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?

There are six spears on that plate.

Proper tapas places differentiate between tapas which is small, though you might share a number of dishes etc. and raciones, a main dish, which you can still share but is substantial.

If you're ever in Melbourne, go to Bar Lourinha.

Even as advertised, the dish is neither of those. Fucking skinflints.

It is bloody delicious. Enjoy.

You're right! One is shyly hiding.

I'm curious about the egg rationale now. From the OP's original description, I'd assumed it was cut lengthways, enabling one egg to be split across two servings.

But from the photos it appears that the egg has been aesthetically decapitated, presumably rendering the surplus unservable.

It's not a starter. It's one of 4-5 plates they'd have in a meal. 2-2.5 plates each, shared. It's not my choice of dish but it's obv been very poorly done in this case.

But from the photos it appears that the egg has been aesthetically decapitated, presumably rendering the surplus unservable.

😂Indeed. I think they'd reuse the decapitated surplus in other dishes

Because you want to dip the asparagus in runny egg yolk. That's the whole point of the dish. If the egg is hard boiled, they screwed it up no matter what the cost. Having said that, OP should have just sent it back rather than fume about it for 24 hours.

That is really poor service.

I would cancel but I would tell them why - if they have been good for years its reasonable to say it was unusually disappointing but you will try again in a couple of months. They may well have an answer to explain the problems but its also the case that sometimes good places go off the boil and its time to find a new favourite haunt.

The other day I found a reasonably sized bunch of nice tender spears in Sainsbury’s for something over £2 (Nectar price 🙂). We had it last night in a risotto.

I've just looked at their site.

Had to laugh at this

DAN & NATALIE HAVE DESIGNED THE MENU IN THE FORM OF SNACKS AND PLATES DESIGNED TO SHARE. OUR DISHES USE THE BEST OF LOCAL PRODUCE AND CHANGE TO REFLECT THE SEASONS. HAVE AS LITTLE OR AS MUCH AS YOU WANT, SHARING DISHES ALONG THE WAY OR KEEPING THEM ALL TO YOURSELF!

So everyone needs multiple plates to eat enough!

Especially if half an egg & 4 asparagus spears is a sharing plate!

This is a weird time for eating out. Quality has improved so much over the last 10 ish years, but the price has shot right up lately. I've been out to eat 7 times over the last 3 months and the quality has hit the floor and the price has been rediculously. It's made me start the switch to having only coffees out and towards hosting more. Some friends are doing similar.

Thornyroshbush; Did you actually see either of the owners? I'm wondering if it's been taken over, and the new owner is trying to cut corners. That would also account for the unhappy staff.

Isn't that the whole point of tapas?

Why would you go back if the chef isn’t even ‘decent’ now? I think this is pretty shitty, you’ve had one bad experience in over 100 visits spanning 8 years at an independent restaurant and you’ve not spoken to them but you’ve come on here and let them be named and shamed and slagged off to potentially damage their business. Have you never made a mistake or had a bad day?

That would be a fair price for a decent plateful of food.

Well, people will vote with their feet and simply stop going.

I'm baffled that you even ordered that for £15. I mean, even if they have you 10 asparagus and 3 whole eggs, £15 is a total piss take.

For context, my fave restaurant in Edinburgh does a huge meal and 6 cocktails for £35! Our local restaurant, which is gorgeous, does main courses from £12 to £18.

That is not a Scotch egg OP, a Scotch egg has meat around it.

I would have sent it back for the egg yolk not being soft, you are obviously supposed to dip the asparagus in the yolk.

The price was fine, but only if properly executed.

I was about to ask whether the asparagus spears had been peeled and whether the hollandaise was good, and then @Thornyroshbush -- you updated.

It sounds disappointing, but I think I'd ring and ask whether they'd had a kitchen catastrophe that night before I'd go back again.

If you've been a regular, they sort of owe you an explanation/apology, but you also owe them an opportunity to redeem themselves! Instead, the hive mind has given them the equivalent of a one star Trip Advisor review which seems harsh if it's really a favourite place.

That's ridiculous. Would buy a steak dinner here in New Zealand for that. We'll, nearly, depending on restaurant.
Sometimes restaurants will jiggle prices around a bit and have a loss leader that gets people in the door and charge more profit on something like your dish, but that's still expensive.

I go to BM VERY often but I never go to that restaurant as I’ve found it pretentious and a bit meh. I will give it another go sometime. My absolute favourite is the one on the green named a number 🕵️ I love it in there as it’s always such fun, especially a music Friday night. I’m going to give the other well known one up the other end of the village another go. It was so bad last time I went there to eat properly but that was probably three years ago. We popped in last visit for a quick lunch and it was brilliant

Agree! Would much rather go to the White Horse and enjoy the view with my overpriced food 😂

Ooh, I love hearing about expensive asparagus though. I have a massive asparagus bed in my garden with lovely juicy chunky asparagus. This time of year I eat it every day (often with an egg, sometimes straight from picked - it's so sweet, like peas in a pod taste). It makes me feel v smug - and tastes all the sweeter - when I know the value some chancers retailers put on it.

So I thank you for making me feel nice and smug, OP (even as my pee is currently green).

If this was tapas seems ok? Not for a starter though where I’d expect at least five and hopefully a whole egg.

@Lifejigsaw absolutely, I LOVE the White Horse, especially Marshside at this time of year. Me and my DSis have perfected the art of getting the bus there and back, only one an hour but very reliable and we can drink!

This is why I rarely eat out these days. Has to be a really special occasion and I have to know and trust the restaurant.