O Dear, what a change of staff makes.
First Food Standards' Agency Rating: 5/5.
I'll continue the narrative.
Sat down and only left with the special's menu. We had to request the full menus, by flagging someone down, and it was said they thought they had left them on the seating, I presumed this by the way she tried to look behind where my wife was sitting.
Waited ages for anyone to return to ask for drinks. In the end I had to flag someone down.
The waiter wasn't familiar with the drinks, and I decided upon one that was shown on the website, but this wasn't available. I was offered something that was considered an equivalent. I'd request a mild, and was told the equivalent was an amber ale. Not it is not. In the end as the chap had no clue, I went to the bar.
The drinks arrive, and the ladies weren't given the opportunity to try the wine, especially as it wasn't a screw top bottle. The bottle wasn't opened at the table. No ice bucket or other device was brought with the bottle of wine.
Again, someone had to be flagged down to take our food order (more later). There was a special request on the order, and this hadn't been communicated back to the kitchen. So the person who had given the menus (think it was the duty manager) came back to check.
Starters were brought and were very nice (listed later).
My wife and I had finished our starters, but one of our guests hadn't, someone, not seen before began to remove the plates. Then realised one person hadn't finished, but still removed the plates.
No sooner had she done this, then another unknown, came with the mains. No apology, nor an initial query to see if we were ready for our mains.
I had to request knives and forks as these had been taken away with the starters which had been used.
I had ordered fillet steak and cooked medium, as I do if I cannot see the age of the steaks stated. This was no way a fillet steak : tough, with gristle, I had taken two bites and struggled to chew. I flagged down the person who looked like the manager, and queried the steak. She went away and returned and said that the chef had confirmed it was a fillet and 28 days' old. I commented that if it was a clear day then we'd we see a pig flying south for winter. Yes, I was annoyed at this point. She then said, in a rather rude tone, twice: "What do you want me to do about it?"
I said take it away, and I'll order something else, and felt I had to ask for the menu again. I ordered fish and chips.
It just felt like a whole series of episodes of calamity.
One guest wanted two starters, that is one as a main. This was explained when ordering, but it got lost on its trip to the kitchen. Even though we were assured that it wasn't a problem.
One of our other guests struggles to eat due to having had their larynx removed. So, we did ask if he could have a baked potato with cheese. The waiter didn't think that this was impossible, but he returned to say that it wasn't possible. My other guest said was it really impossible to put a potato in a microwave for 10 minutes? Still it was impossible.
One of my guests were happy with their meals, do, that is why I have given two stars.
After the mains we asked if we wanted to look at the dessert menu. We did not, but it didn't stop a second person coming and asking again.
The poor service is down to poor training.
The steak is down to a poor chef accepting poor meat off a poor butcher.
The duty manager is down to poor knowledge of customer service.
No tip was left.
Bottle of Frascati - £16.95
Pint of Guinness - £4.00
Half pint of guest ale - £1.80
Half of Guinness - £2.00
Devils Whitebait (not sure what was devilled about it) - £5.95 x 2
Mushrooms off the specials' menu - £3.95
Starter King Prawns - £6.75
Hunter's Chicken - £9.95
Fish and Chips - £9.95
Scampi and chips - £9.95
Total: £76.75
We would not return again after this experience. We can all cook, and what makes the difference in going out, is the service, and the fact you haven't cooked, and no washing up. This experience was not good. It felt like a trauma.
WHY IN THE COUNTRY DO WE STRUGGLE TO GET A DECENT STEAK, UNLESS WE ARE PAYING OVER £30?
Recently I paid varying prices for fillet steaks in Spain, and all of them were exceptional. well aged, and no blood, and I could have them cooked "blue". read more