4 bits of asparagus and half an egg - how much?

[Thornyroshbush]

I went to my favourite restaurant in the world recently. Never had a plate of food I didn't love and I've probably been going 15(ish) times a year since 2018. It's 'tapas' style so you can easily have 4-5 plates in a meal. Just to give an indicating over the quality of the food.

One of the dishes we ordered to share was asparagus and a crispy egg. What turned up was four bits of asparagus and half a boiled egg in a shell (it looked a bit like a scotch egg, but no runny centre).

I'm wondering if I am being very unreasonable to still be absolutely gobsmacked over 24 hours later that anyone thought that was acceptable to send out of a kitchen at the price they charged for it. We're due to go back tomorrow night and I honestly want to cancel but DH thinks they deserve another chance...

So, can people tell me how much they would have thought that would cost?

@BlueyandBingo it’s been named above, but yes!

Usually excellent (can’t stress this enough as I don’t want people to think they’re crap), but this was diabolical! Possibly not helped by the chef-owner shouting ‘I need more ketchup’ (for kids meals which I’m sure they never used to do…) every few minutes. Not the ‘usual atmosphere’. Which sounds awful, but you can’t charge those prices and have bad food, small portions and a bad atmosphere!! Also all the waiting staff were really miserable?! And usually they’re so chatty and cheerful. Just odd all around. Was like stepping into the twilight zone.

@Bjorkdidit got the sauces, but way less than was pictured! Not enough for the amount of asparagus…which given how little there was! 😂

Oh gosh, I see it’s Burnham Market? We go to the Norfolk coast a lot, and won’t go back there, (apart from a very nice reasonably priced cafe at the east end of the town centre). The atmosphere there is not for us.

I have now seen a photo which confirms it is where I thought 😕
I would let them know, whenever I have spoken to them about anything (not complaints) they have always been lovely

This is why I refuse to do tapas in the UK these days! £150 later and you leave hungry having had two pieces of bread and a chorizo!!

I don't really understand why you're cancelling for tomorrow based on one negative experience, that you never gave them the opportunity to rectify, when you've gone to great lengths to tell us how wonderful it's been the 500 other times you've been there.

If you like it, go. Just don't order that dish again. And if you have a problem with any dish at any restaurant you obviously need to deal with it there and then. Saying you were too speechless to mention it is a bit dramatic.

So what did you say when they asked if you enjoyed the meal?

You are regular customers whom they should value and recognise as regulars . Why did you feel unable to say “usually fab but not the best, has there been a problem in the kitchen?”. It can help to have a couple of objective phrases prepared fo this situation. I would at least call them to discuss the reservation and ask if they having issues temporarily, then if you don’t get a satisfactory answer cancel and maybe give them their second chance in a couple of months.

Woody asparagus and overcooked egg is really poor cooking, whatever it looks like. Portion sizes - hard to say as I don’t know what is normal price wise. They may be skimping on portions to avoid raising prices.

Have they changed hands recently ?

@Bananananna i’ll go back in a few months. But not tomorrow.

The main gripe is the chef thought he was acceptable to send that dish out. Everything else is secondary. No decent chef would do that - surely they’d be too embarrassed.

@C8H10N4O2 no one asked us if we enjoyed it. None of the staff interacted with any customers at all. Usually the announce each dish, talk to you, ask if you if enjoyed your plate etc. we got nothing. Nor did anyone else. As I said above, it was like being in the twilight zone.

Half an egg? WTAF?

Here's the recipe, one I use when sparrowgrass is in season in Australia.

https://www.theguardian.com/food/2023/may/13/steamed-asparagus-receipe-jamon-crispy-fried-egg-jose-pizarro

I often look at the tapas dish and imagine it’s like a starter or main depending on price. £15 for that dish is expensive for a stater and imo it’s what I’d expect for 1 portion and I’d expect a whole egg.

this!

if my favourite place in the world served suych a fire meal I'd be talking to them. Not throwing my toys out the cot.

I wonder if something awful has happened if all the staff were so subdued and the chef not producing food of his usual quality?

But you’re not being unreasonable to cancel - it’s expensive and you’re not obliged to go and pay a lot of money and risk poor quality food and service.

Not even fresh milk. Powdered milk and water. Average dash of coffee, 6.00, probably more sometimes. Minimal cost, minimal effort almost est. 90% return. Guess the asparagus people aren't quite so flush.

Hideously overpriced OP.

TBF there seems to be more to the dish than just the asparagus and the egg? Judging by appearances alone I would say £15 seems reasonable.

Obviously it would have to be extremely well prepared though.

We call it Burnham Markup and drive straight through

I'm interested in this:
"Grilled cod, curried beurre blanc, green bean, pickle £30"

It says bean rather than the plural ... please, please tell me you don't really get just one??

I would have had to have said something at the time - probably not even as a complaint more for the fact that I’d assumed they had forgotten to bring the other plate.

You do not cut half an egg in half and literally have 1/4 of an egg.
It had to have been a mistake.

I would definitely cancel and say how disappointed you were and 1/4 egg is just ridiculous.
There is trying to make a profit and then there is taking the piss.

It’s got a bit of sauce on it too - that’s it.

That is not something that should be shared between 2 people.

YANBU because it could never be reasonable to serve HALF an egg. What happened to the other half ffs? Did they really save it to serve to another table? I stopped going to one of my favourite cafes after I ordered 2 poached eggs on toast and it came on ONE slice, like bread rationing was back. It might be pretty but I was too incensed at the stinginess to enjoy eating there again. I guess £18 for the crapas tapas

This lucky diner seems to have been allocated five spears and two thirds of an egg!

We stopped regularly eating out pre covid. We were regulars at a couple of pubs and restaurants.

For the past few years, we do the whole birthday/anniversary but frankly, it's often disappointing now. My DH can cook a vastly superior steak compared with the £35pp ones we've had in the last couple of years so we've cut even further back. One in particular, rare was ordered but it was so chewy and overcooked it was inedible. We complained but they were rude so never went back after being regulars for years.

These places don't do themselves any favours and then whine about a drop in footfall. There's no excuse for not preparing and cooking food well when you're charging people good money for it.

It's barely worth eating out anymore, especially when you can cook it so much better yourself and save £100+ doing it.

Thanks. I think I will make this for lunch.

To be accurate, that photo shows more than half an egg..

If it were half a quail egg I’d happily pay just for the laughs!!!