36 On The Quay, Emsworth

I had read some of the previous reviews of 36 On The Quay, so it was with some trepidation that I visited this restaurant with my husband for our Silver Wedding Anniversary dinner. He had booked the tasting menu, and every course was absolutely superb. I was delighted with every morsel.We were seated by the window on a round table, placed next to each other rather than opposite, and we could see out of the window, and also see inside the room. The table was laid impeccably,and the staff were friendly, and helpful. We had asked for 7.30pm, but were requested to come at 7.15pm, so I had wondered if we would be rushed through in order to get a second sitting after us. Not a bit of it. We were given ample time to savour the truly delightful, and stunningly presented food. I think that some people with a big appetite might find themselves looking for more to eat, as the dishes were decidedly nouvelle cuisine, but it was perfect for me, as I don't have a big appetite, and often find myself in a restaurant eating food that I don't really have room for!

The wine complemented the food to perfection. I was totally enchanted by the whole experience. The food was exquisitely arranged, in fact it seemed a desecration to actually eat it, and my fascination grew with every course. I would be unable to say which course was my favourite, but I was particularly impressed with the rhubarb presentation. Such a tiny wee rhubarb crumble, in the dinkiest container, it was a work of art. The pea shoot salad was also a revelation. We have eaten in many restaurants, and experienced good and bad, some very good, but if you want a unique meal for a very special occasion I don't think you could possibly beat this restaurant.

This was our second visit to 36 on the Quay in Emsworth, the first being 10 years ago. When we ate there in 2000, the atmosphere, the service and the food was superb, hence the reason we booked to go again for my husbands birthday. We arrived on time but were rushed straight through to our table, no chance of savouring the menu with a pre dinner drink in the bar. We ordered our pre dinner drinks at our table, my husband choosing a glass of house white wine. We were given very little time to peruse the menu, being asked when our drinks arrived, what our food choice was. We made our choices and ordered a bottle of the same house white wine. Our appetiser arrived immediately, which was an espresso cup of soup, quite delicious, but we had to ask for bread as it hadn't been put on the table. However, the waitress tried to clear our table twice before our soup was finished, and when she did clear it, there was another waitress standing behind her with my starter! McDonalds would have been proud of such speedy service. We really felt as though we were being rushed, and I was convinced that they had the table booked for another sitting later. Our wine arrived but wasn't chilled, although the glass of the same wine that my husband had to begin with was perfectly chilled. We asked if we could have some ice in the ice-bucket to chill it and it was taken from the table and chilled elsewhere. The main course was very good, and I chose the Lemon Selection for desert, my husband choosing to have cheese. My desert arrived and we waited for my husband's cheese. As one part of my desert was warm, I decided to start. I had finished my desert and the waitress was about to clear my plate when we had to remind her that cheese had been ordered. The response was 'Oh yes', and she produced it immediately. It had been sitting on the side, having not been delivered to the table.

If eating out was just about the food, 36 on the Quay would be excellent but eating out is all about the whole dining experience and that should include the service and the staff. I don't feel that the waiting staff are particularly experienced, and not one person asked us if everything was to our satisfaction. Needless to say, we won't be going back or recommending it to friends.

Four of us ate at 36 on May 1st. We were left waiting in the small bar for 20 minutes before a menu was brought and our glasses had long been empty before anyone came to take our order. After another wait we had to find a waitress and ask to be taken to our table. The food was fine but not amazing and not on a level with other michelin starred restaurants where we have eaten. The room was noisy and felt crowded but it was the service and long wait between courses that really let it down. When asked if our sweet course could be served quicker we were told 'well we expect a meal to take 3 hours' and were immediately pounced on by the manager asking us to order and not in a friendly manner. A disappointing evening and definately not value for money.

Despite it being a filthy night our arrival was met with a curt "you're early, I suppose you better wait in the bar".

This level of rudeness was repeated often & ruined our long, long, long evening! after an hours wait we finally were shown to our table at nine thirty. Our desert arrived at midnight!

The food was excellent, but oh so slow. The front of house staff took their lead from the rude manageress & were joyless.

The prices are very very high, especially the drinks, including £4.50 for a cup of tea or coffee.

