no way did it measure up to our previous visits. The Oysters were fine, the dressed crab presentation was disappointing and masked by what can only be described as two large blocks of bread which covered a very ordinary salad, the Steamer Pot in no way measured up to our previous experience because of the limited variety of items included therein, although disappointing, it was enjoyed. Finally the Plaice buttered potatoes and samphire could only be described as adequate but nothing to get excited about. We've booked a visit for later in the month but are now reconsidering our options. The venue is excellent as are the staff but our food experience was lacking and could only be described a ordinary. A return visit yesterday 27nd July 2022 served only to confirm my disappointment and that of my friends, Google timeline confirms our arrival at the Restaurant at 1240hrs and our departure at 1416hrs We had a table reserved for 1330hrs and so on arrival I checked to see if our early arrival was.OK. Not a problem was the response. We were immediately shown to a prepared table, given menus and drinks were ordered, Drinks arrived and our order taken and then everything went downhill thereafter. After a wait of an hour 3 items of food arrived and were described a only just tepid and were immediately returned, At this point the manageress arrived to apologise We listened but found her explanation of being exceptionally busy when there were empty tables, see pictures, and even more unacceptable was that people who had arrived long after us were served before us. As a consequence we paid for our drinks and left without eating. There is...

Very disappointing. The staff need training in customer service as does the manageress. On arrival the bar was a huge mess of glasses on arrival. Had to wait for drinks order. We had booked some days before so they were expecting a large birthday party of 7, one child, on a special occasion. The wait time for food was over an hour! The wait time for drinks and repeat drinks too long. The food was unremarkable and very expensive for the quality and presentation. Two steaks not cooked as asked. My fish chowder should be named carrot and celery chowder, There was barely a flake of fish in it. Waitress did a very fast table check after serving by which time I had not realised how disappointing my chowder was and ditto for the steak eaters. At the end of the meal, the waitress who removed my plate asked Yeah me had there been something wrong to which I replied it was awful and disappointing and I had never had chowder like it made mainly from Carrot and celery. She said she would pass this on and I assumed she would tell the chef and all rest immediately. Clearly, she did not. We asked for the bill, Astonishingly they had added 10% service charge and also left on my “carrot“ chowder. Not wanting to make a scene or embarrass the bill paying birthday guy I waited until my party had left and then asked to speak to the manageress. In front of other dining customers, she argued with me! She was unpleasant and unprofessional. She blamed me for not having highlighted my dissatisfaction with the meal And was quite confrontational in front of other diners. She eventually said she would refund the chowder by which time it was far too late To repair the damage done. I left. None of us will ever return to the old boathouse in Amble. And we would never recommend this place. There are some awful reviews buried in amongst some of the better reviews nearer the top. The bad reviews should be put up first. Very disappointing when you’re looking forward to something and it’s a special occasion and by the way that was not even acknowledged....

Unimpressed... we rang earlier in the day to see if the restaurant was doggy friendly, and strangely they didn’t seem to give me a straight answer, it just depended on the bookings... uh!... then ...best turn up between 3 - 5 in the afternoon. Now call me a bit thick, but they are either doggy friendly or not. However we arrived at 3.45 to an empty restaurant, so we asked if we were ok with the dog, a small terrier by the way, and before an answer was given she checked the clock ... phew it must be dog friendly time. We were shown to a table near the front so we wouldn’t get in the way I presume... we checked out the menu ordered a couple of beers and both ordered a bowl of mussels in white wine and garlic and a side order of chips. The food arrived fairly quickly and looked nice, sadly both bowls were very cold... which for a seafood restaurant amazed me. This was strange as the finger bowl with lemon was steaming... and we were told to be careful as it was so hot....£14.50 for a bowl of mussels with two slices of bread in my view was overpriced, and to get it wrong was poor to say the least. On replying to the waitress after she asked us if it was ok, we stated it was cold ...she from then onwards seemed to sulk. Oh well what a shame. In my opinion the place is ok. I’m sure the food can be nice. The dog friendly message needs to be more clear, and the staff need to act on criticism in a professional manner. We noticed that there were 3 chefs in the kitchen, the question comes to mind how many chefs does it take to get a hot bowl of food.... On the upside, the small bowl of chips for £3.75 were quite nice... and the steaming finger bowl outshined the main...