Simply Seafood

Ok food, average service and a sad view of the car park unless you happen to get a window seat in the top right corner of the room.
Very expensive food and, though beautiful, i’d definitely try somewhere else further along the seafront next time.

Only 2 customers Friday evening just after 5.00pm. Ordered Skate and chips and Cod and chips. Chips like cardboard fish ok all presented well. Asked for a scoop of ice cream to accompany caramel cheesecake when order taken to kitchen all hell broke loose manager screamed that the cheesecake didn’t come with ice cream and how would he know what to charge. All of this was clearly audible and very embarrassing for us and staff. This ranting continued for about 10 embarrassing minutes. I asked to speak to the manager and clearly heard his answer which was no I don’t want to talk to them Just to add insult to injury ice cream that we didn’t get was on the bill at £4.95 a scoop. Definitely the worst customer service I have ever experienced and would not recommend or ever go back. Just remember if you ever have the misfortune to end up there Don’t ask for a side order of ice cream. Jude and Jayne

My lucky 888^th Unilocal review is of the only dish I’ve ever ordered that needed a panorama photo to capture its amazingness…
The Emperor Platter at Simply Seafood.
It cost 60 pound for the one dish but was definitely sharing size and consisted among other things of… lobster, whelks, cockles, prawns, shrimp, mussels, clams, smoked salmon, crab meat, pâté, bread and a lot more. It was fresh heaven served in a former cockle-​shed right by the boats.
I’ll let the photos I’ve uploaded tell the rest. The food was certainly worth the travel to this nice corner of Essex and Simply Seafood will get our visit once again for sure. Nice location, staff and ambiance and great mounds of seafood all round!

took my five staff out and didn’t book, but turned up and got a table (last one) on a Wednesday eve. Service impeccable, and owner present. Charming and very interesting to talk with (owner of cockler boats). The venue itself is unpretentious, and the setting is interesting with that «thames estuary» atmosphere that is unique, and I can assure readers that this is a really great place for long leisurely lunch on a hot summer’s day. Great views across to the isle of Grain, the mud flats and the ever chamging shipping on the Thames. Compared with Rick Steins I find this place honest, trying hard, and overall providing what suits me. It’s not fussy, the food has always been good, and I and my various parties have always come away in good spirits without feeling we have spent our money unwisely. I do think some of the criticisms are written out of expectations that are set too high. Lighten up and come down of cloud pretention, leave the Michael Winner School of fuss pots behind and accept it for what it is; good value, good cooking, and good fun in an interesting part of real England. Keep it up Andy and Co!

I dined there with several friends a few weeks ago. In my opinion, it’s one of the best restaurants around. Granted, there isn’t many decent restaurants to compare it to. But was impressed none the less.
All I can say is after reading the reviews I was pleasantly surprises.
Although I am a little confused after dining there myself what the complaints are about; each to their own and all that.

I booked a table at the restaurant for breakfast, on my father in laws birthday. We were greeted as soon as we arrived and our highchair was already in place on arrival. I had the Belgian waffles, my husband a full English, some Manx kippers for FIL and Egg on toast and bacon for MIL. Our drinks were bought over and order taken promptly. Food was brought out shortly after and was absolutely delicious! My waffles were heavenly and they made a small portion of scrambled eggs for my daughter which she finished off. My MIL even ordered the waffles after her original meal as they were so nice! We had a lovely selection of toast bought over with the meal, white, wholemeal, granary etc. which was a lovely touch as there was something for everyone. The sun was shining through the window and the atmosphere was great. Most of the other tables were full. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the experience and I heard many compliments around me. This led to my FIL rebooking for dinner with his friends. He reported the same wonderful experience with friendly and efficient waiting staff and delicious food. I really cant understand some of the negative comments on here. It sounds like a completely different restaurant. The prices are very reasonable. A couple who were celebrating an anniversary were presented with complimentary champagne and toasted by all, far from being sneaky and adding drinks to the bill as previously suggested. I think some people just enjoy a good moan!
Overall a lovely restaurant which I have already rebooked for my husbands bday.

We were one of the earliest customers to visit this restaurant when it first opened and was delighted with the food and service and through our recommendation ³⁰⁄₄₀ couples visited. It was a year ago we went with a party of about 20 and although food was good eventually after orders were wrong, terrible service waiting forever for service etc etc we thought as it was a busy Friday and we were a party maybe they had a bad night. My wife and I went a few weeks later on our own to discover they had lost their initial excellent service, and presentation and food was okay so we left it 10 months. It was a few weeks ago a friend of ours suggested for their special birthday we go to Simply Seafood. I had my reservations based on last year’s poor performances but was told not to be a misery and just enjoy myself so on Saturday about 25 of us went. It was quiet for a Saturday maybe eventually the word has got around that they have lost their appeal. We waited and waited for an offer of a drink let alone food eventually asked the waiter for a drinks menu. We were delivered the wrong wine we asked for Rose and got white but hey ho let put on a brave face, and order some food which eventually we did I made it very clear 3 times 2 of us wanted prawns out of shells for starters I did confirm that this was possible, guess what they came up with their shells on so we sent them back. We asked if we could have some bread as an hour had passed and other diners seem to be given bread and dips we were offered none. Main courses were dispatched a lot of our party said they seemed bland no vegetables were offered or included it seems the quality of food has now gone with the bad service. We complained and we received some potatoes and were told we were going to get some free wine. The meal was okay but not worth the prices they now charge. (When it was excellent food the prices were fine) We received the bill to discover bottles of wine that had not been ordered had been added and the rude, manageress wanted to then have a row claiming she would run back the security cameras to see what wine was delivered to our table to prove her point we agreed to prove ours. Guess what? she backed down and the wine not ordered was taken off the bill. An enjoyable social night that was ruined by bad food, bad service, and bad management lets hope the owners read this and try and do something. Maybe the owners who surely cannot be stupid can see their takings going down oh no sorry the staff add invisible bottles of wine to the bill. A word of warning if you go as a party pay for each bottle as it is delivered and get the waiting staff to read back the order to you as there is clearly a problem. You will not be seeing us again which may please you but can you afford to loose the hundreds we will tell. The restaurant should be called Titanic as the intial 1^st class service and food will be sinking into the nearby sea soon unless someone with a lifeboat comes to rescue it quickly.

This is a very expensive restaurant, but it has none of the luxury that should go with the expense. The décor consists of cheap fixtures and bland, white walls. And the waiting on staff have little knowledge of their menu. The staff are perfectly friendly and attentive, but having worked in michelin star myself, their lack of attention to detail is disappointing.
To start I had bouillabaisse, which I have had before both in France and in the UK and it should be a rich spicy broth with fish, vegetable and bread served on the side. Instead at Simply Seafood I was presented with a bowl of insipid fish stock carrying a variety of about four overcooked and chewy shellfish.
Main was lobster. Not too bad to be fair, but the accompaniments of sauteed potatoes were not what I wanted. I wanted chips…
The dessert was the highlight of the meal (says a lot about a seafood restaurant). It was some sort of chocolate pudding.
I can’t be an authority on this restaurant having only been once midweek but with the bill coming to over £100-​a-​head I wont ever be going back. This restaurant doesn’t have nearly enough of what should come as standard in a restaurant of that price.