James U.
Google
Let's start on a positive note: the food is wonderful and really fits the bill. Plus, they've done wonderful things to the setting. The wine list is great, and they did a mean martini.
I will give Bistro Sablé one more chance, but we were really let down by the service a few weeks ago. We arrived at 5 pm for an early, pre-theatre dinner, and were placed at a table tucked away in the corner. This made it hard to catch the eye of the staff, plus they often walked straight past us and didn't check in to take our drink order. I get it was probably change over time, from lunch to dinner, but as one of the only evening service tables in there, I expected the team to be hot on helping us.
We ordered two bottles of wine, six oysters, and starters to begin. It took 10 minutes for our wine to arrive (perhaps the cellar is far away...), then our hot starters. When those were being cleared, our oysters were ready. This was a huge fumble, oysters should always be served first; they are cold and take no time at all to prepare. We actually asked for them to be taken off our bill.
The mains were really something special; the beef bourguignon was to die for.
I think the main issue here stems from the pivot from pub to bistro. The service was fine for a roast dinner down the local inn, but now it's at a totally new price point, and standards need to match that. Attentive staff, serving with a smile, is something that's an easy change.