Miller & Carter Steakhouse, pub grill Restaurant in Harlow, Essex
- By Chris Clements
- Published 02/18/2007
- Restaurant Reviews
Miller & Carter Steakhouse, pub grill Restaurant in Harlow, Essex
Steakhouse – Pub – Grill
The Gatekeeper,
General Manager: Ashley Bullock
Tel: 01279 424495
170 Seats
No need to book
The pub is open 11 to 11 everyday
Minimum restaurant hours are 12-3 and 6-10 Monday to Friday,
12-10 on Saturday and 11-9 on Sunday.
On entering the new Miller & Carter restaurant
at the Gatekeeper last week we were very pleasantly surprised at how warm and inviting
it was.
We were welcomed at the door by a very friendly, smiling member of staff who took
our name and asked us if we would like to
get ourselves a drink at the bar first.
The bar area is very impressive with the exposed brickwork and wood panelling on
the walls which gave the atmosphere a restrained elegance. £300,000 has been
spent on totally refurbishing the restaurant
into this very stylish, upmarket restaurant
and bar area.
We felt relaxed as soon as we walked into the bar area by the soft lighting and candles on each of the tables. There is a mix of seating in this area with upholstered sofas, chairs and stools.
The bar was particularly well stocked and our party enjoyed trying the great selection of wines, continental draught lagers and the real ales.
The stylish decoration and soft lighting carries through to the restaurant which consists of small intimate booths for 2-4 people and booths that can seat upto 8 people.
When we were ready to eat a member of staff led us to our table chatting all the way making us feel very welcome, infact, all the staff we encountered smiled and welcomed us.
Our waitress Jill introduced herself and told us a little about Miller & Carter and the menu explaining that the steaks were sourced from members of the international ‘Hereford Cattle Association’, and that all their steaks are 100% certifiable, naturally reared and grass fed, and matured for a minimum of 28 days. Jill also told us what the fish of the day was and told us a bit about the other items on the menu.
Although there are not a huge variety of items on the menu we found that there was plenty that we wanted to try. Miller & Carter want to keep the menu a bit smaller then that way they can concentrate on the quality.
We visited the restaurant with my parents who ordered the lamb cutlets and particularly enjoyed the sticky mint sauce. My husband and I had the Ribeye Steak which was served with parsley butter and a slice of onion loaf which was so different and very tasty. The steaks also come served with a bowl of very fresh iceberg lettuce and a choice of dressing plus either fries or jacket potato. The portions are large! And all the food was very fresh and served hot.
The steaks were cooked to perfection, which has not always been the case when we have ordered steaks in some other restaurants. They were succulent & flavoursome (exactly what it said in the menu) and we both said that they were the best steaks we have tasted in this country. My mouth is watering as I’m writing!
We were particularly impressed with the presentation of the food – we felt it was a bit different to other restaurants we have visited.
For dessert we all had apple pie and ice cream which again, we all agreed, it was the best apple pie we have eaten in a restaurant. It tasted as a homemade apple pie should taste with nice chunky pieces of apple with just the right hint of sour. It makes a change from other apple pies we have eaten in restaurants in the past which have had a very mushy, sweet, bland tasting filling. The apple pie was served with ice cream which again tasted home made and a bit more special - it was delicious.
The prices are very reasonable with Starters ranging from £3.50 - £6.00. The steaks from £7.50 - £15.00 for fillet and the other meals from £7.50 – £11.50.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was ‘buzzing’ everyone talking away and enjoying themselves. The temperature was just right and the music level and choice of music was perfect so that you could enjoy it but still have a conversation. Another thing we enjoyed about our visit was that we did not feel rushed.
Jill our waitress was outgoing and friendly. She called back to the table to check we were happy with our food and was genuinely interested in our comments. She was polite, helpful and not too intrusive. In fact all the staff were very friendly and professional with smiling faces and seemed comfortable dealing with customers and working well together as a team.
You don’t need to book a table at the restaurant you just turn up and if a table is not available immediately you can have a drink in the very comfortable bar area.
We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and can’t wait to go back again infact, we are planning to have dinner there today and as the restaurant is at the top of our road I can see us using the bar as a local in the future.
If you have visited this restaurant perhaps you would like to write your comments below.
