The Boarding House in Waveney

We consider ourselves ‘foodies’ and eat out a lot. Sadly, and all too frequently, the experience doesn’t live up to the hype. The Boarding House on the other hand was exceptional - the food was simply delicious and faultless. Friendly service, great value and an absolute joy. I would say I have high standards - others would say I’m a fussy bugger - and I’m not often moved to leaving reviews - I’m almost reluctant to share what must be the best kept secret in Halesworth - but these guys deserve all the credit they get. Can’t wait to go back.

We had eggs Benedict and a Suffolk full breakfast and the taste and cooking were amazing. Highly recommend. I’m planning a return trip already.

This is listed as a "local gem" in the Good Food Guide. It's easy to see why. Behind a pretty plain building is a spacious modern restaurant. The walls feature very modern and vibrant art and the seats and tables blend in well. We only had two courses but they were truly excellent. The menu is very good value for the standard presented. We will definitely return

Very comfortable atmosphere, lovely for meal with my wife, able to talk and eat without feeling overlooked or overheard. Food very tasty and well presented, cooked to perfection and great seasoning. Will be back.

Excellent cooking. My wife had the pork belly and I had the Suffolk beef daube. Everything on each plate cooked to perfection- intense apple sauce with the pork with lovely fresh vegetables. Beef tender with exquisite sauce. Knowledgeable friendly waiting staff.

Great food and service, lovely ambience. Staying locally, we were looking for a local restaurant that catered for veggies with more than a plant based burger. The Boarding House did not disappoint. Gnocchi stuffed with wild mushrooms - superb. I had the Daube of Beef and the sauce was worth the price of the dish on its own! We met the chef - lovely guy who clearly cares about his food, customers and staff. Our waitress was lovely - her first shift front of house after moving from behind the scenes. She is a credit to the team. And to cap the evening off, we got a lovely potted history of the building. All in all, a great little restaurant serving beautiful to look very very tasty.

Delicious food but shocking service....waited ages for a drink..ages to take order and not asked if wanted desert or coffee!!!potentially wonderful if service improved...

food was excellent but service slow and haphazard. Long time waiting for drinks and noticed other customers were getting agitated with the time it took to receive their drinks

What an amazing meal, great location, unbelievable service. Who would have thought somewhere as amazing as this would be found in little old Halesworth? Genuinely amazed. The best meal I have ever had? Maybe. Cant think that I have ever had better service, nicer food or been made to feel so welcome. And the food was perfectly presented. Stunning.

The food was very good but the experience was let down because the coffee option was only filtered. Coffee lovers and their are millions of us will be looking for a Costa on the way home.

We came for Mothering Sunday lunch. Very relaxed, good service. Excellent food, freshly prepared with innovative starters, beautifully presented. The main course Sunday lunch, also beautifully presented, cooked to perfection and filling. Check out the menus on the site as these change seasonally. The Canadian chef, who we chatted to afterwards, came over as passionate about the food he prepared. The dining room has some interesting pop art and is a relaxing place to sit. I think this is very much a special place for dining.

We had an excellent Sunday lunch here. Delicious, beautifully presented and generous portions. Service and surroundings very relaxed. The decor is a bit scruffy, although the building is lovely. We were surprised the restaurant was not busier but January is a slow month. We will be back.

We visited The Boarding House on 25 December 2023 for our Christmas Day lunch. While the food was quite tasty and the service a little on the slow side, it was nothing to make a complaint about. It was also interesting that the owners did not come to our table (or anyone else’s table to our knowledge) to ask if we were satisfied with the food, especially as the price of lunch was £75 per person, excluding drinks and service. I think this price is on the high side for such a small village. I happened to glance at “The Festive Dining Menu” which had been running for most of December. This was posted on the outside of the building. The same choices that we had selected from “The Christmas Day Menu” only cost £34. While anyone who has to work in the hospitality industry should always be paid extra to work on Christmas Day, I do feel that paying an additional 120% is unacceptable. It is also interesting to note that the local hotel & restaurant in the village was closed on Christmas Day, meaning (to my knowledge) that The Boarding House had a monopoly on Christmas Day lunch for the higher price end of the market in Halesworth. Did they mark up their Christmas Day lunch by 120% in 2022?

