The Baywatch on the Beach Cafe has a reputation for good food in a stunning location. It also offers food both at lunchtime and in the evening, and so Matt and Cat have visited at both these times, on separate occasions. You can read the two resulting reviews here.

OCTOBER 2007: EVENING MENU
Following Matt and Cat's first visit at lunchtime, the Baywatch review has been one of the most popular on the whole site, and attracted many comments both favourable and otherwise. Matt and Cat decided to make a second visit, this time to sample the evening menu.

Review continues:

Plenty has been said about the Baywatch on the Beach's location. In the evening it is just as lovely; lights from distant boats twinkle across the sea and, when Matt and Cat visited, they also watched the helicopter India Juliet sweeping across the harbour entrance.

Cat had sensibly booked a table at the restaurant and, on arrival, your reviewers were greeted by the polite proprietor who seated them by the vast picture window. M and C took a moment to relax and gaze at St Helens sea fort in the last of the rapidly fading evening light.

Menus soon arrived, along with drinks and more courteous repartee from the proprietor. The menu selection at the Baywatch on the Beach is short but impressive. There will be something for all tastes, particularly for those who enjoy seafood. Crustaceans, shellfish and fish dishes make up the majority of the bill of fare and can be ordered as starters, soup, salad and main courses with a variety of treatments.

There is also beef, available as 8oz fillet steak and the 'Baywatch special gourmet burger' which was well rated by Mad Mart, chicken and a couple of vegetarian options, including butternut squash, goats cheese and pine nut risotto. As well as this regular menu, there is a tempting specials menu.

It didn't take Cat long to choose - her normal favourite chicken has been demoted to the number two spot by a new love: fillet steak. She can't get enough of it! Matthew's instinct was to have the burger but, breaking with tradition, he opted for the special menu's tuna steak on a bed of French beans and mixed olives. Both chose chips and Mediterranean vegetables.

Whilst waiting for the food to arrive, Matt and Cat watched the daylight fade across the English Channel until their view of the sea was exchanged for that of their expectant faces, reflected in the window.

Tuna steak

Matt's steak was a whopper! It was served on a perky-green bed of French beans, cooked al dente - delightfully crisp. Cat's medium-cooked fillet steak looked nice and juicy; browned on the outside and pinkish in the middle. It looked a bit lonely on the plate with just a ramekin of tomato and onion chutney to keep it company.

Fillet steak

In a moment the chips and what seemed to be only one portion of veg arrived. Cat made enquiries: was the bowl of vegetables for both of them? It was. An extra bowl was offered but, concerned about possibly incurring additional expense on an already high-end meal, they declined. The pretty uninspiring skinny fries supplied were not quite as impressive as Matt and Cat had been expecting. Perhaps some chunky steak-cut chips or even fresh-cut potato wedges might have upped the ante. None-the-less, it all got eaten.

The steak was very tasty but not as soft as some Cat had eaten. She decided that this was not the fault of the Baywatch or its steak; she should have ordered it rare, as she usually does. Matt's tuna really was a well-crafted meal, featuring a splendid combination of tastes and textures. Balsamic reduction and the finest slivers of red onion gave the gently-flavoured tuna and beans a real zing.

As mentioned above, the Baywatch on the Beach is not the cheapest place to eat. For a single course and drinks Matt and Cat paid out some £40; which is well towards the top of the scale, even for meals of that standard.

Despite the comments below Matt and Cat found no evidence of surly gossiping teenagers weeping in the kitchen. Apart from the early attention of the proprietor, the service did tend towards the indifferent and, at nearly £20 for one dish, Matt and Cat would perhaps have hoped for a bit more interaction. After all, it's not just food that you pay for in a restaurant; even staff in the most humble of cafes will usually offer more drinks, ask if you want any sauces or, part way through the meal will come and check if everything is OK.

So, is the Baywatch on the Beach worth the high level of praise received through this eating out guide and elsewhere? The location is unparalleled, and Matt and Cat can confidently report that if you're willing to pay a good price, you're going to get some very good food at the Baywatch, without a doubt.

JUNE 2006: LUNCHTIME MENU
The Baywatch on the Beach Cafe has a reputation for good food in a stunning location. A gentle stroll along the pretty causeway to the protected sand dunes led your reviewers to the perfectly positioned cafe. Families frolicked in the sea on June's first sunny weekend and Matt and Cat's thoughts turned to ice cream.

However, the walkers soon had their heads turned away from ice cream and towards the Baywatch on the Beach lunchtime menu. As well as serving the traditional ice cream and snacks for those on the beach, this cafe-cum-restaurant has seemingly pulled off the remarkable feat that so many places try to emulate - it showed full menus for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and it seems that the place does good trade for all three sessions. This is not surprising, given the spectacular location. Matt and Cat went at lunchtime, so this review can only give a perspective on the lunchtime offerings.

There was plenty on offer in the way of main meals and sandwiches and baguettes including chicken, ham and crab. Prices were definitely more than the normal beach cafe - but then this place is so much more than an ordinary beach cafe. Matt and Cat decided on chicken strips, chips and salad - Matt went for the regular dish while Cat was allowed to have the child's portion. Within a moment their drinks arrived; a steaming mug of tea for Matt and a long glass of cool refreshing apple juice for Cat. With hardly any noticeable delay, the food followed.

The meals were nicely presented with sprinklings of parsley on the plates. The salad was fresh with three different sorts of pepper, some crinkly lettuce, plenty of cucumber and the ubiquitous raw onion slices. The dressing was very pleasant, although Cat's attempts to deconstruct the flavour failed; it might have been Caesar sauce. The chicken strips were probably not home-created but they were nice and hot and the chicken wasn't rubbery or gristly.

Cat's eyes were, alas, bigger than her stomach. She should have gone with her first choice of chicken and mayonnaise sandwich which may have left enough room for her to have one of the delicious looking home-made cakes (the tiffin looked superb). However, the cakes will have to be sampled on a subsequent visit - of which there will undoubtedly be many.