Rotten Restaurants?

Owen

I just came back from a 4 day trip with my gf in Paris, we ate out every night naturally, and last night chose to have Thai food under the Eiffel Tower. I have never ever felt physically sick in a restaurant before, but last night I thought I would throw up then and there. Ordered a Thai curry with coconut milk and chicken - a dish I had a few times in Thailand last year. The chicken was pink all over, with the exception of the black parts. You know the bits? The bits most people just don't eat - mostly black, veins hanging out, and uncooked. The woman in the Restaurant tried to convince me this was normal. I reckon as my gf had a chicken dish too, she got the remainder of what's normally served from the carcass, and as we were the last people in the place to order, the cook scavanged the carcass for my dish rather than stripping a new chicken.

Anyway, I tried staying calm with the Manageress without getting anywhere, and without a replacement dish. I let my gf finish, and asked for the cheque. It came, with the price of the chicken still on it, even though I had sent it back untouched. I put the total amount of cash down minus the chicken dish, and the Manageress started shouting at me at the top of her voice that I had to pay. In front of all her customers (All 5 at midnight, lol) I told her, in my best French, that her dish wasn't fit for a dog and I wouldn't pay for it. She shut up quick sharp.

It's easily the worst food I've ever seen, and the worst service I've ever received. What's everyone else's Restaurant horror story, without naming names of course?

The Sweeper

I'll name names easy - it was the Gotham Cafe, about six years ago. Ordered some sort of crumbed chicken on crushed potatoes, from what I recall. Cut end of chicken, it was fine, first taste of potato was like ash in my mouth. They'd burned a piece of potato in the saucepan, obviously - you know how the taste of burned spud goes through EVERYTHING?

I told the waiter it was inedible, he called the manager, who looked right down his nose, he poked the food, said "that's just a black bit, it happens with potatoes you know? It's not burned"

I disagreed, told him to taste it, from what I recall he said they'd change it - they disappeared for 10 mins, came back - same dish. I recognised the chicken, because I'd cut a corner off it, and the potatoes had simply been remashed and piled up again, still tasting badly burnt. I think they fished the grey bit out.

I didn't eat it, didn't pay for it, and sat with a beer while my dining partner finished their bowl of pasta, we left. I've never set foot in the place again in six years.

All I associate that establishment with is that feeling of immense frustration when a restaurant manager is basically a complete and utter cock - you know, you're all set to have a nice meal, some conversation, bit of a laugh, and then something ruins it, and the manager acts like a prick.

They've probably changed staff 100 times in the last six years, but I wouldn't darken their door ever again.

The Hill Billy

While the food was great - my wife & I had experienced absolutely p1ss-poor service at The Red Bank in Skerries some time ago.

My wife booked a 9.30 sitting on a Saturday night on the basis that we could enjoy our second anniversary celebratory meal without feeling rushed, as this was the last sitting of the night. This was not to be the case. The starter and sorbet dishes were removed and replaced with the next course with very noticeable haste - within 1-2 minutes.

While I had just finished my main course one of the waiters took it upon himself to remove the main course plates before my wife had finished her meal! She was still finishing her last prawn when the waiter stated, “Surely you have finished now!” Feeling somewhat intimidated, she let him take the dishes. I was too shocked at the time to react. I appreciate that staff may be eager to finish as early as possible to enjoy what is left of their Saturday night, but to that was unbelieveable.

After being left unattended (ignored?) for some twenty minutes – at odds with the earlier rush – a waitress offered us desert and coffees, and apologised for the delay.

To top it off - when paying our bill at reception I mentioned that a tonic water had been added to our bill in error. I did this in a polite and friendly manner. The waiter (not the one mentioned above) asked me if I was sure and appeared reluctant to adjust the bill. Did he really think that I was going to try and con the restaurant out of €1.20? I paid the adjusted bill, plus tip based on the service of the waitress. (Silly me.) To add insult to injury, the waiter said to my wife, who was waiting in the reception area, “If you are waiting for your coats – well tonight it is like a supermarket. You get them for yourself. In that door [pointing to the cloakroom] and on the left.”

I was fcuking furious with his cheek but did not make an issue of it in order to save my wife further upset on our anniversary. While we would have been among the younger customers that evening, I am absolutely certain that the waiter would not have spoken to more mature diners in the same fashion.

I hand-delivered a letter to the Chef/Patron - Terry McCoy (a supposed celeb-chef) outlining the above and saying that I did not expect such rudeness and bad service from The Red Bank. I also mentioned that I did not expect “supermarket” service when I was most certainly not paying “supermarket” prices.

Did he bother to respond? Nope!
Can he shove his framed Euro-Toques Code of Honour up his ar$e? Yup!

