Samphire Seafood Bar and Grill at Orocco Pier

Had dinner sat 6 th April. Service quicker than in other comments but quality of food very poor. Nacho jalapeños with cheese which had clearly been microwaved till it was hard and brittle. Chicken burger tiny and bone dry, thick chips were dry as if they are reheated chips. Most annoying bit. . I ordered diet coke which was served in a tall narrow glass full of ice so hardly any coke so next time I asked for no ice . When the bill came the receipt was itemised as one coke with ice and one coke without ice. The coke without ice was more expensive. At the prices you charge this is disgraceful. I'll never go back.

I get the feeling that people are reviewing the wrong place. JIMS says don't come here for a drink but Samphire is the restaurant not the bar. I think he has a beef with Antico so he should review that instead. I use both Antico and Samphire regularly. I'd agree that the wait on a really busy night can be a bit much, this was especially bad when Antico first opened, I think they must have not realised that they would need more chefs (or simply couldn't hire enough) but recently this has been much better and they seem to have got things sorted. The food is good but not brilliant the service is always impeccable (it's not the waitress' fault if thing can take a while on a busy Saturday night). I think the average main course is about £15 so I think it is good value. If I was paying city centres prices then I'd feel justified to moan. I think that the real problem with Samphire is the expectation. It is a beautiful venue, it looks stunning, you get treated so well people book it for special occasions and then feel let down when the food isn't Michelin star and they aren't served as quickly as they are at Pizza Express. Four bad reviews over the past two years tells me that the majority of visitors are as impressed with Samphire as I am.

Just back from lunch in Orocco Pier. A great setting (we were in the Samphire Restaurant). The food was OK - my mussels were fine but any white wine they were in had long ago disappeared. They took an hour to arrive! For the mains we waited about another hour. Plenty apologies from the hard pressed and pleasant staff but what's going on in that kitchen? And as for the main - smoked haddock on mash with a poached egg. All very delicious but the haddock had totally dried out. Finally got out at 16:05 having sat at the table at 13:15.....

We arrived just as breakfast was finishing and lunch was starting on a Sunday 12:00. We waited almost an hour for our starters and then another 40 mins before the main courses arrived. My minute chicken burger was so overcooked it was inedible - I sent it back . I was told it would be 6 mins for another burger but after 15 mins we gave up, paid and left.
Other diners arrived, ordered, ate and had left before we even had our starters. Shame as there were around 12-15 front of house staff who were trying hard but obviously the kitchen was understaffed and the weak link.
We won't be back what a waste of our Sunday midday.

Have now been there for dinner on 3 occasions. It's a case of 3 strikes and they're out. Which is what they are.
Lovely location bit the food and serrvice fall far short of what we should be expecting when we part with a fair amount of our hard earned cash.
Steer well clear of the squid for a starter - the tiny amount you get on the plate is an insult. Rip off at its very best!
Try the scallops and Stornoway black pudding if you enjoy a very thinly sliced and cooked hard pudding!
Great place for conversation with friends - make sure that you have a wide range of topics to discuss as you'll need them. We were at the table for over an hour and had only had our starters, and this is after the table not being ready for us at our booked time.
Poor ratings by the 6 of us who ate.
I certainly will not be back.