A massive thank you to Tyler and family for looking after us superbly. This is our second stay here and it certainly won’t be our last. Our room was wonderful and the bed was super comfy! We had the added delight of having a lovely free standing bath too!! As well as being a wonderful host Tyler is an amazing chef too!! We’ve eaten here both times and the food is simply delicious. The ingredients for both dinner and breakfast (which is marvellous) are mostly locally sourced too. The Boarding House really is a hidden gem!

On our second night in Halesworth we chose to eat here. The menu was good I chose the beef that was cooked to perfection. The wine list was reasonable and certainly not expensive. The staff were polite, friendly and I bumped into the chef and informed him of how highly I rated the beef.

A lovely warm welcome from Tyler from the second we checked in . Our room was spacious , spotlessly clean and comfortable. Dinner was incredible . My starter of the king scallops and king prawns in a Thai red curry nage was divine 11/10 . All our courses were fantastic , flavourful and a generous portion size . My husband’s daube of beef was the most tender fall apart beef he has ever eaten. The passion fruit curd , whipped cream , meringue and coconut sorbet was quite frankly the best desert I have EVER eaten . We were given a glass of Prosecco each as we had very recently got married which was a lovely touch . Breakfast in the morning was also superb with an endless supply of coffee. The chef and owner Tyler is a fantastic host . We did not want to leave and could easily of stayed another night . We will most definitely return at some point . Cannot recommend highly enough .

Had a lovely breakfast experience here at the end of our country weekend away. The staff were very friendly and welcoming, particularly Tyler the Chef! Pleasant atmosphere. The food was fantastic - We both had eggs benedict and the eggs were perfectly runny, the hollandaise was tasty & tangy and the bacon was cooked to perfection (and a decent portion size). Slightly disappointing that they only serve filter coffee, but the tea & juice were enjoyable. Thank you!

We booked a table at the Boarding House based on TA reports. On arrival we were a little surprised by the minimalist approach to table dressing (none, other than cutlery - and bare wooden tables). But service was efficient and friendly, and the menu warranted our serious attention! We chose a celeriac veloute and king prawns and scallops in a rich cream and spice sauce. Both were truly excellent. For mains we both had a well-judged sea bass dish with samphire, crushed potatoes and pea purée. Again excellent. Sticky ginger pudding with toffee sauce and clotted cream rounded off the meal. Overall the cooking was of a very high standard, with both seasoning and attention to texture being exemplary. It was a relaxed and most enjoyable evening, helped by some good wines being available by the glass. Overall, we rate this highly, with just a lingering question about whether the overall experience could haven been further enhanced by fuller dressing of the tables!

We spent two nights here and went to the Latitude Festival in the day. We loved it! Really kind and helpful staff, comfy rooms...great beds! and delicious breakfasts to set us up for the day - nothing was too much trouble and it was a proper home from home - very relaxing stay! Thank you Pauline and Tyler - you are great hosts!

Lovely boutique hotel which is perfect to explore the local area. Friendly and engaging staff and great food. Breakfast was fab. Beautifully decorated room and very comfortable

We visited with my Aunt and Uncle that live in Halesworth for Sunday brunch. The food was lovely. We each had a different dish all good. Mine was eggs Benedict with portobello mushrooms which was yum. My husband had the vegan breakfast which he really enjoyed. The other dishes were the frittata and the English breakfast. Will definitely visit again

Lovely staff, not sure if we met the hosts(?) and venue is very smartly presented. Starters were a little slow coming but expected for this level of establishment Food was very good, starters and nibbles excellent, the mains did not have the ‘wow’ factor we were expecting - overall perhaps a bit overpriced (£3 for a glass of concentrated orange juice from a carton for example) for what you get, but they are going for top end boutique style restaurant with rooms to be fair. Will have to return to try breakfast!

I honestly can't remember when I last had food this nice!! The team running the place are so friendly and welcoming. Lovely evening, lovely atmosphere, amazing food.

