Please note, Little Bay is now closed. Time Out Food editors, 2017
Little Bay doesn’t have an official mantra, but ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ might suit. This year, as every year, the gaudy, vaguely opera-themed decor remains the same. Faded gold and burgundy paint, fake rock-work and orgiastic frescoes continue to pepper an interior overlooked by a giant gold mask.
The menu is unchanged too, with the line-up of Mediterranean-inspired meals continuing to incorporate old faves like a faux choux bun topped with balsamic glaze and hollandaise and filled with a mulligatawny-flavoured crab paste. A starter of baked field mushrooms arrived atop a dab of punchy red pepper sauce, and the roast pork lunch’s tender cuts of meat were drizzled in a lovely rich gravy. Quality is reasonable, so, as most mains cost around £9 and starters are near the £4 mark, bargain-hunters flock here.
Don’t linger, though. Two different waitresses hovered to take our order, food came out of the kitchen so fast we risked burning our mouths, and the whole experience took just over an hour for two courses.