Sidney's Restaurant, Tynemouth

I've been a few times and always left feeling I'd recommend it. This time we felt like we had been robbed.

The food is poor. I thought the menu was under playing the dishes in a clever way to exceed expectations. No, the badly written menu still managed to "fail to meet expectations".

I did not finish my main of slow cooked beef. I did not attempt a pudding based on the previous two courses. £5 for "rice pudding with jam" was just a bridge too far. My wife's pear tart? ...Well the ice cream was nice. Same. Sidney's Restaurantused to be good. The love has gone. Very very disappointed.

Sidney's Restaurant menu was restrictive and repetitive. The food was completely overpriced. We then found out it is due to close! Thus no paper towels in the toilet and paper napkins (when you are paying 15 ish pound for a maincourse). Our instinct was to leave as soon as we saw the menu but thought no proper restaurant would put forward a bad menu.

fab little resturant,relaxed atmosphere and the food outstanding! just what tynemouth needs. Had been recommended to go by a few friends as the chef in sidney's restaurant is becoming a bit of a local celebrity, and thankfully i was not dissapointed! well done sidneys.

Whilst the food was very nice I would certainly not be returning, based on the service we received. Booked online and like the other correspondent, the staff seemed a little surprised at our entrance; we were directed downstairs to a cold dining room, a bit cramped too. At this time we were given a wine list, no drinks order taken no menu's offered (I think they only had a couple of menu's) Eventually after 20/25 minutes we asked if we were likely to be offered a drink.... one large one single G and T, both were delivered with tonic poured in. Basic Mistake; always let the customer decide! So I had them fetch me another, with more than 2 cubes of ice in too. At the same time I ordered a splendid Vina Mar Cabernet Sauvignon from Maipo Valley, Chile. Very nice.

Eventually we were offered menus, strangely attached to wooden clipboards, like we were completing a survey.....I half expected a bic pen fastened to it with a tired and grubby bit of string. I asked about specials and my wife and I ordered from these, my wife the braised steak and myself, the halibut with scallops. The waiter asked my wife how she would like the steak cooked. We looked at each other a little bemused....braised steak? How would she like it cooked? When we queried this the waiter got the message (I think). I also asked if I could have the halibut plainly grilled, buttered and seasoned. 5 minutes later and along came the message that the halibut was off the menu, none left, and how would we like the steak cooked?

The member of staff then went to great lengths to tell me about the lamb, or at least how it was prepared, some new technical system that sounded very similar to boil in the bag, opened up and seared. What she failed to tell me was what it was served with....Puy Lentils, Saut Potatoes and a couple of unidentifiable but tasty sauces and some new potatoes and baby leeks on the side. Because of this lack of information we had also ordered a green salad and new Potatoes as side orders, which we didn't receive until we queried them.

A Green Salad. Isn't the clue in the title? Minor and petty thing but if it's not going to be a green salad, don't call it a green salad on the menu. Red onions and Radicchio are not green.

But I'm being perhaps a little critical of the food, as with anything these things would hardly have been noticed had the whole package been a little closer to right.

If I might offer a few tips.

* They should maybe lose a few covers particularly downstairs

* If they cannot staff up or the front of house staff are not fully trained they should not be afraid to say 'I'm sorry, we're full'. Yes they may lose a little revenue on that night but those dining will at least be likely to return or recommend to others.

and lastly, don't bite off more than they can chew, being seemingly ill-prepared is not an excuse and paying customers are not a test bed to practise getting things right with.

I hope the comments above are taken in the manner in which they are intended.

Although we had a reservation at Sidney's Restaurant, the staff appeared surprised to see us. We were seated in the seemingly dark and dingy basement which, in my opinion, was hopeless for service. The staff did not seem very attentive and seemed very poorly informed of the contents of the menu and the availability of drinks. We waited over one hour for our main course and when the food arrived, along with the food of other customers, the staff appeared unsure of what was ordered and for whom. I found the food to be underwhelming and overpriced and if we were asked by friends we would strongly recommend they choose another restaurant. It's the only time we haven't added a tip at any restaurant. In fact we would recommend any fish and chip shop as better value.

We asked to discuss our experience with a manager but apparently they were too busy. We completed a comment card and provided our e-mail address and we wait, with interest, to see if we are contacted. By the way, our bill initially included drinks we did not receive and after alteration and making our comments we paid in full - we are not freeloaders.

Despite all their awards I think this is the worst establishment we have been to at the coast and we will not be back. We wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone.

The food was fantastic the service was fantasic.a perfect evening no faults what so ever. Only set for three which is nice not to be sat there with an empty place. As we took my Mum with us and she is on her own.

Sidneys is a lovely little restaurant in pretty village of Tynemouth

Me and my wife ate lunch there, I had fish and chips which were fantastic and my wife had the minute steak with french fries and salad which was fresh also and dressed nicely.

We had desserts which were good I definately reccomenfd the ice creams

Definately worth a visit.

I would say definatly give this place a visit the food is outstanding fresh and I definatly recommend the fish as it fresh and you can tell! Service was brilliant and friendly.

Everything about this Sidneys restaurant in Tynemouth is good from its unusual seafood dishes to it s great service we will definitely be back keep up the good work.

Sidneys Restaurant in Tynemouth is amazing. Fantastic staff, food and atmosphere. I'll definitely go there again.