The Boarding House has modern accommodations in a centuries old Georgian style building sharing both character and elegance. The owners, Tyler and Pauline are the perfect hosts and the home cooked meals were amazing. The best Eggs Benedict ever.

Fantastic food as always, it never disappoints. Full marks to the staff who help things run smoothly.Look forward to returning!

We were a group of 6 and everyone of us really enjoyed our meals. The restaurant was busy but they still managed to serve us in good time and the food was delicious. One of the comments was good it was to see that vegetables in season were being served. Another was that cosmopolitan cocktail was the best they’d had for a long time. Thanks.

Saturday evening .Only two tables occupied including us.No atmoshere.Food was OKish and expensive for what you get

What a gem this is. We have never been before even though it is on our doorstep, but it was recommended to us. The food was delicious and beautifully presented. Lots of choice, my partner particularly enjoyed the beetroot and goats cheese. The chicken was tender and in a wonderful jus. Deserts were just as delightful although different to those on the website. The lady who served us was very knowledgeable about the building, which has lots of history dating back to Georgian times. Altogether a very special birthday meal, oh and the cocktails were scrumptious.

Excellent food, beautifully presented. Good menu choice in a fabulous Georgian house. This was a spur of the moment booking as we stumbled across this place on a walk about in Halesworth. Despite just a few covers that night, the friendly service and food were 10 out of 10. Highly recommended.

We had a very comfortable one night stay in a very large room with an equally large bathroom. A lovely view of the market square and easy access to the local shops. Parking availble at the rear of the property or in the square itself....

A cozy, chic environment with exceptional service, the team can’t do enough for you! The food is exquisite, seasonal and current of a Michelin standard. An unexpected gem in Suffolk. I can’t praise them enough. A must for food lovers.

Superb food, very rich and cooked to perfection. Large portions too at what are very reasonable price (only one main over £20). The décor/ambience was plain, having said that we ate at lunch so maybe it's more buzzy in the evenings. Overall very good, will...

First class. My parents stayed here and asked me to write a review, which they would never do. They said the place was immaculate, the room was perfect and the food was amazing. would highly recommend. Thank you very much. Colin & Hilary

Our third visit and first post covid. The food was again excellent prepared by a chef who clearly knows what he is doing and is at the top of his game. In my opinion the Boarding House is a considerable step up in terms of...

Our first visit to this restaurant and we were very pleased with the food, all very well cooked and presented. It is pricey for the area but it is a great eating experience.

We visited this fabulous restaurant for the first time last night. What a treat! Beautifully prepared food with a very strong French influences. Here there is a Chef who knows what they are doing. The celeriac veloute was like silk, and Armagnac prunes perfectly complimented...

We had booked this restaurant based on a friend's recommendation. We ate in a very large room with sadly only two other diners. Very well presented room. The food was beyond fantastic and some of the best I have eaten in a very long time....

My daughter and I stayed at The Boarding House for one night only: it was a 'flying visit'/we were visiting a sick relative and unfortunately arrived far too late for supper( I had been told it was very good). However, breakfast next day more than...

We spent 2 nights at the wonderful Boarding House. Breakfasts were delicious, local ingredients cooked to perfection, but dinner was really something... Tyler the chef (and owner), produced some fine food, it really was a great dining experience. All the staff were friendly and accommodating...

Myself and my partner had an evening meal and stayed the night here for his 40th birthday! The meal was amazing, room beautiful, attentive friendly staff and superb breakfast that was even cooked for us earlier than is usually served as we had to leave...

Luckily we had the chance to dine here Friday 19th August. An it was absolutely fantastic great staff even met the chef what a guy. We would highly recommend going

Fantastic fresh, locally sourced food, attentive & polite service. Lovely setting, sitting outside next to the local church. Very good at dealing with nut allergy of one of our party. Will definitely visit again when we next come to Suffolk.

Recently spent a ten day holiday in the area and ate here three times! Wonderful food, lovely staff, a great experience.

Wonderfully relaxed Sunday brunch in the garden marquee. Generous portions of super quality food including a specially-made, quite incredible dairy-free, egg-free hollandaise sauce. This chef knows his stuff! Lovely rich coffee too.

