STEAK is a funny thing. Cooked to your liking right it can be one of the most delicious of meals. Done wrong however and it can taste like the sole of someone’s old shoe on a plate.

With such a temperamental dish at the heart of its menu, its no wonder restaurant chain Beefeater has steak masters into each of its restaurants to advise on both cuts and cooking to its customers.

As steak is one of the husband’s favourites we decided to venture along to our local Beefeater – the Watermill, in Basildon – to find out more and made it a family affair by taking the parents along as well.

Having recently undergone a makeover, the restaurant was busy on a Saturday night.

But we were warmly greeted, seated and handed our menus.

We were then left alone to admire the bright updated decor, while sharing warm bread sticks with three dipping sauces: Garlic butter, olive oil and chimi churi, an Argentinean parsley and chilli sauce which was unusual in flavour and not really to my taste, although I had no such qualms about mopping up the highly-potent garlic butter.

Our waiter returned to take our order, pleased that at least two of us had selected some of the new additions to the menu.

For his starter, Dad plumped for the baked camembert, which arrived oozing its creamy cheesiness, just waiting to be mopped up by the accompanying rustic bread.

It was delicious as were the other starters – koftas, chicken and bacon pate, and garlic and herb breaded mushrooms.

With three of us opting for steak as the main course our waiter, Jordan, called upon his steak mastery to advise us, not just on the steaks, but on a suitable accompanying red wine from the restaurant’s extensive list.

I chose the sirloin, which ordinarily I would have enjoyed medium, but pregnancy dictated that I must go for well done.

Surprisingly, when it arrived the chef had still managed to produce a juicy flavoursome steak, no mean feat when your customer demands well done.

Across the table the husband’s carnivorous eyes lit up at the mention of the 16oz rib eye on the bone, a steak lovers’ feast without a doubt.

Bearing in mind he has eaten a few in his time he still proclaimed it was one of the best steaks he had ever had. Cooked medium, it was juicy and full of flavour. Fulsome praise indeed, given his expertise with a steak knife.

The third steak option went to Dad who decided on the surf and turf, a sirloin accompanied by three giant chargrilled prawns.

Now while the chargrilling process produced a delicious juicy steak, the prawns did not fair the same and the hot grill had sadly rendered them dry, and hard to extract from their shells. However, it was the only disappoint of the meal.

Bucking the steak trend, Mum had chosen a new main on the menu, andoori chicken, and it was just as much a hit as the beef.

Two succulent chargrilled tandoori chicken quarters came served with naan bread, white and wild rice, tikka sauce and yoghurt and mint dip, a spice lovers’ dream.

With the rest of us full to the brim it was left to the husband to peruse the desert menu, his love of steak only seconded by his eye for a pud. He chose wisely, a classic Belgian waffle served with sliced banana, ice cream and toffee sauce.

With great food, good service and a bustling atmosphere the Watermill hit the right notes with us all, and a return visit is almost a certainty.

What we ate Starters Koftas £4.99 Chicken and bacon pate £4.75 Baked camembert £5.25 Breaded mushrooms £3.99 Main Rib eye on the bone £19.25 Sirloin and giant prawns £17.25 Sirloin steak £12.99 Tandoori chicken £9.25 Desert Belgian Waffle £4.50 Our verdict (Out of Five) Atmosphere Four Food Four Decor Four Value Four Service Four