Great, value-for-money food in an opulent setting — plus opera singers — Little Bay is certainly worth putting down anchor in.

The Venue
Two giant concrete statues flank the entrance as you come in. The whole place is decked out opulently: there’s brightly coloured fabric covering the ceiling and the walls are painted red and gold. If there is a theme to Little Bay is would be glorious excess. Around half of the restaurant is a gallery area with semi-enclosed alcoves—perfect for romantic couples. That romanticism might become something more earthy after a visit to the toilets where the murals are not just erotic, but plainly pornographic (there are separate loos for kids).

The Atmosphere
The decor engenders an ambience of decadence and fun. Every night there is a performance by one or two opera singers who regale diners with themes from the classics, sometimes poking their heads dramatically into the alcoves. It all makes for a more memorable night out and provides a talking point. There are ceiling lamps with brightly coloured shades and candles on the tables. The young staff are polite and helpful.

The Food
There is no sign of a dominant nationality behind the food at Little Bay, which makes it all the more interesting. The menu is well put together and there’s obviously a keen culinary mind behind it all. For starters the goat’s cheese croquettes, which come with a warm artichoke salad, are nicely runny on the inside and not too sharp. And the pressed duck terrine is firm, meaty and tasty and comes with sweet and sour pickled carrots.

All the main course dishes cost the same, incredibly only about £6 before 7pm and about £8 after. They include a succulent and flakey braised beef, which comes with celeriac mash and glazed root vegetables. The plainly-cooked fillet of salmon is cleverly complemented by a Thai noodle salad and a tomato and chilli jam. For dessert the chewy meringue with cream and a raspberry coulis is surprisingly good and the profiteroles were well balanced between the cream, banana and dark chocolate sauce.

The Drink
Little bay offers a very reasonably priced wine list, starting as low as just under £11 for the perfectly decent house Moreau Blanc and Moeau Rouge. There is also a Cava at £16.95 a bottle, as well as five Champagnes, including by the glass. And there is a good range of aperitifs and liqueurs—all for about £3 a glass.

The Last Word
For a night out to remember and for the sheer satisfaction of eating very well and not spending a fortune, Little Bay ticks all the right boxes.

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