REVIEW: The Cliff Pub & Restaurant in Canford Cliffs

Having undergone a massive refurb and transformation, we were invited to check-out the changes and sample the new menu at The Cliff Pub and Restaurant in Canford Cliffs.

The Cliff has never disappointed us in the past - always a safe option; especially when the weather is nice to enjoy their gorgeous terrace.

We arrived on a very wet and windy Friday evening so forced to eat inside but I'm so glad we did; the bar and restaurant were buzzing and the new make-over is very obvious and stylish. The old simple neutral tones have been replaced with a combination of bold and warm wallpaper and deep teal paint - it really suits the large building and it's made for a much cosier vibe.

The staff were very welcoming, and we were immediately shown to our table with the food and drinks menus. Being in such a fun and friendly atmosphere we decided to start off with cocktails - mojito's all round! They were freshly prepared with lots of mint and served in what felt like a heavy crystal glass!

The food menu is even more impressive than the cocktails and wine lists! The only problem is the dishes have been so well selected, it was difficult to know what to choose so we decided to share our starters; bread and olives, pan-fried king prawns with chilli and feta, pan-fried wild scallops and baked camembert and artisan breads. All of them perfectly cooked and seasoned and the portions were very generous.

For our choices of main, we were all tempted by the seabass but I chose steak to mix things up for the review. It's been a while since I had steak out and the succulent 30 day-aged 10oz rib-eye was cooked to perfection and generously accompanied by oven cooked tomatoes, mushrooms, watercress, onion rostie and triple cooked chips and my choice of sauce (bernaise).

My friends were delighted with the beautifully presented pan-fried seabass fillets and chorizo which was served with roasted red pepper & onion confit, lentils and grains, baby potatoes and pea purée.

We probably should have skipped the bread and olives as we were too full to try out the desserts but it gives us an excuse to return for the Lotus Biscoff chocolate bomb!

The prices are very reasonable given the setting, quality and portion sizes and there's no need to order sides like some local restaurants.

Although we'd enjoyed the house bottle of Prosecco during our mains, we didn't want the evening to end and ordered another round of mojito's! 

The atmosphere was buzzing and all the customers seemed to be enjoying themselves just as much as us.

I wanted to finish off by mentioning the fantastic staff - we all know that recruitment for the hospitality industry is tricky at the moment, but The Cliff clearly have a thorough recruitment and training system as everyone was so friendly and helpful - especially our waiter, Ethan who went the extra mile and was really attentive without being overly so. It was clear he was enjoying his job too which was infectious.

Thank you to everyone at The Cliff, we're really looking forward to returning!

To find out more about The Cliff Restaurant & Bar please click here.