FWIW - The two waiters were cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

Wishbone Ash

Hill Billy wrote:

While the food was great - my wife & I had experienced absolutely p1ss-poor service at The Red Bank in Skerries some time ago.

My wife booked a 9.30 sitting on a Saturday night on the basis that we could enjoy our second anniversary celebratory meal without feeling rushed, as this was the last sitting of the night. This was not to be the case. The starter and sorbet dishes were removed and replaced with the next course with very noticeable haste - within 1-2 minutes.

While I had just finished my main course one of the waiters took it upon himself to remove the main course plates before my wife had finished her meal! She was still finishing her last prawn when the waiter stated, “Surely you have finished now!” Feeling somewhat intimidated, she let him take the dishes. I was too shocked at the time to react. I appreciate that staff may be eager to finish as early as possible to enjoy what is left of their Saturday night, but to that was unbelieveable.

After being left unattended (ignored?) for some twenty minutes – at odds with the earlier rush – a waitress offered us desert and coffees, and apologised for the delay.

To top it off - when paying our bill at reception I mentioned that a tonic water had been added to our bill in error. I did this in a polite and friendly manner. The waiter (not the one mentioned above) asked me if I was sure and appeared reluctant to adjust the bill. Did he really think that I was going to try and con the restaurant out of €1.20? I paid the adjusted bill, plus tip based on the service of the waitress. (Silly me.) To add insult to injury, the waiter said to my wife, who was waiting in the reception area, “If you are waiting for your coats – well tonight it is like a supermarket. You get them for yourself. In that door [pointing to the cloakroom] and on the left.”

I was fcuking furious with his cheek but did not make an issue of it in order to save my wife further upset on our anniversary. While we would have been among the younger customers that evening, I am absolutely certain that the waiter would not have spoken to more mature diners in the same fashion.

I hand-delivered a letter to the Chef/Patron - Terry McCoy (a supposed celeb-chef) outlining the above and saying that I did not expect such rudeness and bad service from The Red Bank. I also mentioned that I did not expect “supermarket” service when I was most certainly not paying “supermarket” prices.

Did he bother to respond? Nope!
Can he shove his framed Euro-Toques Code of Honour up his ar$e? Yup!

FWIW - The two waiters were cheese-eating surrender monkeys.

It has to be the most over-rated restaurant in the country. The chef with the beard/long hair (owner?) was not too impressed with me when I told him that I came out to have dinner and a conversation with my wife not with the staff. I've no time for that cráp of cooks coming out from the kitchen to sit down and discuss the meal with you.

The Hill Billy

That's the chap - grey beard & ponytail. Like Grandpa Billy says "The only thing you find under a pony's tail is an ar$ehole.

Terry is big into table-hopping towards the end of a service - doling out cheffy witticisms. Your comment about not wanting to converse with "staff" would have deflated his ego quicker than a bad soufflé. Brilliant!

xzanti

D1 down at the IFSC, horrible food, went there 2 years ago for a birthday dinner and the food was lovely, everyone enjoyed it etc... Went back last month for the same persons birthday dinner and the standard had dropped immensely, must have changed owner or something, the menu was totally different, most of our table ordered the chicken with a smoky bacon type sauce on penne pasta and they all said the same thing, waaaay to much parmesan cheese on the top and it tasted sweet because of it and there wasn't nearly enough sauce on the chicken.. I ordered pork and it came out looking suspiciously like a chicken fillet.. it was coated in bread crumbs and was very white inside.. It was like something I'd cook myself from the freezer and a pile of very buttery mash on the side.. I asked the waitress if I'd gotten someone elses dinner by mistake and she confirmed that it was indeed "pork" the whole plate was swimming in grease... Don't think any of us will be going back

fallout_girl

has to be Elephant & Castle in Temple Bar. Overpriced, they will leave you waiting for another 30 minutes if you are a party of 2 and they only have a table left for 4 and on top of that I then had a wood louse in my salad.
i don't know who was more in shock, me or the wood louse staring at me from her leafy bed....
thanks very much, never again....

xzanti

fallout_girl wrote:

has to be Elephant & Castle in Temple Bar. Overpriced, they will leave you waiting for another 30 minutes if you are a party of 2 and they only have a table left for 4 and on top of that I then had a wood louse in my salad.
i don't know who was more in shock, me or the wood louse staring at me from her leafy bed....
thanks very much, never again....

Seconded.. I ate in there once, ordered the chargrilled chicken with lime on noodels and it was rotten.. the chicken had no sauce on it just lime drizzled over it, very dry and the noodles were rubbery, tasted like they'd been sitting there all day.. disgusting, never eating there again..