The Wessex Suite at The Mayflower Theatre

This is a must for all you theatre goers! Three of us went to see "Le Grand Cirque" and decided to make a real night of it by dining at the theatre in The Wessex Suite. It is a superb restaurant which is situated on the top floor (with direct level access by lift) overlooking the city and totally self sufficient with its own reception area, licensed bar and loos. (It is only open on selected evenings so check out the dates on their web site.) It is so relaxing to arrive early at the theatre have no parking worries and, as we found out, to be able to enjoy two hours of fine dining before the start of the show. Another big plus is that you are able to make use of it's private bar facilities during the interval so no maddening queues for a drink, it really does make you feel like a VIP!

We arrived for dinner at 5.30pm and were impressed with the ambience and attentive staff especially Charlotte our waitress. She was very helpful and friendly and as we were three thirsty ladies she ensured we were served promptly with a bottle of Ochre Mountain Sauvignon (£13.50) and a large jug of iced water whilst we selected from the menu. In the interests of the review we all chose something different.

Our starters, all served with warmed rolls..........


Smoked chicken and mango salad with pine nuts	Prosciutto with chargrilled peach & passionfruit dressing	Fresh asparagus with lemon & herb mayonnaise

The mains were served with a side dish of perfectly cooked fresh vegetables....


Chargrilled beef fillet with red wine jus	Fillet of salmon with crushed new potatoes & watercress sauce	Wild mushroom tortellini with spinach, pecorino and cream

And the puds.......


Classic crème brulee	Summer pudding with cream	Selection of cheeses with grapes

As you can see the presentation was excellent and most importantly everything tasted delicious. Included with the dinner are coffee and mints. We were very impressed to learn that the staff donate all their tips to charity!

We think this is a wonderful idea for a very enjoyable evening so treat yourself, you know you deserve it! The restaurant must be booked in advance and as its very popular it's wise to do so early. If you combine your booking with a seat in the Dress Circle (easy access from there to the Wessex Suite) you will save money! There is lots of information on their web site.

By the way we also enjoyed the show!