There are far better restaurants in the area offering equally good food but who don't think they are doing you a favour by allowing you to eat there. I think the Michelin star has gone to their heads & ruined their customer service. We won't be going back.

I cannot dispute the quality of the food at 36 on the Quay, it deserves it's Michelin star however our whole experience was ruined by a complete lack of atmosphere in the dining area. It was deathly silent and we found ourselves having to whisper! I didn't relax the whole evening. The waitresses were average but the manageress was rude and abrupt and made us feel like we were an inconvenience. I would not return to 36 on the Quay as although the food was deliciious there are other restaurants which equal the food quality but provide a warm and friendly service.

The front of house staff were polite and attentive but not not overly fussy. The food was delicious and in particular I enjoyed the medallions of lamb, the presentation of the food was excellent.

I have eaten at the two star Montreuil hotel and the food at 36 on the Quay was equally as good. I would advise to ignore remarks about Petrus this is Emsworth not London! The dining room though is possibly on the small side which some other diners might be concerned with, my recommendation to owners - keep party sizes down to a maximum of six to help keep noise levels down!

My husband booked 36 On The Quay 3 weeks in advance as a treat for us both. Disapointingly due to unforseen circumstances we were unable to go, and called them a good 5 days before our booking to cancel.

To my absolute bemusement the morning after we had originally intented to go,i answered the phone to an abrupt sounding woman asking why we hadnt 'turned up' the night before,i explained that my husband had cancelled earlier in the week, and i was told that he hadnt ,so being that i hadnt made the call i passed her on to my husband.He basically had to justify the whole turn of events to this woman and she didnt even apologise when he explained what had happened.

I would say, it seems that clearly they dont need the business by the way that she spoke to us,however having read a few bad reviews on this place i think they should possibly look at that one.

We had intended to rebook for our anniversary but there isnt a chance on earth that i would eat there after that.

In my opinion, 36 On The Quay is nowhere near Michelin star level. I have eaten in numerous Michelin Star restaurants, Le Poussin, Petrus and Per Se, these blow 36 on the Quay way out of the water. The bad points let them down badly. The front of house and the clientele spoilt the whole experience for me.

We dined at 36 on the Quay on Saturday 23 February, and also stayed overnight there. While the food was tasty enough, I don't believe the whole experience was very Michelin.

We were asked what wine we wanted long before anyone had made a meal choice, then the red wine we ordered was not available. The waitress then suggested the replacement wine that her suppliers had sent her instead - which was neither the same label nor the same cultivar, she then went on to say that she had no idea what it was like as she'd never tasted it. At least it was still a red! At a Michelin star restaurant, one at least expects some advice/recommendations from a sommelier (or perhaps I've been spoiled by the wonderful experience I've had at Drakes in Ripley).

Whilst the service was very efficient, it was again not what I have come to expect from a Michelin star restaurant. We were given appetisers, which were served by 2 waitresses - we were told they were appetisers, but not what they were until we called back a waitress to ask! It turned out to be a potato and leek soup which is normally very ordinary and this one did not exceed the expectation as it was barely lukewarm and tasted quite floury.

My starter of quail was absolutely delicious and cooked to perfection. The scallops order by 2 of our group were disappointing, sparse (only 2 average scallops) and lacked the tantalising flavour one expects of scallops as they were barely browned, and not caramelised enough on the outside to bring out the taste. The 4th starter was a tuna tartare which tasted very poor and was served with an uninspiring mushroom broth.

My main course was very tasty, although not memorable as I cannot recall what I had (although it did have the most superb chive and cream roux). Desserts looked better than they tasted, especially the souffl and the petit fours comprised a piece of fudge, a truffle and a couple of other very ordinary and again unmemorable things.

My cousin, who made the booking was celebrating her birthday - and despite telling the proprietors this on the numerous occasions she spoke with them to query availability and to book the room, they did not think to write it down so they could wish her.

The rooms were very comfortable and beautifully decorated, although despite making the bookings months in advance, we did not get one of the 2 ocean view rooms. The door to the bathroom in one of the rooms (cinnamon) was only about half height which was a bit odd and required a complete stoop to pass through.

All in all, a pleasant enough experience, mainly due to the excellent company we were in, but not one that I am likely to repeat or even to recommend to friends.

36 On The Quay in Emsworth is simply the best restaurant I have EVER eaten in!