Julien Wald

Our Sunday lunch today was

Our Sunday lunch today was unfortunately tainted by a series of undesirable incidents. To start off we waited at our table for a prolonged 30 minutes before the waiter asked for drinks, yet alone acknowledged us. We noticed that the menu lacked vegetarian dishes, so we politely asked whether they could provide us with some alternative options. Regrettably, the waiter said that he could only give me rice and chips with vegetables. That just seemed like a really bad joke as it's hard to imagine that this was the only option. Once he came to ask for our dishes, we ordered a few tapas and a main for everyone. We asked again whether there was a vegetarian option. He repeated a few more times that the only option was rice and chips with vegetables. He made no effort to ask the chef if there were any other possibilities. Even when we proposed to remove the meat from one salad and replace it with a poached egg from another salad, the waiter showed indifference and ignored us. After a while, he agreed to make a salad. This felt humiliating. The waiter showed absolutely no professionalism. Unfortunately, this was far from the end of our debacle. Our neighbouring diners decided to turn our ordeal into their entertainment. They made unwelcome remarks and mocked me for a while, making comments about me not finding food on the menu, that as a vegetarian I had no place in a restaurant, and that I should stop being so difficult. Despite attempts by my mum to address the situation diplomatically by asking them kindly to mind their own business and stop commenting, we found ourselves subject to personal attacks and insults. The exchange continued until my mum chose to ignore them. To our dismay, instead of maintaining a neutral stance or intervening impartially, a waitress approached our neighbours to apologise for my mum's behaviour without seeking clarification from us or knowing what had happened. The one-sided response from the staff only made us feel disappointed and alienated. In terms of the dining experience itself the quality fell short of expectations. For example, the supposed jamón ibérico failed to meet its description. A simple request for sparkling water resulted in flat water being served, with the blame unfairly being placed on us by the waiter. Overall, the absence of empathy, professionalism, and culinary integrity left us deeply dissatisfied. I must also address the inappropriate conduct of the waiter, who attempted to lighten the mood with ill-timed and unwelcome jokes. One such instance occurred when we inquired about taking leftover food home, to which the waiter responded that it was impossible on a Sunday, followed by an attempt to pass it off as humour. However, given the circumstances and our dissatisfaction with the overall experience, such remarks only served to further highlight the lack of professionalism and sensitivity exhibited by the staff.

Date of experience: July 02, 2024