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.

Were the prices not on the menu?
Why would a healthy eating place serve alcohol?

You and people like you are all that's wrong with London.

I love a bit of baseless London-bashing.

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

Because many restaurants make a lot of profit from the sale of alcohol. I would expect a place like that to sell it or at least be clear they didn't I'm advance.

OP - this is near me and I am so interested in going! Hopefully teething problems!

What’s the £500 members fee though?

Next time go to Sainsbury's for your sushi/avocado salad and donate what you save to UNICEF.

One minute you're shopping at Lidl and the next you're ordering champagne lambrinis from a 35 yr old waiter with a man bun 🤷🏻‍♀️

DarlingNikita

Not bashing the city of my Birth at all . Still live in London . Just fed up of all this poncy gentrification to be honest.

Rabbits, it's really the people who opened this cafe and proceeded to advertise things that they couldn't deliver, at inflated prices, who you should be fed up with. Not the OP, who innocently went along hoping for a nice lunch of the things advertised on the menu.

YABVU. This is MN, not Tripadvisor. Go there if you want to review something.

London, lol.

God I’m glad I’m northern.

Yes I am offended at them .

OPs wording grated , but then I noted its tongue in cheek.

Absolutely the restaurant should have been more prepared . Just before Christmas, ,myself and some others went to a newly opened Nando's (it was their opening night, invite only) for a meal each, no charge . It was so that the staff could "practice" which I thought a great idea. Perhaps more restaurants ,like the one OP describes, could do similar .

Of fgs. Someone has clicked in that there’s loads of mums and pre-schoolers in agiven area and is attempting to create a service for this market. Ok, it’s not cining together too well so far, but it’s no more “poncey” that someone setting up a cafe aimed at builders, students, elderly or whoever. Also, what does it have to do with London - it could be anywhere? Some people seem think they are the real deal “salt of the earth”, but they just come over as a bit daft.

Calm down 1ndig0 will you?

I have not insulted anyone personally ., Fgs .,so kindly refrain from going from my jugular !

FOR

I am very calm indeed.

What part of London is this?

(Middle class wanker here, no shame).

No one drinks prosecco because they think it’s classy though. I drink it because I like it, and have done since holidaying in Tuscany about 20 years ago.

Nowadays I am slightly embarrassed ordering it because of its downmarket image, but basically I like what I like, regardless of whether it’s the new cool thing or a bit of a tired cliche.

And better gentrification than shithole. Wish someone would gentrify our town.

@DarlingNikita

Rabbits, it's really the people who opened this cafe and proceeded to advertise things that they couldn't deliver, at inflated prices, who you should be fed up with. Not the OP, who innocently went along hoping for a nice lunch of the things advertised on the menu.

Exactly

Our local vegan restaurant would charge £43 for two drinks, two mains, two sides. I’m not in London.

They offer no alcohol as it’s a ‘healthy eating’ restaurant.

Teething problems are not unusual for a newly opened restaurant or bar, especially when f they have a power cut. If you didn’t like, don’t go again, I’m sure you have plenty of other ——poncy— — restaurants nearby.

Review it on tripadvisor if that makes you feel better.

"Next time go to Sainsbury's for your sushi/avocado salad and donate what you save to UNICEF."

Lol lol lol
I am a regular charity donor.

Supporting start up small businesses that supposedly serve a local market is usually seen as a good thing, too bad they were so terrible out of the gate.

@SelenaMeyer2016 it supposedly includes unlimited access to the kids play area and childcare while you lunch / have treatments. And priority booking for classes. But you still have to pay on top

@ChesterGreySideboard the prices are on the menu. My £12 avocado Japanese salad was literally a few shreds of iceberg lettuce, cucumber, tomato, a bit of avo and green pepper. Like the extra salad you get free with your curry. I am absolutely not exaggerating

@BrinkPink thank you. The struggle is real

@RuggyPeg I lolled