We enjoyed a top restaurant quality midweek dinner here. Efficient service, generous portions and delicious flavours throughout. Even the coffee, which I often I find poor when dining out, was excellent.

This establishment is outstanding in every respect. Food staff ambiance location interior furnishings. I can fault nothing. Every experience there is always top notch and beyond. You’d be foolish not to indulge yourself there

Really lovely restaurant- excellent food lots of choice. We picked the scallops for starters followed by the trout. Exquisite. Staff couldn’t have been more helpful. Wonderful

My wife and I had an evening meal while staying in halesworth for a couple of nights. The food itself was 5star, why then did I give it 4? Just my opinion but the room itself was a bit drab and unwelcoming. Not sure I...

Fabulous boutique hotel. Our room was huge and stylish. Comfy beds with lovely linen. Spacious modern bathroom with generous yummy natural bath products. Breakfast was a feast with lots of choices, cooked to order. Great coffee. We didn’t try the restaurant but will definitely have...

We have eaten here a number of times before and have enjoyed good food and service in pleasant surroundings. On this occasion every member of my party agreed that the food was exceptional in terms of quality and presentation and everything was cooked to perfection...

There is no doubt that the Boarding House is something of an oasis in a gastronomic desert in this part of the world (apart from the Fox and Goose) but there is room for improvement. For example, a new and more seasonal menu would be...

It is wonderful to have found this restaurant; our friends suggested it. Every element of the food we were served was of the highest quality in presentation, the making and taste explosions. I cannot remember an evening of such unrivalled joy in each mouthful of...

Had five nights in Suffolk, so went to my favourite place to eat , food amazing, relaxing ambiance brilliant service just love the food so very different to every we’re else Tyler the Chef loves cooking and it shows in the food , brilliant presentation...

We were made to feel very welcome on arrival and shown to our table. Drinks and menus were swiftly bought to our table. the food was beautifully presented and tasted every bit as good as it looked. This is a hidden gem. We will definitely...

This was our first visit to The Boarding House. Absolutely loved it! The atmosphere is very relaxed and welcoming. The menu is very balanced and offers excellent choice of meat, fish and veggie/vegan starters and mains. The dessert menu included a cheese board of three...

We stayed in the lovely Regency Room - a huge and superbly appointed room with a very compfortable bed, and a magnificent bath (and a shower!). Dinner was really good - flavours and presentation can't be faulted and the friendly service was an added bonus....

We tasked Tyler to provide us with a birthday celebration meal to meet various tastes. His Seafood Platter was to die for, it was exceptional and there was variety for everyone including oysters, smoked fishes and various pate. His main course "Surf and Turf" was...

How lucky are we to have this restaurant in Halesworth. Its far the best place to eat in the area. Visited Saturday night to celebrate our silver wedding anniversary and it was perfect. The dining room itself was lovely with funky artwork on the wall...

We had the most amazing dinner at The Boarding House restaurant. We believe it to be above the standard of the following restaurants we have frequented such as Quo Vadis, Savoy Gordon Ramsey and Rick Steins. Family members stayed at the Hotel and they enjoyed...

Having recently moved to Suffolk we feel so lucky to have The Boarding House as our ‘local’ restaurant. The food is prepared and presented with love in a comfortable, stylish setting. Love the new art!

We ate here last night on a recommendation and enjoyed one of the best meals we’ve had in a while. The food was beautifully presented and truly delicious and the service was brilliant. We loved it all. Would thoroughly recommend it.

Visited this restaurant while staying in halesworth and OMG the food was not only stunningly presented but tasted amazing, every mouthful was thoroughly enjoyed by each of us, if you are ever in halesworth this restaurant is a must visit, you will not be disappointed....

Velvet chairs and slightly formal dining room. Fab entrees and excellent food. Bungay cheeses Mac/ chicken all lovely. A guava mock tail beautiful

Yet another wonderful evening at the Boarding House with friends. The food, wine and service were all fantastic. This has to be some of the very best food you will enjoy anywhere in Suffolk, Thank you!

We visited the Boarding House again for Sunday lunch; it has become a bit of a 'destination place' for us when we are in Suffolk on hols. Every single thing was delicious individually and as a meal together. Slightly crunchy green beans, melt on your...

