The Punch Bowl, High Easter

DONT GO HERE .Birthday meal ruined. Arrived at 8.00, one starter arrived 15 minutes after others. Medium steak took four attempts to get right, arrived finally at 11.00 , owner's quote' your mistake, you should have ordered fish, don't blame me I didn't cook it. Deserts poor, unrecognisable sweet mush

Food bad, owners attitude disgraceful, hugely overpriced.

Friends booked here for their anniversary, so I thought i'd look up some reviews and I wish I hadn't bothered! I always look at the reviews for places we are going and after reading some for the Punch Bowl, I was a tad aprehensive, but oh boy, were those reviewers proved wrong!

This restaurant is just brilliant, the atmosphere, food, drink and the host and Staff are all better than superb. The value for money is phenominal when you actually look at the quality of what is served and the way in which it is prepared and presented. Nothing is too much trouble and we arrived at 7.30 and left near midnight and we had a fantastic evening. My only regret is that I've waited all this time before finding this gem!

If you want an evening you'll remember for all the good things then give the Punch Bowl a go, you should go with high expectations and i'm sure they'll be exceeded. I've certainly learned my lesson, not to believe everything you read...go and make your own mind up, I'll probably see you in there because I will be going lots from now on.

Well done to all at the Punch Bowl, it was absolutely brilliant!

Saturday 18th June. This is an old building, very pleasant if a little cramped and dark. A nice warm welcome from staff, who seated us in fairly comfortable chairs for 15 mins while the table was made ready. We were presented with a large bowl of delicious home made crisps, olives and fresh peas in there pods. As we waited, the bow tied owner/manager greeted the many people coming through the doors as old friends, which they may well have been.

We were disappointed to see that the set price menu meant that we would be charged for all three courses, when we would normally only have had two. The wine list for the more expensive wines (£45+) was very extensive, but there was much more limited choice for the less expensive wines.

We were seated well,but the lighting was very poor which meant we had some difficulty in seeing the food, which for us is part of the joy of eating. The wine we chose was taken away from our table and we had to ask for a top up, which is not good.

We ordered the same starter of prawns, and they came very elaborately presented on a bed of salad (which my partner was a bit disappointed with, but which had a nice dressing) but the prawns were not well cooked and tasted like they had been boiled then fried in something which was quite difficult to identify. In short the dish was disappointing.

We chose the steak chateaubriand, which was very well cooked with nicely cooked veg. My partner felt the meat was not very well flavoured, but to me I thought it tasted good.

The puddings came on a trolley and there was lots of choice, and what we had was good, but they weren't fine dining sweets, by any stretch of the imagination.Tasty enough though.

They brought a little dish of sweet things to finish our meal off, but we were too stuffed by them so the manager kindly wrapped them to allow us to take them away. A nice gesture.

In short I think this is an average restaurant purporting in its prices to be a fine diner.The experience is expensive, and the food not always well cooked. The house wines are few, and on that occasion we had no choice but to have all three courses. The welcome is warm enough, but I've had better service. And the total bill with tip and an inexpensive wine was over £120 for two. Nice enough evening but worth the money? Not sure I'll be back soon.

We received a warm welcome and were immediately showed to a seat in the bar, served a drink and given some delightful home-made crisps, baby peas and olives - a very promising start.

The menu contained an extensive range of dishes for the main and starter courses but the delicious descriptions were not replicated on the plates. With hindsight we should have realised that it is nigh on impossible to produce such a varied range of dishes from fresh ingredients in the time given. The fish and seafood were obviously pre-frozen as the fish was not flakey and had separated from the skin and the lobster was soggy. The claws were also missing and when this was pointed out to a waitress she thought it was funny, did not apologise and did not offer to do anything about it. All we can think is that the lobster was purchased minus the best bit - everybody loves digging the meat out of the claws. The (school food) vegetables were boiled and bland and were not varied depending on the meat/fish they accompanied - everybody got the same. More imagination, please.

The price was written at the top of the list of starters and mains and there was no mention that pudding was included. A sentence at the bottom to inform the diners of this would be helpful. The wine list was extremely comprehensive but what a shame our bottle (Mersault £68) was whisked away and stored in ice cold water. We had to ask for our glasses to be topped up and by then the wine was almost frozen and therefore tasteless. Diners should be asked about how they would like their wine kept and where. Don't assume everybody likes it the same way.

The staff, whilst smiley enough, need some training in customer relations. There was no apology for keeping the wine cold, making us wait ages to pay the bill and no queries about how we were enjoying our meal - even when we left.

In short, for such a highly priced menu we expected far better quality food and service. Are they living on their reputation?

