 Comedy Routine
It saddens me to report on my dining experience here, because it's a great pub, an icon in Wellington, but here goes....
I had eaten here before and had such a good experience but in hindsight I think that was because we had a terrific wait person, where have you gone? After a few rounds of beers the dinner menu was starting to look good, but finding someone to take our order was proving difficult, we asked at the bar, to be told to order somewhere else, no-one was there either. Finally someone appeared at our table, I had Key's Chicken Breast ($24) others had Cullen Scotch Steak ($26) and Harawira's Mussels ($19). I'm trying to cut back on carbs where I can lately and it was hard to find a main meal that isn't served with potatoes, there's only 2, one comes with noodles (that was out then) and the other Key's Chicken Breast. Described as: Pan baked supreme, rosemary stuffing, cassoulet of white beans and smoked sausage and a crusty roll. It's not strictly low carb with the beans, but the best I could see. I was really looking forward to to this - I love cassoulet, it brings back fine memories of visiting France every time I have it, real comfort food. Haricot beans slowly cooked with roasted meats like pork, bacon, sausages, duck or mutton. But hey reality check I'm in a pub in NZ paying $24, but it should be nice none the less. Another round of beers and our food arrives and this is where the fun begins. Our friend had ordered the mussels with a garlic, wine and cream sauce, sounds great. It comes out in a bowl, now because the young waiter has tried to bring everything at once and is kinda rushing in excitment of delivering, he looks like "I'm gonna drop this, so let's get there quick". I've said as he arrived "oh oh take your time, slow down" as he's placing my dish down he has taken his eye off the mussels and the sauce pours out of the bowl all over the table. Oh well stuff happens you know, it's not a biggie, life goes on. What seems like ages passes and he comes back with a cloth to mop up the table. So on to my chicken, a nice portion of baked chicken (no stuffing contrary to the menu) garnished with 3 haricot beans on top a bed of mashed potatoes and slivers of sausage thrown around. What? The waiter didn't say to me when ordering "sorry, we are out of cassoulet are you OK with mashed potato?". I was a little speechless for once. I ate the chicken it tasted nice, left the rest, an expensive mistake. We had to wait ages again to get the waiter back to provide a bowl for the mussel shells, they tasted very nice and were served wth chips. My partner really enjoyed his steak, excellent garlic cream potatoes and bernaise sauce. So you know, the meal was OK, maybe I just picked wrong, that happens. We were looking for someone to clear away the plates, another young man arrived and started doing so. He took his eyes off the mussel dish and poured the leftover sauce all over himself and our friends expensive wool coat, yep the whole lot, he didn't realise it was happening until he started to walk away. My friends jacket probably had about a cup of fishy, creamy sauce all over it. He had gone though??? Where to??? Was he out back fixing himself up while the coat soaks it up! Surely help is coming in form of towels, paper anything? Nope, so she starts looking for someone, after 5mins he arrives back with a cloth and a mumbled apology "they overfill the bowls sometimes", he dabbed it a bit then left. Hang on a minute, this is her everyday wool coat and it's gonna smell and look bad, isn't someone senior going to come over and organise dry cleaning? Ok then a free meal? OK OK maybe just a free dessert then? Nope nothing. After 10mins we couldn't find the young man, he's outta there. We mentioned it to the cashier "oh right, yeah sorry about that". I didn't think this was acceptable, if it was my coat I would have done something about it, but our friend is too shy. Please restaurants train your staff to bring all problems to the shift manager, we were stuck with junior staff probably too nervous to tell their boss what happened, we were left dumbfounded by the lack of care. I don't know how I feel about it now, not sure if I'd eat there again but I do know I was let down by my main meal and the service leaves a lot to be desired.
 |
28th Dec 06, 05:49 PM
.
Similar Threads 