Excellent food 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ roast pork top class, hubby enjoyed his Feather Beef , yum yum, father in law loved his fish “plaice . We will definitely come back to work our way through the whole menu 😂👌🏽 . The staff a very friendly....

Totally disappointed so many good reports. Meal booked for8.00 told slight delay no problem! Starters very dissatisfied not up to what we had expected. by 8 40 still no mains so walked out. Would not want to give a good report. Sorry!

Went to the Boarding House last Friday evening our first visit, loved the casual atmosphere very calming, brilliant staff . We had wonderful food the chef loves cooking it showed in the food ,we started with salt cod croquettes and grilled haloumi they both were...

I thought London where I live has the best chefs. But no it is Tyler and his capable accomplice Pauline. Have eaten at the Boarding House on half a dozen occasions in the last 2 years and every time been amazed by the quality of...

I visited with my girlfriend and fell in love with the place, the food is off the chart and the team can’t be faulted. I took my parents the following evening and they haven’t stopped cooing about their experience. Halesworth is on the up and...

Disappointed considering the reviews. Always a bad sign when waiting staff cannot discuss dishes with customers. More disconcerting was the obscenely short lycra mini skirt worn by one waitress. Why anyone thinks that is appropriate is beyond us. 3 of us had the asparagus tart,...

Amazing food. Really very, very good indeed. The whole experience was great with absolutely delightful staff who were personable, welcoming and interested in making our visit one to remember. We had starters and mains, and wished we’d had room for desserts. The meat melted in...

Good friendly staff with a good menu and a good selection of gin varieties Wish would open more days

Prelockdown meal with friends. Lovely meal as always at the boarding house. Glad we chose to have our last meal out for a month here. Delicious food and great service.

Amazing food we had the feather blade and the pork belly truly superb food. Service was superb all the staff were excellent with the COVID precautions, which didn’t alter the experience at all. We left space for the desserts and we all had the chocolate pudding which was surprisingly light and very tasty.

I had forgotten just how good the food at this place is. It was simply delicious. This was our first meal out in over seven months and we enjoyed it so much the first time we went back for more a few days later! A very warm welcome with friendly service.Every course we ordered was top notch and I am now trying to recreate the frangipane tart at home!

We booked The Boarding House for when we were visiting the area last weekend. And what a great find! Amazing food, great ambiance and lovely service. I’m dairy free and had the best choice of any menu- nothing was too much trouble. Coconut sorbet with Swiss meringue and passion fruit was the best dairy free pudding yet. Would definitely go back!

Always superb food and friendly service. We have been many times as it the best food in the area. Brilliant brunch - love the pancakes and French toast with maple syrup &crispy bacon. There are times I have entree and dessert when my husband has all three courses. 100% recommend!

Four of us ate here to celebrate a birthday and we were glad we did. The food was inventive and portions good, two of us had the pork dish which was tasty and the fish was cooked to perfection. The menu is quite short but there is sufficient choice for everyone and we felt that value for money was good.

Came here for a family meal while on holiday. I chose the mushroom risotto cake as a main, which was like a large mushroom arancini with a delicious sweet soy dressing. I thought the dessert menu was slightly limited, only having three options, but the dark chocolate fondant was very nice. The menu had good vegetarian options, and the waitress was friendly. The restaurant is nicely furnished and has a nice feel to it.

Roast dinner was well presented and delicious despite a long wait.‘Vegetarian friendly’- would be inclined to disagree as mushrooms or a roasted sweet potato were the only option to replace the meat.When giving my opinion that this was disappointing, the manager was rude and said I was having a go at her. In this day and age it is almost a given that a restaurant would serve an alternative to meat that both vegetarian and vegan alike can enjoy. If you can wait till Xmas for their nut roast then I would recommend . I won’t be returning

Our second time here in a week, first time with friends and this time with family. Both times the food and service have been exceptional and would very much recommend anyone to try here.We've been living in Halesworth for about one year now and this is the best place to eat out in the area.Particularly worth a mention is the young waitress who served us last night, she is a real asset to the place.Hopefully be back again soon

Not my first review for the Boarding House but this is the first time I experienced the new addition to the menu, the humble burger.In this case it is not at all humble, its probably the best burger in Suffolk if not East Anglia.Amazing presentation cooked to perfection and accompanied with the glorious masala fries.Cannot recommend this restaurant highly enough.

