Company Shed, West Mersea

On the basis of a glowing review in a Sunday newspaper, I persuaded my wife and mother, who both love seafood (sadly, I don't) to visit this shack. The review alluded to "the best fish and chips you'll ever eat", as an alternative to the "seriously good platter", so I planned to join them. We arrived early and put our name on the waiting list and sat with others holding our bottles and portions of bread. The glistening fish on a table just inside the front door which were being sold fresh suggested we were in for a treat. Our first disappointment was learning there was no fish and chips on the menu. Indeed, there was no cooked fish to be had at all. So, I traipsed off down the road to eat alone in another 'shack', leaving my nearest and dearest drooling at the mouth with anticipation. An hour later I returned. Their sombre faces told me all had not gone well. In my wife's words:

"After waiting an hour and a half for our lunch we felt quite faint, especially as it was so hot. Avidly, we tested the single king prawn. Oh! Tasteless and woolly. Let's try the cockles - sandy and devoid of sea flavour. The crab and the prawns on the shell were equally bad. There was only one mussel, which had the texture of cardboard. Oh dear! We had been so much looking forward to this. Overall, we had the impression that nothing we ate was fresh, and very little locally sourced. It all tasted as if it had been brought in frozen. We assumed it was a case of reputation causing increased demand leading to insufficient supply. We were glad to leave this awful, noisy, steamed up, hot and airless place, and to get somewhere we could eat something nice to take the stale taste out of our mouths. As for the service - the girl bringing our platter dropped some of it on the floor as she came towards our table, and had no hesitation in scooping the bits up and rearranging them in front of our astonished eyes. To cap it all, we had to pay extra for a dollop of 'garlic mayonnaise', which came out of a bottle!"

The fresh fish here is the allure, ranging from oysters, cod, sole and tiger prawns.

The restaurant is a no frills experience, which is the whole appeal and charm of the fishmongers turned restaurant.

Customers bring their own bread and drinks and buy the fish they want. Sharing tables is common practice and waiting for a table is a certain thing if you leave it too late to arrive.

IF you like fish then is doesnt get any fresher than this. Great atmosphere and excellent service from the family run company.

The company shed is a real gem of a fish restaurant but be warned this is as no frills and no frills can get. The clue is in the name...it's literally a shed. But please don't let that put you off the food is excellent and it is a complete bargain.Order the seafood platter. This comes absolutely piled with prawns muscles, cockles and a whole host of succulent shell fish. The staff are 'honest' i.e. they don't mince there words but hey this is part of its charm. If you want wine you have to bring your own.Be prepared to queue on Sundays. Would I recommend...absolutely. if its good enough for Rick Stein it's good enough for me.