Review: It is all about location, location, location for Isaacs, sitting at the heart of Ipswich Waterfront

New chef Kevin Jackman at Isaacs on the Quay, Ipswich.

The old yard to the side of the historic quayside building is filled with wooden benches, largely sheltered from the wind but still affording customers a view of the luxury yachts and speed boats moored in the marina.

Chicken, noodles and vegetables (Image: Archant)

The venue is popular throughout the day, from the lunchtime trade, to the early afternoon coffee drinkers through to the late-night revellers.

Seabass fillets with potato rosti (Image: Archant)

On a sunny Monday lunchtime, we pulled up a pew alongside the waterfront, and perused the extensive menu.

This is not your regular ‘pub grub’ menu with just a handful of ‘old favourites’ to choose from - options range from jacket potatoes, baguettes and salads to build-your-own burgers, pizzas, and steak to fresh fish and even Oriental-inspired dishes.

The possibilities are endless. And when you are restricted to an hour’s lunch break, it can be difficult to choose.

There is an extensive wine list, with more options than your average country pub, and beer is served by the bottle or on draft.

However, drinks that are taken outside are served in plastic glasses for safety reasons.

I opted for a refreshing ginger ale, which worked a treat - although it would be fun to browse the wine list later on in the day.

Although we skipped starters, the options looked delicious and all are available as either a single portion or a sharing platter.

The tzatziki, houmus, and guacamole dips, served with warm pitta bread, olives and sunblush tomatoes sounded like the perfect introduction to a summer meal, and prized at £10 for a sharing platter, it ideal if there are a few of you dining.

Choosing a main course option was easy, after a weekend of over-indulgence, I went for the seabass fillets, served on rosti potatoes with spinach.

This light dish came piled in a delicate stack, with a delicious lobster bisque drizzled around the edge. The portion was neither too daunting nor too delicate.

The fish was tender, lightly grilled on the outside but flaky soft beneath and the rosti was delicious - seasoned to give it enough flavour to stand up to the fish,without being overly salty.

It too was a golden crispy colour and the buttered spinach was finely chopped and well drained to give it a real texture.

My dining companion opted for the stir fried chicken with sweet chilli vegetable noodles, reasonably priced at £7.50.

Her dinner came served in a elipse-shaped bowl that would not have looked out of place in one of London’s trendy eateries, and the was a rich bounty of chicken mixed in with the chunky-cut vegetables.

The sauce was rich without being sticky or gloopy and the sweet chilli gave it a pleasant kick.

An option of sides are available - including the traditional sautéed mushrooms, onion rings, chunk chips, garlic bread and a side salad.

And, in the interest of research, we felt we should try the chips - often a key indicator to how good a restaurant is.

These thick wedges did not disappoint. They were golden, firm to the touch and fluffy within. The portion was large enough to share between two or even three and fairly priced at £2.20.

Onto dessert, and once again, we were stumped. In the name of research, it would have been the done thing to have placed an order for the Eton Mess, a personal favourite, particularly during Wimbledon. But with an afternoon’s work ahead, it would have been foolish to indulge so instead we admired from afar.

Alongside the Eton Mess, there was ice cream, chocolate fudge cake and fruits of the forest cheesecake to choose from, as well as an intriguing-sounding sharer sundae.

This comprised your choice of four scoops of ice cream, topped with crushed biscuit, chunks of fudge and Maltesers, all covered in a chocolate and toffee sauce.

The scales may have had a meltdown and we succumb but I am sure it would have been worth it.

When the sun is shining, there really are few better options than Isaacs - we were very impressed with the service, the food and the atmosphere and with views out across a sunny Ipswich Waterfront, how can you complain?