I wouldn't recommend this restaurant if you're going on the Times £5 for 2 courses offer or any other promotion. If you're on this deal you get no choice from the blackboard or the main menu and are restricted to 4 choices for each course.
That would be understandable if what you got looked anything like the food other diners were getting. The size of my trout was insulting - it was about an inch wide and 3 inches long and the rest of the dish was made up of mountains of couscous. What there was of it was nice enough but it came with not even a lettuce leaf so if you wanted a balanced meal with vegetables you had to order that separately adding another fiver to the bill. Oh, sorry, it did come with french fries, but all the other diners seemed to get a nice vegetable dish with theirs. The pieces of fish they got were enormous too.
Presumably the idea of this was not to make money (obviously) but to get more customers but my friend and I felt we'd been treated like 2nd class citizens and although the food was nice enough we wont be going back.
This offer was clearly undertaken begrudgingly. The surly, unfriendly attitude of the manager (no eye contact policy) didn't help either. The waitress was nice but her English was so poor she couldn't understand 'side salad'.

I have been to Back to Basics a few times and could recommend all the dishes on the menu. I always go for the spicy mussels (as they are exceptional) to start with and work my through the main menu each time I dine there. Most recently on 23.10.10 I had the grilled mackerel with couscous and prawn kebabs which were amazing! All of it was deliciously flavoured and served generously. The fish was fresh (i understood from banter with the waitresses that they source the fish there daily) and the beer (bitburger) was served cold in the designated Bitburger glass which was a great compliment to the meal (although I saw plenty of wines on display to choose from for the wine lovers). Deserts were excellent (recommend the chocolate fondant and baked banana) and the whole experience, as it is always, was wonderful. Great Service, Fair Prices, Nice little place and definately my number one for seafood!

This is by far the best fish restaurant I have been to. The food and service is first class. My wife and I have spent many romantic evenings at this very friendly restaurant. She even brought up the divorce thing, if I didn't take her there for her 50th. Lucky for me the table was already booked, by my Son, Jamie. Great Kid.


Henry Kay

This is by far the best fish restaurant I have been to. The food and service is first class. My wife and I have spent many romantic evenings at this very friendly restaurant. She even brought up the divorce thing, if I didn't take her there for her 50th. Lucky for me the table was already booked, by my Son, Jamie. Great Kid.


Henry Kay

I am shocked at some of the previous reviews and can only assume they were left by some scorned customers! I have recommended this restaurant to everyone and regularly dine there with family and friends. The seafood is the best I have ever tasted, the staff are a delight and the ambience is cosy and intimate. I have been a fan of Back to basics for years and will continue to be so for many years to come! An excellent restaurant.

We were a party of 4 and had the most awful experience. The swordfish was quite smelly although they tried to cover it up with lots of sauce on top. So, definitely not fresh at all and bordering on the rotten. The lemon sole was tasteless! The overall experience was extremely disappointing and the service, provided by two Polish women, was atrocious, to say the least. This Restaurant is not recommended and we will definitely never again go near!

We were a party of 4 and had the most awful experience. The swordfish was quite smelly although they tried to cover it up with lots of sauce on top. So, definitely not fresh at all and bordering on the rotten. The lemon sole was tasteless! The overall experience was extremely disappointing and the service, provided by two Polish women, was atrocious, to say the least. This Restaurant is not recommended and we will definitely never again go near!

I dinned with my partner at Back to Basics last night and we had a very poor experience.
We ordered a selection of smoked fish for starters.
I ordered a Tuna steak on a salad of mixed beans and goat cheese and my partner a wing of skate.
The starter was poor, dry and the mackerel fish seems like just from one of the Tesco's value packs.
My Tuna was poorly cooked and smelled off. Actually I woke up this morning with a bad stomach. When I mentioned this to the manager, the lady was rather unpleasant. Even the goat cheese was poorly cooked. How difficult is it to melt goat cheese?
The mains where almost £20 each and did not include any kind of veg or side order.
The wine was OK
This is the first time I complain about a restaurant. It could be just my bad experience, and other costumers seem to have been enjoying themselves. However, things went definitely wrong for us and the fish was certaintly not fresh and the manager did not handle this well.
Needless to say, we won't be going back.
MM from Oxford

Back to Basics is a small well run restaurant which has a great family feel. The waiting staff are professional and friendly. As well as a menu they also have a blackboard with daily choices of fish to choose from. We thoroughly enjoyed every course we chose, everything was cooked to perfection and we were loathed to leave.


If you have a three course meal with wine it is not cheap, but well worth every penny. It is the best seafood restaurant we have been to. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and will return to Back to Basics as soon as we can.

The seafood at Back to Basics is out of this world! Really fresh and full of flavour.

Try Back to Basics if you're into seafood.