Waves in Thurrock

We ordered scampi and chips ,the scampi was emcased in a batter that was as hard as concrete , we complained to the waitress who took the meal to the chef and owner of the buisness who said that’s the way gluten free cooks. After years of experience with gluten free meals that is a ridiculous excuse for bad cooking. We will not be going there again nor will we recommend Waves to all our friends

Meal was pretty much served as in another reviewer's photo but although the gravy was only served on the plate there were pots of mint sauce and cranberry sauce on each table. Nothing outstanding but it was fairly enjoyable, although personally I don't like my Brussels al dente. Would have been a nice touch to add a Christmas cracker.

Recently went for a Christmas meal with work colleagues at lunchtime at a cost of £16.95. This is the first time I have had a prawn cocktail without iceberg lettuce. The main lamb was processed meat which I did not enjoy at all. No additional gravy or mint sauce and only 2 vegetable (carrots & Brussel sprouts) 2 small dishes for 6 people. Would not recommend to anyone. Give it a miss.

My husband and I enjoyed a 3-course Christmas lunch last week at Waves restaurant. There was a great ambiance and the restaurant was beautifully decorated and had a very festive feel to it. All the staff were friendly and our meal was absolutely delicious! I would highly recommend Waves for a traditional Christmas lunch. There are various options for each course and it was good value too. Thank you to all the staff and students for making us feel welcome and well done to you all!

La comida aquí es muy buena, muy bien presentada y el personal siempre es amable y servicial. Jueves por la noche es como un club y bien merece una visita

Themed weekly a la carte prepared and perfected evening menu. Outstanding chef, catering staff and students delight the diners with their wares. £10 set menu for two courses is real value for money in this easily located college. Enjoy!

I went to Waves for a charity five-course meal. It was really very good. Everything was very well cooked and presented and the service was excellent. As it's run by and for the students, prices are very cheap so you really can't go wrong.

I pop here for cheaper coffees than Costa and a jacket potato occasionally if I haven't brought lunch. Asked if there were any other vegan options if I fancied a change (being based at a college I didn't think this would be a problem given almost 20% of 16-24yr olds now identify as vegan and are leading the movement!) but I was just shrugged at and told "not really". Came another day to see a superfood salad on the menu I could have had? Put me off coming for team lunches

I'm not staff or a student at the college and I have been in for breakfast and for the first time this week I went for lunch. Breakfast-generous and good value. Sue B. makes the best scrambled eggs with nice thick slices of toast. Lunch- burger in a brioche bun, slaw and chips. I was very impressed with the presentation. The burger was thick and juicy with salad and a big size. The slaw was crunchy and tasty and the chips were big and not creasy. You won't go hungry and the prices were reasonable for an outsider. Well done Sue B for another outstanding meal.

Had a 'girls' Christmas meal it was excellent in every way ,food, service, catering for some of us who are vegetarian and coeliac. About to book our next meal.

Excellent food and all beautifully presented. The service was very good and it was nice to be able to see the students working in the kitchen. Will definitely return :)

We had our work Christmas lunch here. The service I always good and the food was lovely as ever. Highly recommended

Lovely meal and atmosphere.. great to see then working behind the scenes . Definitely be visiting again

The standard of the food at Waves was excellent. Everything was cooked to perfection and the service was great. Well done!

I organised for a group of fellow school Mum pals and I to have our very own Christmas lunch at Waves and we were all impressed with how beautifully decorated our table was as well as the Christmas tree and dining area in general. The staff paid so much attention to detail in the decor. The service was brilliant and the staff were friendly and attentive. I particularly appreciated being able to change at short notice the time of our booking to slightly later which the staff agreed to without any hesitation. As for the food, well I enjoyed it so much that I have booked to go again this Friday with my husband! Each course was carefully presented and very colourful and delicious. The price was also excellent value. I would highly recommend Waves and would like to thank and congratulate all the staff and catering students on a job that was very well done.

We had a lovely family meal at Waves (Grays Campus ). There was 9 of us and they were very helpful regarding requests for different starters due having a child and a fussy eater. The meal was well presented and the service was friendly and polite young people.

We booked for Christmas office party and were greeted at the door by a very welcoming young man and immediately shown to our seats. The table looked beautiful and music played in the background.Our food arrived promptly and all three courses were beautifully presented.Throughout the meal waiters ensured we had everything we needed. They were polite and friendly at all times.The food was delicious and great value for money.

My husband and I had a very good meal at Waves. The lamb and turkey were well cooked and beautifully presented on the plate.The only thing that let it down slightly for me was that the side dishes of cauliflower and broccoli and carrots could have been cooked a bit more.The desert was particularly spectacular with the icing sugar dusted plate and the sugar work. My favourite was the lemon posset.The two waiters were very attentive. We were served very quickly and did not have long waits between courses.It's very good value for money with a good choice of wines and beers.I would highly recommend eating at Waves and my husband and I have done so on several occasions and will come back definitely.

We had a meal at Waves (Grays campas) last night and as usual, the food was excellent and at a great price. We have eaten here many times in the past, but this is the first time for some months.The front of house staff try very hard to make your dining experience a pleasure and do very well, considering they are mostly fresh trainees.This was their Christmas menu, but still with a choice of 4 starters, and 3 additional mains to the traditional Turkey dinner, then followed by a trio of desserts.I have no hesitation in recommending this restaurant for a very pleasant evening meal. Just a shame they only do this fine dining once a week on a Thursday. You will not get such a good meal cheaper.

Had a great breakfast here, not a bad price and friendly staff and very clean cafe. Would come here again.

