The worst place you have been for a meal

[frankblack]

I've been to a couple of French resteraunts in a group of people and both times felt utterly astonished at how piss poor they were.  As a vegetarian they make zero attempt to cater for you.  Worst example was a French Resteraunt near Smithies pub which I don't think is there any more - probably for a reason.  I got spaghetti - or pasta covered in garlic and that was about it - no sauce,or anything else.  Awful stuff.

 

Next time I ever get asked to a French restauraunt I'll pass if I can't check the menu in advance.

Edited October 23, 2019 by frankblack

[Joey J J Jr Shabadoo]

16 hours ago, Jambo-Jimbo said:

 

And mega expensive for what you get, plus they add I think it was 12.5% service charge to the bill, but it's written in the smallest of smallest writing at the foot of the page of the menu, so small you don't even notice it until it's pointed out.  We certainly won't be back.

Didn't even have hot water to wash your hands with, that was when it opened. Cousin went a year later, still no hot water.

Pricey and average food, IMO.

[Taffin]

3 hours ago, frankblack said:

I've been to a couple of French resteraunts in a group of people and both times felt utterly astonished at how piss poor they were.  As a vegetarian they make zero attempt to cater for you.  Worst example was a French Resteraunt near Smithies pub which I don't think is there any more - probably for a reason.  I got spaghetti - or pasta covered in garlic and that was about it - no sauce,or anything else.  Awful stuff.

 

Next time I ever get asked to a French restauraunt I'll pass if I can't check the menu in advance.

 

I hate it when I go out for food somewhere that notoriously doesn't really cater to my diet preferences; it always astonishes me that they want to serve their own cuisine and not something I want.

 

[Jambo-Jimbo]

22 minutes ago, Joey J J Jr Shabadoo said:

Didn't even have hot water to wash your hands with, that was when it opened. Cousin went a year later, still no hot water.

Pricey and average food, IMO.

 

Yip, definitely nothing special about it & for the price expected the food would have been way way better than it was.

[frankblack]

37 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

I hate it when I go out for food somewhere that notoriously doesn't really cater to my diet preferences; it always astonishes me that they want to serve their own cuisine and not something I want.

 

 

Like I said, been to two French restaurants and both were shite.  Vegetarian isn't a new fashion and its common business sense to cater for these people.  Not to do it just makes them look like amateurs.

[Taffin]

1 minute ago, frankblack said:

 

Like I said, been to two French restaurants and both were shite.  Vegetarian isn't a new fashion and its common business sense to cater for these people.  Not to do it just makes them look like amateurs.

 

Amateurs because they serve french food in a fresh restaurant? You'll know fine well that vegetarian dishes are pretty uncommon in France, so why would a French restaurant be any different? You've chosen to go there and eat what they serve on their menu. It doesn't make them shite. If I went to a vegetarian restaurant and requested a steak should they cook that for me? 

[frankblack]

1 minute ago, Taffin said:

 

Amateurs because they serve french food in a fresh restaurant? You'll know fine well that vegetarian dishes are pretty uncommon in France, so why would a French restaurant be any different? You've chosen to go there and eat what they serve on their menu. It doesn't make them shite. If I went to a vegetarian restaurant and requested a steak should they cook that for me? 

 

Wrong.  In both cases I was in large work groups so did not choose the booking.

 

I have never been to France and doubt you are an expert on vegetarian food or French catering.

 

A quick Google search brings back lots of common vegetarian foods such as Quiches and Tarts.

[luckyBatistuta]

12 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

Amateurs because they serve french food in a fresh restaurant? You'll know fine well that vegetarian dishes are pretty uncommon in France, so why would a French restaurant be any different? You've chosen to go there and eat what they serve on their menu. It doesn't make them shite. If I went to a vegetarian restaurant and requested a steak should they cook that for me? 

 

That David Bann fellow is a total amateur, was fair looking forward to my foie gras.

 

I would expect them to have something vegetarian on their menu. You need to be able to cater for everyone. What do you then do if you have a party of say twelve and one person is vegetarian? I do think if a restaurant was to turn around to that one person and say they couldn’t supply them a decent meal, thus  making them feel very uncomfortable and not welcome, then that is quite amateurish.

[Taffin]

2 minutes ago, frankblack said:

 

Wrong.  In both cases I was in large work groups so did not choose the booking.

 

I have never been to France and doubt you are an expert on vegetarian food or French catering.

 

A quick Google search brings back lots of common vegetarian foods such as Quiches and Tarts.

 

You should really report that if work are forcing you to go to French restaurants, I do sincerely apologise.

