Symonds at Redwood ? Clifton Bristol in North Somerset

Excellent 'Ladies Lunch'. Congratulations to the chefs for an interesting menu and the serving staff for their efficiency.

We booked a family lunch for 8 on Sunday 23rd. Food was excellent, loads of veg, really good cauliflower cheese. The sticky toffee pudding was superb. Service was quick and really efficient, Angelo is a real super star. Would highly recommend

A friend and I decided to have a treat and booked for afternoon tea. The food was very nice and fresh; 4 fingers sandwiches with a selection of 3 cakes, a macaron and a fruit scone with cream and jam each. I had a large pot of tea and my friend a cafetière of coffee. All very nice. We were asked about any allergies which was good. You also had the option of sitting inside or out on the patio. However, on the day we went the choir were practicing in a nearby room and were doing a lot of warmup ‘wooooooing’ and sung for nearly the whole time we were there. Had we known we would have chosen another day. The staff passing through from one room to another didn’t always close the doors and it was very hard to hold a conversation without shouting. A lot of getting up and down from customers to close the doors. Mind you, it did raise a smile. If I had a moan about our visit I would say that parking was an issue as there are very limited visitor parking spaces available and we noted when we were leaving that staff used those as well. In truth the limited number of visitor parking spaces available would put me off booking for a large party or a return visit. I did ask a girl at the bar if there was other parking available and was told no.

I was at a Charity Dinner, the staff worked extremely hard to produce a high quality three course meal, served in a relaxed but efficient manner. The tables were beautifully laid with white linen cloths and napkins, the latter folded into a fan shape and displayed in a napkin. The attention to detail added to the overall appearance. I did find the portionfor the main course too large, but overall, a good evening.

My mother and her friend had afternoon tea at Symonds to celebrate her 90th birthday. Unfortunately it was a disappointing experience. Although the visit had been booked for many weeks, when they arrived it seemed that they were not expected, as the table was not ready for them. The food and tea was OK, but there were no milk jugs, so the milk arrived in a cup, which made a mess when they tried to pour from it. In addition, the general atmosphere was not suitable for afternoon tea, as they were sharing a room with a rather large, noisy Corporate event. Consequently, both my mother and her friend left feeling very disappointed with an occasion that should have been much more pleasant.