I thought the article was particuarly good and very helpfull to myself as i go out for a meal once a month with some friends and we try to find somewere that we havent been before or at least not for a while.This is very difficult due to the fact we have been doing this for a number of years,so the Miller& Carter will certainly be our next place to go.Thanks.
thanks chris that was a great report.... can't wait to try it out with my husband as soon as possible.
Great article. Good work - looking forward to reading the next one! Love Anna
Thanks Chris this was really helpful and informative.
I would like to add that I have been to the new Miller and Carter restaurant at The Gatekeeper and thoroughly enjoyed the food and dining experience. Our waitress was extremely helpful and provided us with information about the dishes and gave us very good service throughout the meal. I would definitely recommend the restaurant to others and am looking forward to returning in the not too distant future.
Many thanks for an excellent review.
Just one question, do they have a Childrens menu ?
Out of interest we visited the Gatekeeper on the Monday. Hopefully solely due to teething problems we had to wait 27 minutes before our waitress appeared and the bacon dressing on the iceberg quarter was raw!, The meal probably stood up for itself but the discounted price was more than appropriate in our opinion. Not sure that the menu would stand too many repeated visits.
Glad you enjoyed yours.
A friend took me to this restaurant today for lunch, for a birthday treat. We were delighted with the reception by our waitress, Pam, and the delicious food served.
The choice of food available was excellent. My friend had lamb cutlets and remarked particularly on the fresh vegetables served with the meat. I chose chicken caesar salad, served on watercress, cucumber and mixed leaves with sesame seeds and a light dressing. For dessert, my friend had hot pineapple with a delicious sauce but, being diabetic, I had to decline this course.
We had a leisurely lunch served in very pleasant comfortable surroundings, where no-one rushed us to leave.
Altogether, this was a very successful transformation for the Gatekeeper.
I am disgusted with this so called 'Up market' retaurant that sells the likes of texas ribs, very up market, but refuses to allow manual workers to enter the bar area. On friday March 2nd 2007 at 4.30 I was turned away because I am a manual worker! I had a clean polo neck shirt, clean dark blue smart jeans, and clean trainers but was not allowed to drink in this establishment because I am not a wealthy smart person. I am seeking legal advice on the grounds of descrimination and I am determined to make the maximum fuss from this that I can. I run my own business employing 4 people and I have never been so insulted, it's Harlow not Chelsea, I wasn't knee deep in mud and I can't afford Prada, a bunch of snobs selling what is actually very common food!
We popped into Miller and Carter for lunch a week ago and was dissapointed to say the least. We ordered salads which came under the warm salad heading, when it came up the chicken was cold and had the texture of uncooked chicken even though it was cooked,we found it to be bland and tastless, too much watercress and for what it was we thought overpriced. We thought the menu was limited as well, The waitress was really helpful, offered to change the food, which in hindsight we wish we had. We will go back to try one of the steaks on another occasion, but the whole experience left us with a sour taste in our mouths.
Could do with info on smoking policy - otherwise, a good review
As someone who eats fish very occasionally, and never meat, I have to say the choice is very limited. I have visited this establishment on 2 occasions now and have really run out of things I can eat! I was a little disappointed with the side of "stuffed" pepper that came with my salmon, as it was not stuffed only holding a very small amount of red onion, a little uninteresting for me. on my second visit the fish of the day was tuna, again served with the "stuffed" red pepper, I declined and chose the salmon salad, again only to be rather disappointed, the salad consisted of shredded iceberg, 2 slices of tomatoe and 2 slices of strawberry, to me this is not a salad. I have to say I enjoyed going there for just a drink with my husband and some friends, the bar area is cosy and comfortable, low lights, and although bussling, we were able to have a conversation without having to shout or feeling overheard. The staff are all really friendly and welcoming, I am so glad we have somewhere nice to go for a drink,my only diappointment is the limited menu.
I thoroughly agree with all comments on this rating for Miller and Carter, I also had a very enjoyable visit but the only thing I felt was missed out is that restaurant does not cater for children, no specific menu for children or seating
We enjoyed our meal at the Gatekeeper very much. It was lovely not to have loads of children there and as there is plenty of provision in the Harlow area for children to eat out (Harvester and Beefeater to name but two)not a major problem. I found the waitress we had a little overwhelmed by it all, she was probably very new but our food was great as was the wine selection
great review very informative with all the information needed.Thanks chris, it was your website that informed us of the new name for the Gatekeeper.
