The Merlin

1   Not for me

Have eaten there quite a few times but have given up after being treated as an inconvenience to the staff and management rather than a welcome customer.

5   The Merlin

Called into the Merlin for lunch this week with my ninety two year old mother. Pleasantly surprised at the warm welcome we received. Recently refurbished, it has a bright and airy feel, tables well spaced out and food excellent, best fish my mother has ever tasted. Staff young, friendly and very obliging. Will certainly return in the near future.

4   monday lunch at merlin

Food, service, atmosphere, wine and champers were all superb today --and I was with 3 very choosy people who thought exactly the same!! it was a real treat and warm inside on a very cool crisp day. The fish and chips batter was thin and almost greaseless and I finished off my colleagues chips--glutton wot I is ! Pastry melted in the mouth--mmmmmmmmmm

Excellent and to be recommended --anyone take me there tomorrow !!????

1   One to avoid

Sadly, I can only agree with the other negative comments here.

The Merlin always seems to disappoint and the service at our last (and final) visit was beyond comical.

There are so many other great venues in the vicinity that this should be one to avoid.

1   Child tolerant NOT child friendly apparently

I've eaten at the Merlin on a number of occasions and it is hit or miss. The service is usually slow but being British we seem to put up with that. However, today was just awful. Everything from the slow service to poor food. I can honestly say I have never experienced anything like it.

The children's food order was taken. The children's food served. Spaghetti in tomato sauce had to be sent back - 2nd attempt was spaghetti with the soup of the day's carrot and orange poured over it - kids twigged it as it was an odd combination. They couldn't eat it. Changed it to chicken!

After the kids had practically finished they got round to taking the adults' order. (not for lack of asking though) Then we had to reorder as they had ran out of some things from Sunday lunch menu - did I mention it was Sunday Lunch? wouldn't you ensure you had enough Sunday Lunch available??? Then guess what? had to reorder AGAIN! By this time the kids were on their pudding! I really could go on and on but I realise you've probably got things to do . . .Some of us eventually had my meal after everyone else which was dull and uninspired and quite frankly 2 hours after arriving I had lost my appetite!

We didn't think the kids would eat £5 worth of ice-cream but when asked if there was a child's menu pudding option I was informed that they were "a child tolerant restaurant not a child friendly one". I nearly fell over. I wonder if they've checked their demographic for the area or indeed realised that Sunday Lunch, particularly, tends to be a family affair.

The experience has left me gobsmacked at both their attitude and the disappointing level of service that seems to be more and more commonplace in our country as a whole. We were treated as if it was our fault for complaining! Complacent seems to be the word that springs to mind. Well I can vote with my feet and I won't be going to the Merlin and certainly not with, God forbid, CHILDREN!

3   Slow service

If you've got a 3 hour lunch planned then this could be for you. We've eaten lunch here several times and the service is incredibly slow. However, the food is good. The far dining room (with the pony skin chairs) can feel a little cold & uninviting, even with a few diners. Not my favourite eatery around but certainly ok.