Heathes Restaurant — Restaurant in Wealden

We have frequented this eatery, in all it's various guises, for well over 10 years now, so when we saw it had reopened following the enforced closure due to the Pandemic, we booked a table immediately...

...first impressions were that the restaurant has received a refreshing makeover; gone are the awkward attempts to cater to, and occupy, whole families who should really go to McDonald's if their kids want to play while they eat. Instead the daytime ambience is now grown up, light and airy, with pleasant decor, and comfortable furniture. It will interesting to see how it fares in the evening.

At first glance, the menu DOES seem perhaps limited, and a touch expensive; until the food arrives in front of you! We had a small glass of House Red each, which was VERY acceptable, followed by a generous selection of breads, quality olive oil with balsamic vinegar, and olives. That was the first surprise...

...when the main courses arrived, we were literally blown away! What initially seemed expensive for what it appeared to be, turned out to be the kind of food you would easily pay double for elsewhere! Perfectly cooked, with a sublime combination of flavours and textures, in portion sizes that were neither under, nor over, whelming, and thankfully left room for dessert! Because the desserts were equally well thought out, executed and presented! 😋

Now to nitpick: The biggest criticism I can offer is the lack of information as to what you can expect, until it is put on the table in front of you! This place REALLY deserves to be full every day! They HAVE to get that out there...

Secondly, and this is a personal bugbear of mine, I hate Staff cleaning around me while I'm enjoying my food. I hate it in McDonald's when they spray the table next to mine, and all I can smell is cleaning product, and I hate it when they sweep up around my feet! I hate it when they mop the floors in local cafés, and all I can smell is disinfectant! I don't care if you DO want to go home as soon as the place closes, mop the floors after you lock the doors! Equally, I was a little perturbed when a hand held vacuum appeared at the table to hoover up the crumbs from our entreé! Wait until we've gone, then do it quietly with a cloth! I don't want to hear it at a table behind me either! By the same token, I appreciate that you want the place to look pristine for each customer, but sweeping off and replacing a large tablecloth makes you feel like you're eating in someone's kitchen while they do their laundry! Use smaller top layers that you can fold and remove DISCREETLY! And turn the nice music down a little...

None of which has put us off though, we WILL be going back shortly to try out the Sunday Roast. If the initial impression is anything to go by, I can't wait...😎

UPDATE:

The Sundays Roasts...

We made a booking over the phone which was very straight forward. When we arrived it was quiet but some more people came. The service was fantastic, we were well attended to and checked in on. Now the food... it was phenomenal!! We had the sujuck and the prawns in sauce for starter which were so delicious, my partner had a bit of food envy as the prawns in the Turkish and chilli sauce were so flavourful. We love Turkish bread and they were happy to give us plenty! Nice and warm. We then went for the mixed grill for 2 people and it was amazing. There was enough for the 2 of us to share and the flavours were delicious. We had it with bulgar wheat and salad. Everything was so delicious, clean plates all round. We will definitely return and recommend...

Went there for Mothers Day. 3 of my family are veggies. No choice for them so had to have moussaka. They got order wrong. When mousaka came absolutely tiny portion more like starter. No salad or garlic bread or anything with it. My roast chicken was nice except for very salty gravy but was meant to have been chicken supreme!! Desserts were nice. Very over priced for what we had. My poor daughter paid £30 each for what amounted to a starter and pudding. Decor poor. Staff didn't know what they were doing and to add insult to injury they put on a service charge!!! Dreadful. Certainly won't go or...