This is the fifth time we have visited Waves and have never been disappointed. Our visit was the last evening for this college year and they are now closed until September. However I would suggest you save a date then and book for a very enjoyable meal at an outstanding price for the quality.Last Thursday (they only serve dinners on a Thursday) we were again a party of six and there were two in our group who had not been before. they were very impressed by the students work and enjoyed every course. We had a standard three course menu with a selection of four different dishes for starters and mains and a trio of desserts. All plates were professionally presented and tasted as good as they looked. The meat for the mains was cooked to perfection. There were dishes for vegetarians as well. It is very impressive that the college is training these aspiring chefs to such a high standard.Our three courses were £14.95 a head and included plenty of freshly made bread and a mint with our bill. The wines/drinks are reasonable too. Pleasant surroundings for the evening and the front of house staff work very hard to make your meal an enjoyable experience. Well done to all the students and staff involved.

I always pop in to Waves to pick up my first coffee of the day. The staff are a friendly bunch there and whether you're just picking up an early beverage, having breakfast, lunch or dinner the service, products and atmosphere are great!

Waiter service is by catering students, who were very polite, friendly, and helpful.The quality of the food was as good ,if not better than any restaurant, in this district.I would be very pleased to eat here again.

My Husband and I, along with two friends, dined at Waves Thurrock Campus last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. The restaurant had a lovely Christmas feel to it, with crackers and lanterns on the table and a Christmas tree in the corner. The team were very friendly and helpful and all did a great job! The food was amazing too, we will definitely be back in the New Year and will recommend to friends and family.... Well done everybody......

15 of us came here for a Christmas meal and it was lovely, the students were amazing and all did a fabulous job. They need to relax a little and enjoy it, bless them, a couple of the girls looked so nervous... it didn't put us off though, it made us appreciate how hard they must all work to create a lovely atmosphere.Definitely recommended and will be going more often, the food was exceptional... compliments to the Chef!Keep up the great work guys - you are all brilliant x

Good Morning,I would personally like to thank you and your Team ever so much for a fabulous quick service yesterday and the food was delicious.Food was prepared on time with no issues and friendly smiles.Best wishes,

We had been visitors to Waves at the old Grays Campus for many years. The students were guided by Simon and we have had many excellent meals in the training restaurant. We decided it would be a lovely treat for my 92 year old mother to be taken out to lunch. The restaurant used to be set with linen table cloths and the students were required to have a go at silver service techniques. I telephoned the Thurrock Waves Restaurant to book a table well in advance. On the selected day (Monday 18th May) we found parking difficult and had to pay for parking in the railway station car park, at a cost of £2.20. We made our way with our mum, who is wheelchair bound, to the "Restaurant". Even though the word "Restaurant" is etched on the window,the eating establishment is anything but. What was once a lovely restaurant in the old building is now nothing more than a canteen. The changes were not made clear through information on the website. Upon entering the canteen we found that the only food available was jacket potatoes and sandwiches. Our mum had got herself ready especially and this takes some effort at 92 years old. We felt cheated out of a good meal and all for the want of a little more information on the web site or at the time of booking. This was very annoying. We left still hungry, having spoken with the staff. We were of course unable to reclaim the wasted parking fee.

We visited as a party of 6 on Thursday 23rd April. This was our third visit. As stated below the menu is designed and then cooked by third year college students. This Thursday we had a taster menu beginning with canapés. We then had the first of two starters, a pork terrine served with toast and some garnish. The terrine was unusually triangular in shape and tasted as good as it looked. Our second starter was a prawn bisque presented with a whole prawn hanging on the bowl. Again this was very flavoursome and well presented.The first of our two mains was a fillet of trout on pea puree and a spinach base. I am lucky to eat out quite often and this dish had the best ever tasting white sauce I have eaten. The dish was excellent. Our second main was duck breast and confit of duck that had been infused with orange. This was accompanied by rosti potato and some roasted veg.. By now we were beginning to feel quite full but then the trio of desserts arrived. The plate consisted of a wonderful lemon posset, a rich but not too sweet dark chocolate tart and an apricot bread and butter pudding with crème anglaise. We were all struggling by now, each asking if anyone would like some more. Most plates went back empty but those that didn't only did so because we were so full. The final course was freshly brewed coffee (or tea if you preferred...they even had decafe of both) and a plate of petit fours. Too much even for us but a box was kindly provided to take them home. The service was very good considering how nervous some of the students appeared but this was all overseen by Stoyen who looked after us and them.We had a bottle of red and white wine at under £12 a bottle and the meal was £15 a head. For the quality and presentation you will go a very long way to beat this value. It is experiencing London restaurant quality in Grays. It is also satisfying to see what our local students are achieving and to support them.The restaurant is only open on a Thursday night and makes a wonderful mid week treat.Obviously they are students and you could have something go wrong ( our steamed puddings on a previous occasion were deemed not good enough to be presented but a replacement was soon on the table) but on Thursday night they excelled at every level. Go with an open mind and you will be amazed at the standard and quality of the food presented to you.

I went to Waves with my friend on the 6th Nivember during the evening. The food was wonderful, I had mushroom and parmesan risotto for starters followed by Medallions of pork with shredded crispy potato with a mshroom and cream sauce. I then somehow managed to eat a rather lovely chocolate fondant which was heaven. Simon, who manages the restaurant and teaches made a wonderful maitre de , service was great.One negative, the lights are much too bright for evening dining and was not conducive to a relxaing dining experience. If this could be rectified I would not hesitate to go again.

The students plan, cook and serve superb lunch meals, Prawn Filo parcel with sweet chlli dipping sauce, Pot roast five spice duck with red wine jus, chocolate cherry pudding with chocolate sauce, all for £9.95. The Thurrock campus is going to be demolished soon (iconic building gone for ever) to move to new restaurant in Grays town.