 

I'm certainly no expert on vegetarian food or French catering. I have though spent a lot of time in France and a reasonable amount of that time with a vegetarian who tends to find it difficult to find places that will cater to that aside from, as you say quiches, tarts and of course pastries...none of which are usually high on the list of things to eat for dinner in fairness.

 

Sorry for having a go; I do totally get the frustration of places not catering for vegetarians but it's totally unfair to come onto a 'worst places to eat' thread and call places amateur and shite simply because you didn't look at their menu first despite going somewhere that clearly may be one of the trickier options for a vegetarian.

[I P Knightley]

China.

 

Don't get me wrong - the food can be tasty as hell but the noises the locals make while they attack their food is really quite off-putting. I thought I'd be safe at breakfast, where they tend not to have noodles and sauces but one guy managed to turn four soft boiled eggs into some horrendous cacophony topped off with atrocious goings on with his tea and an almighty, lumpy belch. 

[Taffin]

10 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

That David Bann fellow is a total amateur, was fair looking forward to my foie gras.

 

I would expect them to have something vegetarian on their menu. You need to be able to cater for everyone. What do you then do if you have a party of say twelve and one person is vegetarian? I do think if a restaurant was to turn around to that one person and say they couldn’t supply them a decent meal, thus  making them feel very uncomfortable and not welcome, then that is quite amateurish.

 

 

So not providing vegetarian options is amateur but not providing meat option isn't amateur? Interesting.

 

When one of my party has dietary restrictions I:

 

A) look at the menu before going and check something is suitable

 

b) speak to the restaurant in advance if there isn't and see if they can cater for it

 

 

I wouldn't:

 

A) turn up and be astonished if there wasn't something suitable when choosing a cuisine not renowned for vegetarian cuisine

 

b) call them shite and amateur for it

 

 

Edited October 23, 2019 by Taffin

[luckyBatistuta]

27 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

 

So not providing vegetarian options is amateur but not providing meat option isn't amateur? Interesting.

 

When one of my party has dietary restrictions I:

 

A) look at the menu before going and check something is suitable

 

b) speak to the restaurant in advance if there isn't and see if they can cater for it

 

 

I wouldn't:

 

A) turn up and be astonished if there wasn't something suitable when choosing a cuisine not renowned for vegetarian cuisine

 

b) call them shite and amateur for it

 

 

 

A vegetarian restaurant caters for a specific type of diner, that is pretty obvious to me. I wouldn’t go there expecting to be able to order a steak. If I was going to one, I’d be going there purely because someone I’m dining with wants vegetarian.

 

A French restaurant is just a restaurant, which I would expect to cater for all. Even Fazenda on George Street, which is an all you can eat meat restaurant, still has food for non meat eaters.

 

edit: you saying choosing a cuisine, it’s a whole countries food, you saying there are no vegetarians in France. Can people in France only go to a vegetarian restaurant to get vegetarian food?

Edited October 23, 2019 by luckyBatistuta

[frankblack]

19 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

 

So not providing vegetarian options is amateur but not providing meat option isn't amateur? Interesting.

 

When one of my party has dietary restrictions I:

 

A) look at the menu before going and check something is suitable

 

b) speak to the restaurant in advance if there isn't and see if they can cater for it

 

 

I wouldn't:

 

A) turn up and be astonished if there wasn't something suitable when choosing a cuisine not renowned for vegetarian cuisine

 

b) call them shite and amateur for it

 

 

 

Your attitude seems to be stuck in the 1980s.

 

Vegetarian and Vegan diets are common place and chances are at least one person per 5 or 6 is vegan or vegetarian and your argument is ridiculous.

 

When family or friends book a restaurant it is expected to be inclusive or an awkward situation arises like I described.

[frankblack]

Just now, luckyBatistuta said:

 

A vegetarian restaurant caters for a specific type of diner, that is pretty obvious to me. I wouldn’t go there expecting to be able to order a steak. If I was going to one, I’d be going there purely because someone I’m dining with wants vegetarian.

 

A French restaurant is just a restaurant, which I would expect to cater for all. Even Fazenda on George Street, which is an all you can eat meat restaurant, still has food for non meat eaters.

 

Correct.  That example given was nonsense.

 

As a long time vegetarian I have never eaten in a vegetarian restaurant as I don't want to make others feel awkward.

[luckyBatistuta]

1 minute ago, frankblack said:

 

Your attitude seems to be stuck in the 1980s.

 

Vegetarian and Vegan diets are common place and chances are at least one person per 5 or 6 is vegan or vegetarian and your argument is ridiculous.

 

When family or friends book a restaurant it is expected to be inclusive or an awkward situation arises like I described.

