Surf & Turf Restaurant Review, Guildford

A Surf & Turf restaurant isn't usually the first place that you would envision a vegetarian visiting, but as my husband had a hunger for a good steak and the Surf & Turf restaurant was part to our hotel in Guildford, we both thought we would give it a try. The Surf & Turf restaurant in Guildford is part of the Guildford Harbour hotel and as the name suggests it is primarily a steak and lobster house. The restaurant is headed up by the Group's award-winning Chef Patron Alex Aitken, who has a series of foodie accolades such as runner-up for the Caterer's '2015 Seafood Restaurant of the Year'.

From the moment we arrived at the restaurant until the minute we left, service was impeccable. The staff were incredibly attentive and polite and they went above and beyond to make you feel welcome. For starter I opted for the Vegetable Tempura, which was actually considered a 'nibble', but I found the portion size to be just right for my liking. The Tempura batter was really light and non-greasy and the vegetables were al dente giving the dish the perfect crunch. My husband chose the Charcuterie and while he isn't usually a fan of cured and cold meats, he thoroughly enjoyed it and managed to work his way through the majority of the large portion.

When it came to main dishes my husband went for a steak, which tends to be his usual dish of choice and I chose, out of the two vegetarian options, the mushroom risotto.  My mushroom risotto was flavoursome and very moreish. The sauce was really rich and it had a really intense mushroom flavour, which I really enjoyed as sometimes mushroom risottos are overcooked and tend to lose their flavour. For a steak restaurant, I was very impressed with this dish. My husband asked his for his steak rare and it came out perfectly pink and there were no complaints from him. It's always a good sign when both diners are speechless and both of us didn't look up from our dishes.

By the time it came to deciding whether we wanted a third course, James and I felt full, but as we were on holiday, we both felt like we deserved a sweet treat to finish the meal. I couldn't resist the Creme Brûlée and when it arrived, I wasn't disappointed. The heart shaped shortbread biscuit was an absolute delight and the Creme Brûlée was light, yet filling. My husband opted for the cheesecake and he really enjoyed his dessert too. It was the perfect end to the meal.

Overall I was really impressed with the Surf & Turf restaurant and the only thing I could fault the restaurant on was the lack of vegetarian options, but then again vegetarian people aren't Surf & Turf's primary demographic. Would I visit again? Yes.

Have you been to the Surf & Turf restaurant in Guildford?

*This meal was complimentary in return for this review, all views are my own.

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