text: I liked The Shore I do not think I would go as far as others in terms of describing it as perfect I have had better dining experiences elsewhere but that is not to say by any means that this was a bad experience as stars will show It is just not a but it is awfully close to a nnFirstly for a group of we were a little large for their small dining area and split across two tables originally despite being requested to have the tables close together we were placed on two tables along a wall which meant that mixing together would have been awkward However they did resolve that and placed one group of us myself included in the middle so mixing across was easier and less intrusive for other tables Having the door open was also a little offputting for this recovering smoker as the smell of tobacco wafted in from outside its been a while since I mixed nicotine and food and whereas it was fine years ago it is not so much now nnI did not always feel that service was always that attentive i may have annoyed one waitress by asking for a spoon a little prematurely my starter took a little longer to come out and the waitress who was primarily serving our table seemed to off chatting to someone else leaving me confused while everyone else tucked in until eventually another lady appeared with my dish Bread baskets were taken away without checking to see if we did not want any more and a glass of wine put in front of me without checking if I wanted any as the DD I did not Kudos though the ladies serving us did replace cutlery pretty prompty without checking shame of me for assuming not as our other table had cutlery for starters when we had not nnBut my starter that was superb Sesame halloumi grilled and served with broad bean houmous and pea shoot salad Now this was a set of flavours that all worked independently as well as together I loved every single delicious bite If I could have a recipe for that creamy houmous I would eat it every day nnOthers varied in terms of how much they enjoyed their starters the soup did not seem to be as well enjoyed tomato and basil I think I picked the star of the show last night nnAnd to be honest it remained the star I had the red gurnard with crayfish couscous and sea greens but sadly it was a little more forgettable I could have sworn it had some sort of chilli sauce but the chilli was barely evident and pretty bland The sea greens seemed to be overwhelmed in butter with any flavour lost as a result The crayfish cous cous was pleasant but not a showstealer like the houmous Again combining the flavours was very nice but in this case individually less impressive As for the red gurnard a first for me i did not feel it had any impressive flavour but it was cooked nicely and had a nice meaty feel to them nnThe summer pudding seemed to be a disappointment to those who tried it but cannot comment on that myself I was busy being jazzed up on rocket fuel coffee that had me awake til about this morning Note to self cannot drink coffee in the evening any morennOverall I enjoyed my meal not sure I would rave over The Shore though although they are more than welcome to bribe me in broad bean houmous did I mention it enough yet I am cheap like that