 

When those family and friends are booking the said restaurant, they will most probably tell you it’s vegetarian. If they don’t and you go there expecting a steak, then 😮

[Taffin]

9 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

When those family and friends are booking the said restaurant, they will most probably tell you it’s vegetarian. If they don’t and you go there expecting a steak, then 😮

 

Interesting. It seems it's okay to say 'sorry we don't serve meat dishes' but not 'sorry we don't serve vegetarian dishes'.

 

Surely the argument of its bad business applies both ways? Or is it actually people can serve, cater for and sell as diverse or as limited an offering as they wish? None of which makes then amateurs or shite. 

 

I tend to not go to places where I don't like the menu rather than go and complain. I appreciate that you and Frank disagree. If that makes me stuck in the 80s so be it.

Edited October 23, 2019 by Taffin

[Ribble]

6 hours ago, the general said:

 

Yes it was the soft launch

Half price grub

 

Done the soft launch at dishoom, me and my mate must have ate and drank well over a hundred quids worth for not much more than a tenner each!

[frankblack]

12 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

When those family and friends are booking the said restaurant, they will most probably tell you it’s vegetarian. If they don’t and you go there expecting a steak, then 😮

 

Yip.  I have family members that I would need to carry into a vegetarian restaurant in shackles and I would never hear the end of it! 🤣

[Stu40]

7 hours ago, the general said:

 

Yes it was the soft launch

Half price grub

Booked 👍

[gjcc]

8 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

Interesting. It seems it's okay to say 'sorry we don't serve meat dishes' but not 'sorry we don't serve vegetarian dishes'.

 

Surely the argument of its bad business applies both ways? Or is it actually people can serve, cater for and sell as diverse or as limited an offering as they wish? None of which makes then amateurs or shite. 

 

I tend to not go to places where I don't like the menu rather than go and complain. I appreciate that you and Frank disagree. If that makes me stuck in the 80s so be it.

I’ve dabbled with vegetarianism before but the draw of bacon was too much so now I just try to reduce the amount of meat I consume. 
I tend to agree with you. Restaurant can and should be able to cater for as much or little of the dietary spectrum as they want. To be forced to cater for all would potentially plunge many into financial trouble. 
 

I’ve been places where the veg options were salad and chips. This was as buying in additional fresh produce would come at a premium that would make the final cost inhibitive to the customer. 
Chances are that if you go to a chain restaurant and order from the veg friendly offerings (pasta/lasagne etc) they are bulk made, frozen pre-packaged microwave jobs as it keeps the cost down. 
 

I have friends who require a gluten free diet. They don’t just rock up at a restaurant and kick up a stink because they don’t have GF bread or pasta as they understand that the reduced demand for these courses comes at an increased cost. 

 

As time moves on and more and more people change to a veg/vegan diet things might and should change. As it stands currently,  it should be purely on the customer to choose somewhere that caters to their dietary requirements. 

 

Look at the menu before you go, don’t like it? Don’t go. 

[redjambo]

Having been a vegetarian living in France, my input to this ever so lively debate on French restaurants is that in towns and cities in France it's easy enough to get vegetarian food, except you have to be aware that the French generally consider vegetarianism to also include the eating of fish. However in the sticks it can be a nightmare. I used to joke in one far-flung rural village that I was not only probably the lone vegetarian in the village (there were no doubt more gays than vegetarians in the village) but probably for 20-30km around as well. Almost *every* time I sat down for a meal with new folk, I had to justify my vegetarianism to them or they wouldn't stop pestering me as to why I didn't eat meat.

 

In saying that, any time I went to a "traditional" serious French restaurant, I would be lucky if the only vegetarian choice was a salad. Vegetarianism just isn't part of traditional French cuisine (as it is seen in modern times anyway), and I imagine that this also extends to French restaurants in the UK. Perhaps here in the UK many other types of restaurant have realised that they need to cater for vegetarians in this day and age, but I would never expect a French restaurant to "betray" its traditional French roots by doing so too. :)

 

 

[luckyBatistuta]

 

1 hour ago, Taffin said:

 

Interesting. It seems it's okay to say 'sorry we don't serve meat dishes' but not 'sorry we don't serve vegetarian dishes'.

 

Surely the argument of its bad business applies both ways? Or is it actually people can serve, cater for and sell as diverse or as limited an offering as they wish? None of which makes then amateurs or shite. 

 

I tend to not go to places where I don't like the menu rather than go and complain. I appreciate that you and Frank disagree. If that makes me stuck in the 80s so be it.

 

Have you been in to a Chinese restaurant and asked for Fajitas?

