Matthew Krausey
Google
WORST EVER FREE MEAL
We had high hopes for a special Father’s Day lunch, but unfortunately, the experience turned out to be deeply disappointing and frustrating.
We had a 12:30pm booking, and despite placing our orders promptly, we waited over two hours for our main courses to arrive. We finally left the restaurant after 4pm — a clear sign that something had gone very wrong in the kitchen.
At one point, a manager or owner came over and assured us that he would expedite the order, but this had little effect.
When the food eventually arrived, two of our guests who had ordered the prawn and calamari combinations found the calamari completely inedible. Another guest — a young woman — had either chicken or quail, and found it extremely dry. Several others at the table tasted it and agreed.
I ordered the tagliatelle scampi. The pasta itself was well-prepared and the sauce was enjoyable — a well-balanced mix of white wine, tomato, cream, and chilli. However, the prawns were bland and lacked any distinctive flavour. I didn’t raise this with the staff at the time, as the general disappointment at the table was already overwhelming.
The manager returned at one point to apologise and offered us a coffee — which, frankly, felt like a token gesture rather than a sincere attempt to make amends, especially in a restaurant where mains average over R300. We politely declined the coffee, and he abruptly walked away and did not return.
Despite the long delays and the widespread dissatisfaction with the food, we did not expect a free meal. We are not unreasonable people — we are happy to pay for quality and service — but we do resent being served substandard food after such an excessive wait, particularly on a day meant to be celebratory. We specifically asked to pay for the drinks and the dishes that were acceptable, but the owner or manager refused to charge us.
We made a point of tipping our waiter, who had been attentive throughout, an amount of R1000.00 and left — all of us deeply disappointed with what should have been an enjoyable Father’s Day.
