Sat here in Middletons Steak House (Colchester) this fine Friday Evening. The atmosphere is amazing, a thunderous and joyful beat of satisfaction and enjoyment spreads through restaurant; clearly depicting the exceptional experience this establishment offers on a Friday night. Large groups of colleagues and counter parts, couples and families gather in an unspoken harmonious community to all taste, smell, feel and listen to the extraordinary food and beverage phenomenon that is; Middletons Steak House. My partner and I (celebrating our anniversary) have visited the restaurant once before and were quite plainly, blown away! Our return visit however, is no comparison. Our personal show of delight and desire started with appetisers consisting of soft, buttery Scallops... a smoky yet sweet, beef and bechumel Croquette... and classic Calamari served with a beautiful, silky lemon aioli. All of which, could not be faulted one way or another. The show stopper however... The pièce de résistance... The mind blowing, eye watering, jaw dropping course that is the entree, came with a phenominal BANG!! The blade of my steak knife glide effortlessly through the succulent, juicy Beef Wellington (a true staple to behold within this culinary finery), one that even Ramsey himself would bow down to. I paired this course with a peppercorn sauce, although realised almost immediately it was not required as the natural juices alone bared more flavour to take down an army of Hungry Hungry Hippos. My partners 10oz Rib Eye, equally as succulent. Every bite melting in the mouth, each one surprising you with a kick of unexpected flavour and awe as if the first bite ever. Food, to sum up. Perfection!! Nothing short of it. Just perfection! I move on, somewhat swiftly to the staff. Now please bare in mind, for a Friday evening dinner service, I do feel the team was lacking in bodies. As a man who has worked in the hospitality trade for nearly 10 years, I understand what it takes to successfully and smoothly run a food and beverage establishment such as this. Despite being short staffed and a tad stressed, the team worked their fingers to the bone and their heals to the sound of their shoes to ensure EVERY single guest received the best possible experience (service time barely affected by this). And for that, I take my hat off to all of them! Well done!! I have never seen bar staff produce such unified and professional cocktails (handcrafted) quicker than a machine gun turret. The floor staff, one of whom was their first night on duty, ran round riot as much as they could. The one, very small thing I would ask the management of this establishment to look at, is just remembering basic service technique; serving to the left, ladies first, pouring water for guests etc. The Little elements, that although not many people notice, make an awful lot of difference without ever being noted. To conclude, all in all the company should be very proud of what they have achieved and what they are producing on a nightly basis. Keep up the outstanding work team!! And to anyone looking for a memorable food and drink experience that you will cherish for a long long time, please make sure it's Middletons you are booking a table at for your next dinner excursion.

Two of us had lunch earlier today - needed big protein hit from gym work so were hoping for a great steak! And that’s exactly what we got 💪 ….. outstanding 10oz fillet and a 10oz rib eye, super choice of sides and service spot on from start to finish. Will definitely be back 👊👊👊