I do realise it is a steakhouse but you didn't mention if there was a vegetarian option available.
I and some family have visited on two occasions, one at lunch time and the other on a Saturday evening. The lunchtime visit was a bit more relaxed and not quite so busy but Saturday evening was very hectic. Overall, I like the venue but think that the menu could have a larger selection. The food itself was quite good but we had to wait a long time. Our waitress was friendly and helpful but a bit under pressure due to the busyness. Would probably leave it a little while before going again!
Nice surroundings, food and service. Have now visited on a couple of occasions and have not been disappointed. However, I do agree with Fred's comments about not being sure the menu will stand too many repeated visits!
I have eaten here three times in the last few weeks, as the hubby has got a steak fixation.
The first two times were earlier in the evening and less busy, and thus the service was very quick; however we went last Friday with parents and we had to wait 30 minutes to be seated.
I would have booked a table, but it says
on the leaflets that there's no need to book and so it doesn't have a telephone number on it.
The menu is limited although it would need a few visits to get through all the dishes. All the dishes we've had have been great (I've had non-steak meals) and their selection of beers is good.
Overall good value for money, a relaxed atmosphere, very good decor, friendly staff.... and handy that there's a bar next door to make any wait more bearable!
I was considering taking my parents here this weekend, as I've seen it in passing but never got around to venturing inside. I shall definitely do so now.
We went for a meal Friday after hearing good things and we were really impressed. The service was excellent (they kept checking everything was ok and whether we needed more drinks and they were generally just really friendly), the food was perfectly cooked and really tasty and the decor is lovely, its looks so much better than when it was a Beefeater. The only bad point is that the menu hasnt got much choice but other than that it was brilliant ... well worth a visit!
obviously written by the owners themselves.
It wasn't written by the owners actually. I wrote the review after visiting the restaurant in the first week of opening and thought it would be a goot restaurant to start with. I told the restaurant I was doing the review and asked for the photographs. They had nothing to do with the content of the review.
An advert if ever I heard one.
I wish it had been an advert then I might have got paid for it. No really I wrote the review as I mentioned above after visiting the restaurant and as it is near to where I live we visit it frequently and are always happy with the food and service. I work as a Mystery Shopper so I am used to writing restaurant reports and know what to look out for.
We had a loverly meal, the food was well cooked, nicely presented, and most importantly, tasty.
The staff were attentive, polite and informative. Our waitress sugested we try the banoffie pie, It was excellent!
Our only gripe was that we found the menu very limited. There was less choice than we have experienced in other similar establishments.
Overall we had a very enjoyable experience, and would deffinetly go back on another occasion.
I too have visited Miller and Carter and enjoyed the experience, although I will disagree with the comment about the iceberg salad. I personally don't feel that a quarter of an iceberg lettuce constitutes as a salad, especially if you order a side of salad, expecting something different and you get ..... a quarter of an iceberg lettuce, with nothing else, except the dressing. Very disappointing because as the article says, the venue, service and indeed the steak I had, both times I visited were excellent.
Not a very child friendly restaurant
Guys just dont waste your time going there, its all hipe.. I been there and hated every minute being their.
I visited the Miller and Carter when it first went over from Gatekeeper. I was very impressed by everything they had done. The staff were extremely excited friendly and helpful. On visiting it again we found the service diabolical, wrong food turning up a waitress who was too much, non stop talking and joining our table. The food is very limited, Bring Back the Beefeater with lots of choice. I hear Nick the manager has now left too!!! What a shame.
Article very good. I can't wait to try the restaurant myself but need someone to go with. Yet to be arranged.
All restaurants and bars in the UK are non smoking and it is therefore unnecessary to state that fact. I have not had the pleasure of eating in the Miller & Carter restaurant but I have used the bar on a couple of occasions and found it to be a pleasent experience. However the article above strikes me as if it was written by the Manager or some of the publicity people for the company. Perhaps I will give the restaurant a try early in the new year and see if it's as good as we are told.
Hi Peter, Thanks for your comment. I wrote the article last year before the smoking ban came into force and have been so busy trying to keep the site updated that I had not noticed this information that, as you pointed out, is irrelevant now. Thanks for letting me know. Re your other point - I can assure you that the review is my honest opinion of the restaurant when I visited and is not an advert written by them. I have never taken money to advertise for them or been asked to advertise by Miller & Carter. I am pleased you thought my review was good enough to be written by them. I have been a Mystery Diner and visiting different restaurants in the past I am used to writing descriptive reports. You should visit Miller & Carter in the new year and let us know what you think.
