XO - The Greek — Restaurant in Tendring

My Big Fat Greek Taverna should be banned from selling food…

It’s just too good….

So, you end up eating way too many beautiful lunches and dinners than your waistline is asking for.

The great news too is that everything is reasonably priced so you can enjoy awesome food without breaking the bank – dangerous of course if you love food like me.

I was there for a few days and sampled the most delicious starter I have ever had, Haloumi Fries…. never tasted anything so beautiful in my life as the cheesy fries are dipped in honey. White bait was a lovely alternative too, the next day, and the seafood crispies yet another delicious dish. There are vegetarian options which my wife likes but my target was the meat & fish.

Main course on day one was Lamb Chops which I have had at Big Fat Greek Taverna before, and they were exactly as before – soft succulent & tender meat and no fat on them. Their flavour was pretty much perfect with the charcoal or BBQ techniques the chefs use. I chose chips and salad which was as expected, fresh and tasty.

Baclava is as good as any I’ve tasted in the Mediterranean and a Vanilla ice cream was a perfect accompaniment.

I also tried Seabass on one of the days which was fresh and extremely tasty after the usual fight with the bones and part of the fun. Cooked perfectly and again I opted for chips and salad and finished with a Chocolate Fudge Cake which I could not finish (only a mouthful left mind you)

As well as all the gorgeous Greek food available the temptation for the amazing Full English Breakfast was too much and I went for this both days with a cheeky fried slice. Bacon, Sausages and Eggs cooked perfectly and tasted fresh remaining hot throughout consumption which is always tricky with a fry up.

I vowed I should never go back to My Big Fat Greek Taverna again as I have only scraped the surface of that menu, but guessing my wife has other ideas and booked us in next month already.

Generous portions, tasty well-presented food and staff that are friendly and enjoy working there. I noticed some even come in to socialise on their days off too.

I better get exercising and create a little space for more and more trips to - My Big Fat...

We ate here last night 5th May. From the outside it doesn't look like much, but it is beautiful on the inside. Lovely décor and a great atmosphere. It was so nice I felt a bit bad having my two young children with me.

The waiting staff were lovely and attentive, and always had a smile on their face. My dad is a really difficult customer, honestly I hate going anywhere with him - but the girls were great. Sorry about my dad, he always sounds like he is complaining, it's really embarrassing for us too.

The starter and mains were delicious and nicely presented. Honestly the Kleftiko was amazing, and had a extremely generous portion of lamb.

Our only bad experience was the desert. We ordered Galaktoboureko, only to be told there was only enough for 2 portions, that's absolutely fine things run out - no issues there. However when those portions arrived we were served with a small bowls of doughnuts, and we're told this is how they make Galaktoboureko - now both us and the waiting staff knew this was not Galaktoboureko so not sure what the kitchen were trying to achieve really. If there was none left, that's fine we could order something else, but to be lied to kind of soured our experience. They did change our deserts when we asked, and the apple pie was fine.

Me and the wife were planning on coming back next week for our anniversary, but will probably go elsewhere.

I feel anything less than 4 star would be harsh as everything else was perfect other than the desert. But the desert did leave a bad taste in our mouth (figuratively)

Thank you to the lovely waiting team though, I forgot your names otherwise I would have named the ones we spoke to, and thanks for dealing with my...

Beware the Greek night is all I can say.

Don't bother to go if you want to have a conversation with those you're dining with. The music is absolutely blasting (my ears are still ringing and I've been home for 30mins), 15 minute songs of Greek guitar solos ALL NIGHT, at such a high volume I couldn't hear the person next to me talking; I've been in quieter mosh pits.

You are left no option but to stare into space and wait for the 2 minutes of reprieve from the music. The food, frankly, for the price of £45 a head is a pisstake beyond belief- it was dry, bland and could only be served at specific intervals, with the entire restaurant as a whole, not when one table had finished eating. We got pudding at half past 10, and had booked at 7. When the waitress asked why so much food was left, or if we'd like to take any home, we explained why and simply got a 'oh, sorry.' Then when the manager asked, again he was told the truth, to just get a 'ah well' back.

I can only assume your food is cared for and service is good, if you're a Z list celebrity and have had the manager sat at your table all night, desperately rubbing shoulders for some kind of glory.

Don't go hungry, we've had to swing into mcdonalds on the way home. Remember ear plugs if you visit.

And if there's anything wrong, don't expect them to pay any attention to the complaint. I have no idea why this place is rated so highly. The Lara is 1000x the place this is, and you can talk to your mates at the same time as eating decent food.

By and large the worst restaurant experience...