 

Have you been in to an Italian restaurant and asked for a Chicken Szechuan?

 

Have you been in to a Mexican restaurant and asked for a Lamb Madras?

 

Have you been in to an Indian restaurant and asked for Chicken Fajitas?

 

(i’m pretty certain I could get a vegetarian option in all of the above, if i asked them)

 

I’m guessing you haven’t, because you know that they do their own country’s cuisine, just like you would know a vegetarian restaurant does vegetarian food, it’s not rocket science, but who would have thought a restaurant claiming to be the cuisine of a whole country wouldn’t do any vegetarian option🤷🏼‍♂️

 

I have never  been in a vegetarian restaurant and don’t intend to, as I like my meat too much. If I did though, I wouldn’t be expecting meat, or complaining about it...it’s a vegetarian (common sense) I would be shocked if I was a vegan and sat down with friends in a French restaurant, to be told they had nothing to offer me. 

 

 

 

 

 

[the general]

2 hours ago, Ribble said:

 

Done the soft launch at dishoom, me and my mate must have ate and drank well over a hundred quids worth for not much more than a tenner each!

 

The best thing about that was that drinks were half price too that is the exception sadly

[the general]

2 hours ago, Stu40 said:

Booked 👍

Glad to help 

[Taffin]

3 hours ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

 

Have you been in to a Chinese restaurant and asked for Fajitas?

 

Have you been in to an Italian restaurant and asked for a Chicken Szechuan?

 

Have you been in to a Mexican restaurant and asked for a Lamb Madras?

 

Have you been in to an Indian restaurant and asked for Chicken Fajitas?

 

(i’m pretty certain I could get a vegetarian option in all of the above, if i asked them)

 

I’m guessing you haven’t, because you know that they do their own country’s cuisine, just like you would know a vegetarian restaurant does vegetarian food, it’s not rocket science, but who would have thought a restaurant claiming to be the cuisine of a whole country wouldn’t do any vegetarian option🤷🏼‍♂️

 

I have never  been in a vegetarian restaurant and don’t intend to, as I like my meat too much. If I did though, I wouldn’t be expecting meat, or complaining about it...it’s a vegetarian (common sense) I would be shocked if I was a vegan and sat down with friends in a French restaurant, to be told they had nothing to offer me. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Me, and a couple others it appears. It's really not that surprising to find that a French restaurant doesn't really cater to vegetarians. Anyone who's spent any time outside of large french cities would know this. Similar to asking for fajitas at a Chinese. 

[luckyBatistuta]

5 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

Me, and a couple others it appears. It's really not that surprising to find that a French restaurant doesn't really cater to vegetarians. Anyone who's spent any time outside of large french cities would know this. Similar to asking for fajitas at a Chinese. 

 

Which I have, as my parents had a house in Avrillé in the Vendée for years.

[Taffin]

1 minute ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

Which I have, as my parents had a house in Avrillé in the Vendée for years.

 

So you know fine well that it's rare to go to a restaurant there and find vegetarian options. Great.

[luckyBatistuta]

33 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

So you know fine well that it's rare to go to a restaurant there and find vegetarian options. Great.

 

Dunno, I eat steaks all the time😂

[Taffin]

2 minutes ago, luckyBatistuta said:

 

Dunno, I eat steaks all the time😂

 

 

😂😂

 

I'm aware this has become (been all along) a stupid debate mainly driven out of my boredom being ill. Enjoy the steaks!

[luckyBatistuta]

9 minutes ago, Taffin said:

 

 

😂😂

 

I'm aware this has become (been all along) a stupid debate mainly driven out of my boredom being ill. Enjoy the steaks!

 

Told you those snails were undercooked  😂👍

[Captain Sausage]

12 hours ago, jonesy said:

With you on that. I lived there for 5 years and took to ordering food to take home in the evenings.

 

My in laws (Chinese) make so much noise when eating that I often leave the table. It’s disgusting.

Im moving there next year. It gives me the actual rage when I hear other people chew with their mouths open. 
 

Despite moving with a toddler, I’m certain this will be the toughest part of relocating. 

[Captain Sausage]

5 hours ago, jonesy said:

Good luck. There’s over a billion of them, so if you kill one or two with their own chopsticks, they’re replaceable. 
 

Which part you moving to?

Shanghai. Really excited for it, need to start learning Mandarin. 
You were Xi’an if I remember?

[Diadora Van Basten]

A friend of mine went to the Sea Glass in Port Seton and the food was pretty inedible they complained and got a response to say that they had watched the CCTV footage of them eating their meal and decided that they had eaten enough of their meal so that they didn’t warrant a refund or discount.