If you want something different then this is the place to go. Beautiful building, friendly staff and fabulous food. I hope the pork belly which is the beast I have ever tasted. Highly recommend.

I went to this restaurant last night with my husband, it was superb. I highly recommend the venison scrumpet as a starter, followed by the belly pork. The food was faultless & delicious. Service was great & very friendly. Can’t wait to go back . The best meal I’ve had in a long time !Thank you .

This chef clearly needs to urgently brush up on his vegetable.cooking skills. I had a ‘garden’ vegetable starter which featured chargrilled artichokes unmistakably still tasting of the jar liquid. The aubergines were undercooked and hence tasted like cotton wool, none of the vegetables had seen any seasoning. The balsamic ‘glaze’ was presumably meant to make up for this. The same ‘glaze’ featured in a side salad, a drop of olive oil would not have gone amiss here. My husband’s side order of seasonable vegetables consisted of an eclectic mix of undercooked cavolo Nero, enoki mushrooms, bokchoi, green beans, sprouting broccoli, samphire thrown together without any trace of seasoning.

On a recent visit to Suffolk we did the whole touristy thing and went to Southwold every night but one. We went to The Boarding House on the last night and it made our holiday! It was by far the best food we had all week! The quality of the food and the service was outstanding. I had the chicken and it’s the best chicken dish I’ve had in years! I will make the journey just to go back to The Boarding House!!

Talk to the chef, his description of his food is a tour de force and matched by what he produces. Lovely family business, friendly service. It's always an interesting menu.

Lovely food in an unusual but pleasant setting. Menu offers something for the majority of tastes. Service good.

We had the nicest meal sat in the sunny garden on the first Sunday in August ! Not too hot in fact comfortable in every way ! The waitress couldn’t have been more hospitable (made a special salad for me ) the food was delicious and really well priced ! The chef was super friendly, out in garden chatting to everyone.The building is gorgeous with such an interesting history !We will be back .

Wonderful lunch. Can't wait to go back. We were the only people in the restaurant but the waitress made us feel very at home.

Last time we visited The Boarding House, Halesworth it was summertime in the garden, but on this visit, for our special occasion, it was very cosy in the dining room on a wintery evening.None of us were disappointed - starters - main course - and a moment on the lips, lifetime on the hips naughty dessert had to be shared. Definitely a restaurant we shall be returning to soon. Pre-booking recommended

Waited an hour for food to be served . The chicken was served wirh one very hard broccoli sprout and some kind kind of potatoe about 3/4 inches long and an inch wide. I odered extra chips to make meal substantial . Desert was sorbet another wait. The dinner which normally in another restaurant would take an hour took 2 hours and 30 minutes

Fabulous food, as always, highly recommend The Boarding House for any occasion don't just wait for a birthday or a celebration. The menu offers so much, great restaurant in the center of Halesworth.

We wanted to take our friends out for a meal and wasn't sure if this restaurant would be open on New Year's day so i emailed the day before to ask. Within the hour a response was given and an offer of a time to have lunch. That's what i call excellent service, and that's before we stepped a foot in the door!Great lunch menu. For starters we had the Celeriac Velouty Soup with a side of blue cheese melted on a slice of sour dough bread. It was beyond delicious. For mains we chose 2 pork belly, 1 blade of beef &, 1 baked haddock. All were incredibly tasty and much more filling than they first looked. 2 of us had no room for dessert , the other 2 had rum pudding & a chocolate cherry dessert. Both reported them to be outstanding.All our meals were cooked to order & extremely well presented.Having read the website page i assumed the restaurant isn't licenced due to the corkage charges, but they do sell alcohol .Staff were really courteous, we would love to return when we are in the area again. We wish you all the best for the next stage of your business venture.

lovely food must visit if you are in the area Local produce Good chef A little bit pricey but worth it