Excellent report. We discovered Miller & Carter nr High Wycombe and it's excellent so were worried Harlow could not compete. We were wrong. Visited this week and top marks for everything aspecially as we were a difficult table with complicated orders and special needs kids. There is a kids menu and both M&C's we have visited now have been very accomadating for kids/special needs. The menu is quality over quantity so I supposed it depends how adventurous the kids (& adults in some cases) are if you find it limiting. In my experience the review is a true reflection of reality and not some ad by the owners as some of the other reviewers seem to think.
my wife and i along with our daughter had an excellant meal at the miller and carter in harlow,good service along with a supurb steak,so much better than the local carvary,we will be back soon.
We visited for the first time at the end of March.
The service was appalling, we waited 20 minutes for our order to be taken and 30 minutes for our drinks and in all was there for nearly 3 hours.
We did not think that the food was anything special but the Onion bread different and very tasty.
We did not have desserts as the children just wanted to get home.
We certainly would not visit again.
Just for reference, we arrived at 7pm and was seated straight away, and left at 10pm.
There was no vegetarian option available on Tuesday 3rd June and we were told that is because it's a steak house. Get into the 21st Century Miller & Carter, I'm sure I'm not the only vegetarian in Essex...
We visited the restaurant on fathers day .... i would never vist again , we had to send 4 meals back for being cold, the waitress was very abrupt - it ruined our fathers day
I have eaten at Miller and Carter on several occasions. Friday and Saturday evening visits were excellent with an only adult group. The food is first rate and good value. I think the quarter iceberg with dressing is first class, a perfect healthy starter and very good value. Steaks are the besy I have had every time.
Lunchtime and afternoon visits with children were a disappointment. The service was extremely slow. on one occasion we waited 30 minutes before we saw a drink and a further hour to get complete main course order without having starters. The waitress was quite abrupt when we asked that they hurry up as the children were becoming very restless. The food was not at the same standard as Friday and Saturday nights.
I will never eat there again during the day because there are better alternatives.
Lovely food - shame about one particular waitress who tries to rush you out by giving you the bill when you havent asked for it and before you've even had the chance to look at the dessert menu!!!
my husband and i dined there again last saturday 5th july. as
always the food and service were both excellent.
My Dad recently thought he would also try it out and said he would never eat there again as his steak was tough and the service was appalling.
visited the miller and carter for the first time very pleased with the service and the food one of the best meals i have had for a while will return
HAVE RETURN WAS VERY PLEASED WITH THE SERVICE AND THE FOOD WELL WORTH A VISIT
first time we have been and will be coming back as we were very pleased with the food and the service it is so friendly
As Steakhouses go I thought it was pretty good. decor is nice,it's comfortable and clean. I got great service but have to admit it was a quiet night so I have no idea what they are like when it was busy.
As for those asking about vegetarian option - it's a steakhouse!!??? What do you expect? I don't like Indian food so I purposely don't go to Indian restaurants! I don't go and then complain that they only do Indian food! I don't go to a vegetarian restaurant and complain that there's no meat! It's a steakhouse and it does what it says on the tin. Don't want to eat steak? Don't go to a STEAKhouse! Give me strength!
How much did you get paid to write that? Try being less obvious next time.
