AIBU to never go here again & tell everyone I know how awful it is?

[FrazzledCareerWoman]

New fancy "mums brasserie" type place has opened in the London suburb where I live. Think zone 3, up and coming area. Lots of yummy mummies, baby classes, mums fitness, etc around. People have money to spend.

So they open this place that is marketed as a wellness and foodie experience where you can have lunch and spa treatments while they watch your little darlings. Sounds amazing, non?

They also will have classes for the kids that are put on by external providers, and a soft play area.

Okay, fine. Me and NCT friend decide to go and check it out just for lunch.

Well, I think I'm still in shock. No alcohol at all firstly - I tried to order a glass of Prosecco and they were like "what's that"? So clearly missing a trick there 🤷🏻‍♀️

Secondly, waiting staff obviously had never worked in so much as a greasy spoon previously as they were faffing around doing very little, extremely inattentive and managed to take an hour to bring our starters and a further 30 mins for our next courses. To be fair they claimed this was due to a power cut (which lasted about 5 mins after we had already been waiting for an hour).

Thirdly, it was eye wateringly expensive. Their sushi chef hadn't started yet and so they was barely anything on the menu that was available.

Our bill was £43, no alcohol, 1 tea, 1 latte, 1 dip with crudités, 1 broccoli soup, 1 stale foccacia slice, 1 eggs Benedict with cold sauce , 1 basic salad.

I waited an hour for a “Japanese style avocado salad” that was cucumber tomato and iceberg lettuce. The bread with my soup was stale.

So you would think we were offered our meal for free after all that wouldn't you? Well not only am I ashamed to say I didn't blink and paid the full £43 when asked but the owner had the audacity to offer us "a free dish next time you come".

I feel like they are totally ruining something that could have been great! And they are clearly mental and have done zero research. Membership is around £500 a year.

Just speechless.

Yeah the no alcohol thing does not sound appealing.

Some of the PP are so nasty. I get that they probably don't like middle class people but that doesn't stop them existing! This concept would have appealed to me hugely when the children were small and I was sick of horrible soft play and cheap food. Sounds horribly disappointing and a rip off too. I feel for them just starting out but it wouldn't make me want to go again. What a disappointing experience OP!

*think

It just seems really odd, I guess if it was a spa only then yes no alcohol.. but maybe it's trying to be too many things

Nah, the body of MN hasn't changed. I've been a "regular" but frequent name changer for about 5 years. One of my first posts was ironic/ tongue in cheek and I got the ashes of my arse handed to me in a tiny ornamental vase.

Thank you @RainbowInACloud
It's fine I don't take myself very seriously anyway

@nombrecambio great mental picture there

No Vulpine and if you waste some energy to go back to my actual post, you’ll see I put ‘middle class’ in brackets because none of the bullshit has anything to do with being ‘middle class’ but is very often (as it has on this thread) been described as so.

@FrazzledCareerWoman I will own that. Ta x

London all my life. Most gentry I've been is Dark Sugar PMSL

Surely if it's majoring in healthy food it should be eschewing alcohol? Especially if the target market has small children in tow.

Bleurgh on the stale bread though.

Oh and what makes it even crazier is that it was quiet. We were the only lunch customers. So I totally fail to understand why the food took so long. And half the meal was raw anyway so no heating or cooking was needed! Plus they forgot my salad and when I asked about it said it was on the way rather than admitting it hadn't been made yet and asking me if I wanted to cancel it.

Now that is classy MrsTommy

Hang on - if it's a membership club have you JOINED?

Please say no

Can you name it?

I thought your post was funny and obviously tongue in cheek .z

@LaurieFairyCake thankfully I haven't completely taken leave of my senses - you can also just go and drop in. The membership cost doesn't include food or spa treatments; those are extra

@MamaLovesMango high 5

Not going to name it. It's pretty obvious if you know the area. I'll tell my friends and might email the owner directly.

Log it with 101

OPG don't try the baby class! They will probably shoot all the babies by 'mistake'.

CanNt tyPe for LauFIng

" Sounds amazing, non?"

Non!

Sounds like a "let's convince people that this is what they need rip off" to me!

Sounds a bit... wanky?

None of this sounds that bad, or particularly expensive. I certainly wouldn't expect a free meal, I think an apology for the slow service and offering you something for free next time was enough. Take them up on it, maybe they will have improved. The place has only just opened, after all!

And why does it matter that they don't serve alcohol? Places are not obliged to do that.

And why does it matter that they don't serve alcohol?

Because you’d have to be absolutely wankered and need to maintain that level of wankeredness to step foot in a place like that i’d imagine.