We visited the Punchbowl in High Easter on 14th May 2011, the initial impression upon arrival was of a very cozy and charming restaurant. It is a pity that the experience which followed completely destroyed this impression. Food quality was poor and amateurishly prepared, wine ordered was not available but another provided on the basis 'we have opened this one instead'(but we were not asked if this was ok). Main course of belly of pork was questionable and when the manager challenged could not really explain source of meat cut. Deserts tasted home made and were bland. When waiting for coffee told we had to move from the table 'as the coffee was waiting 'out there'. On top of this the actual bill was £143 but we queried why the bill stated £250.00. One of the worst dining experiences if not the worst in the past decade and compares very poorly with all competing restaurants on price, food, service.

Having read some of the reviews for the Punch Bowl, I don't agree with the suggestion from some that this restaurant is pricey - especially given the quantity and quality of food - not to mention the impeccable service. You get what you pay for and this restaurant is certainly well above the average. Whilst the Saturday evening menu we enjoyed, was a fixed price per head, it was certainly a feast. For example, my girlfriend's starter was a half lobster, crab and king prawns. For main course we had Chateaubriand accompanied by an excellent wine recommended by the manager. To top it off the dessert trolley comprised over 10 excellent and mouthwatering dishes. We had coffee by the bar which at £3.50 was not the typical single cup you get in many restaurants but a large cafetiere - each!- sufficient to fill six cups between the two of us accompanied by home made delicacies and strawberries dipped in chocolate. The manager's welcome is warm and inviting and he clearly takes considerable pride in ensuring that you enjoy your evening. Don't hesitate to go here if you choose your restaurant because of the food and the experience of fine dining rather than the price.

Although our party of 4 had a good night at the Punch Bowl I cannot help thinking that the price was extremely high for the quality of food served and service.

The home made crisps during pre-dinner drinks are a nice touch. However a single G&T at £5.50 and small larger at £3.50 I thought it was a little over priced. The menu was varied but we were not told and it wasn't clear that it was a set 3 course for I believe £45 for Fri & Sat night, as there are no prices visible on the menu.

My parents are unable to eat much so when I told them this the response was 'well you have to pay the full amount so may as well order a starter' I felt this was rather unaccommodating. The food was OK but not worth the price tag (we had to send two steaks back due to being cooked incorrectly) with no apology! Plus the main course came with fried potatoes and small amount of over cooked veg on the plate. The wine list is impressive and endless and the dessert trolley appetizing but overall the waiting staff didn't seem overly happy to be there and the food definitely didn't live up to its price tag. Having previously visited the punch bowl for special occasions I felt a little let down on this visit and won't be going back anytime soon.

Such a surprise to find this wonderful restaurant tucked away in the countryside. The evening started in as we walked in the front door. The charming owner offered cocktails, olives, home made crisps and fresh peas in their pods as we sat in the bar to review the menu. What a feast - it is rare to find so many dishes that whet your appetite - poached asparagus, figs with dolchelatte wrapped in parma ham, fresh crab, and rather retro deep fried brie. Main courses of lobster, steak, dover sole, belly pork all looked delicous. The dessert trolley with a giant OTT pavlova, roulade, cheesecake and banoffee pie were fantastic. With a set three course menu for £45 (and no nasty supplements) make it great value. The passion of the owner for wine is what makes this place extra special (he also owns Luckins wine shop in Great Dunmow). Rather than hand you a wine list he drags you (not unwillingly) into the most fantastically stocked cellar surrounded by rare and thankfully more affordable tasty wines and champagnes for you to choose from (with help if needed). The Punch Bowl slightly retro interior, beams, personal photos, comfortable chairs and staff with their bow ties and smiles makes this place a real find. We loved it. May 2010.

Restaurant perhaps becoming over complacent about its popularity.

Last visit in March 2010 slightly disappointing. Unlike previous times, gone were the complimentary champagne sorbets and little tasters from the kitchen.

Varied menu. House wine a safe bet for those daunted by the long wine list.

Quality of food- vegatables overcooked. Dishes genearally OK, but nothing special.

Value for money- Overpriced. Slightly surprising to find no prices on menus.

We recently had a meal for Valentines 2010 at the Punch Bowl. Buried in the Essex countryside, it seems so surprising to find such a top class restaurant. Yes you do feel as if you have been transported back to the 70's, the attire of the hosts, the old building, cellar, and fantastic dessert trolley. I espically liked the old fashioned attentive service- we were sat in the reception area and served strawberry champagne cocktails and blood orange drinks along with homemade crisps. Orchids given to the girls. Even the menu had personal touches- blue text for the boys, pink for the girls, with the prices only on the boys menu! The table was very romantic and the menu was lovely. I had roast belly of pork and my partner had lobster. Unlike most high end restaurants, you actually had a very large portion here which gained more plus points from us. The dessert trolley had about 7 homemade choices from pavolova to chocolate roulde and cheesecake. The owner also gave me some extra sweets to take home (from the tea/coffee selection!- strawberry's dipped in white choc and coconut ice)Very rare to get a resturant with soo many personal touches.