I have visited the Miller & Carter steakhouse 4 times now, on each visit I have found the staff to be welcoming and friendly. During our last visit, (2 weeks ago), the waitress even came to our table to say that she was going off duty, and to introduce the name of the member of staff who would be looking after us! Nice touch. On each occasion we have been 4 or more people dining, and have always ordered steak, why go for a meal at a steak house, when you don't want steak???????? We have found the steaks well cooked, tasty, and the perfect size, and we like a generous meal, the lettuce has always tasted fresh and crispy, the red house wine was a great temperature, and excellent taste. Our two young children have also eaten steaks, and really enjoyed them, if people want a kids menu, perhaps they should go to McDonalda!!!! It is wonderfully refreshing to have a decent restaurant, where you can take the children out for a decent meal, and not, fish fingers, sausages, fried drivell etc.......!!!!!!! When we last dined there, our son chose to try the flame grilled burger, which was a little over flame grilled!!!!! once we bought this to the attention of the young waiter, he immediately apologised, asked our son if he wanted a replacement, or a different meal, and took the burger away. Within 10 minutes, the young man had returned with a minute steak, a full bowl of replenished fries, and salad, and a smile on his face!!!! Excellent customer care, I hope this continues. This restaurant provides value for money, I believe that the menu should be kept as it is, to continue the great quality of food offered, if customers want enormous variety, perhaps they should opt for a chinese!!!!! I believe as a customer, if you are non-threatening, and polite, even if things aren't always perfect, they are quickly and easily resolved, and this has always been my experience. Four of us dined here, with drinks, (2 alcoholic beverages), starters to share, nachos-YUM, and steaks, served with onion bread, jacket pots/chips, and salad wedge, (couldn't make room for dessert!!!) price £59, excellent value for money, will be back, especially if they keep up the quality, and customer care, it really makes a difference.
I eat there quite often either with the family or with friends and it is alovely p;ace for a nice relaxing meal
I visited the restaurant as all i heard about it was great. I was extremely disappointed with the food. I sent back a stater due to the fact it was dripping in oil and then sent back our mains as both the chicken and steak were tough and overcooked. They offered to replace but by this stage was no longer hungry. The decor and the waitresses were great but very disappointed in the food..
I couldn't agree more with the article, went there for the first time last thursday, the food, service and atmosphere was great can't wat to go again
lovely venue for luch or eveing meal staff are very welcoming,we were served by lorraine who gave us quick service with a smile,food is superb from the egg and chips to the steak, apple pie melts in your mouth with ice cream to die for.the decore has a very warm feel,the low lighting chocolate brown interior and beams with very comfortable seating.We always take our time to relax and enjoy our our meal. we highly recommend you to visit and give your self a treat.
i have been going to miller and carter for the past eighteen months.the staff are fantastic very chatty, not in your face.the food is great steak cooked to perfection.i go there at least once a week sometimes twice,with friends and family who also enjoyed the experience very much.the restaurant has a very relaxed feel,very clean.i will continue to go as long as the it stays good value and service does not go down.
Very disappointed, waited too long to have our order taken & when we did get our meal it was over cooked & the outside was burnt. We did get a credit for the cost of the meal. There did not seem to be enough staff waiting on the tables.
i could not disagree with you more!!!! i visited tonight and yes while some of the staff are very nice the atmosphere in the building is very poor! i did not once set eyes on a manager or anyoneone remotley in charge! i have been eating in there since it changed to miller and carter and was always spoken to and greeted by a door host or manager but not tonight! To add to that the place looks shabby and dirty the standards have definatly gone down hill! There does not seem to be any familiar faces in there anymore which is a shame as it once had a fantastic young managment team who claerly took pride in there jobs and were always around! To me it just seems nobody cares about the place anymore or there is just a team working there that are incapable of doing there jobs! debs(epping)
Dear debbie
My name is Jason I am the new General Manager for the Gatekeeper, as of 20th May 2009 thank you for your comments, I can promise you that i have identified some short falls in the business and they are being adressed, so please come and visit again a let me know what you think. All comments are welcomed.
I am interested in going to this restaurant as we have just moved from London and are used to going to somewhere decent for steak - is it as good as Gauchos(which admittedly can be a bit hit and miss, I admit)? Does anyone know - ? What is the steak like?
My Husband and i visited this Restaurant last night, Valentines day, the bottom florr was full and th top was filling fast although it was only 6 0, clock, so we thought we would have a table then and there instead of later. The food was brilliant, my husband said the steak was the best he had had in a very long time, and although I am vegatarian i had al lovely filling meal of mushrooms in cheese to start and a goats cheese tart as main, not gorgetting the lovely Black cherry Etons mess to finish, i was so full i was in bed by 9 and asleep til 9 the next day!!!! Loved it nad love it more. I would only like to say it would be good if restaraunts would put just a few more variations on the menu for us veggies instead of tarts or pasta !!!! But i loved this restaraunt and wish we had one near us in norfolk. I would also like to say a special hello to our waitress who was lovely, she also was travelling back to norfolk today as her family live in Gt Yarmouth, hope u have a lovely time seeing your family, you were great and all the staff were well mannered, pleasant and could not help enough.