Stunning Christmas Meal! We had the privilege of eating here, today on Christmas Day. It was a wonderful experience with both our family and friends around us.The food was beautifully seasoned, well presented and well selected.We love this family run business and think it’s great that Halesworth has such a talented chef and his family marking a go of it.We actually eat here for all special celebrations - always over and above the many restaurants we could frequent. To the people that left such a damning review; it’s not cool to be unkind - you weren’t offering constructive criticism - you were proffering pompous words of self importance. We all make mistakes and they apologised. Clearly the tone didn’t suit you. We have never witnessed rudeness. They are good people brave enough to step over the line and start up a business in an area that needs them. It’s commendable and should be valued. To anyone reading this who thinks this response is on behalf the owner - it is not. We truly value talent and drive. Support them folk - they truly deserve it.

We had a wonderful lunch. The food is superb and service excellent. We will be back. It’s quite a long way from Gorleston-on-Sea where we live but so worth it.

Our son took us to dinner last night, what a fab restaurant and the food was amazing. We can't wait to return.

This is my letter to the owner;Tyler,We visited your dining rooms Saturday 7 December, and were your ‘difficult’ guests.Whilst it is understandable that you were busy, it is not understandable that we had to wait as long as we did. Our table was booked for 7:45. We arrived a little before, the order for two main meals was given by at least 8:00. As we were not having a starter we ordered bread, oil and olives. After waiting about 5 to 10 minutes, we were told you had run out of olives(?). So we substituted the humus.At around 8:20 we spoke to one of your waitress’s who proceeded make excuses because of a large party in another room and ‘we are small family business’, then proceeded to argue the point of how long we had waited. Not until I threatened to walk did she go a find out what was happening. This further also irritated us, was that two couples came in after us had just recieved their food before us. When we then asked the waitress why this had happened, the reason was we had had nibbles first. Not a starter I might add. Just a large amount of sourdough bread (which is extremely filling) with some oil and humus.Then you the Chef and owner arrived with our order. I immediately asked whether you going have an attitude and you did. You stood over us and asked irrelevant patronising questions, then proceeded to make the same excuse about being a small, but very busy business. I am sorry but this is what happens in the lead up to Christmas, the answer, plan ahead.In my honest opinion the only issue you had and I hazard a guess, still have, is restaurant management. We eat in many ‘small’ family run restaurants, some are bars / pubs. Never in the 6 years we have lived Norfolk and Suffolk have we been treated in this way.Efficient and affective management of the covers for the time you are open would have stopped the issue we experienced, and I am sorry being a small family business is no excuse. The attitude we experienced was unprofessional and amateur, playing on the ‘small family business’ ticket is simply a bad excuse.This issue was caused by not planning ahead efficiently. One rule applies, “the customer is always right”. Like it or not, this is the basic rule and starting point for all, customer facing businesses be them large or small, we believe you and your team forgot this.Another basic rule, is serve the lady first and do not presume. I ordered the vegetarian option and my partner ordered the steak. When you eventually stopped talking, you presumed to give me, the male the steak without asking. Why?The food when it arrived I am afraid to say was spoilt by the waiting experience, it was heading towards being cold.The aubergine in bread crumbs (as that is what they were), were very salty, the spaghetti was over cooked, not el-dente. I thought it was supposed to be egg plant spaghetti(?), but it tasted like normal pasta spaghetti. It was edible and I was hungry with no prospect of getting a meal elsewhere.The steak. The actual steak was good and well cooked, as was the bed of green beans but, the sauce was far to rich and salty. It bared a resemblance to Bovril or Marmite in taste. As it covered the entire steak it made the meal not pleasant. The rustic chips, whilst crispy were dry on the inside.We were supposed to have a side order of winter vegetables but these got missed from the order.Whether you have actually read through to this point or not, is up to you. If you have then please read this as constructive criticism, not a mere whining complaint. You have a wonderful establishment, with a good catchment for good, to fine dining. So please, get a better restaurant manager who knows how plan and run busy sittings. And you concentrate on being a chef and owner. Attending a customers table in person is not a good image and does not make a situation better, as it highlights to everyone there is an issue.This establishment could be 5 star with good management.