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| - A group of about 10 of us made a reservation for a late Saturday night rendez vous. For most of us, it was our first time there, upon the recommendation of two of our friends who have been visiting the restaurant on regular intervals over the last few years. We (my fiancee and I) were only planning on having a few drinks and then heading home, but we decided to try some of the food since it was raved about so much.
Well, the portions are small. Which, in reality, isn't an issue for me if the quality is there. I had "Le Végéterién," ($26) consisting of bland, tasteless lentils, a forgettable celeriac purée, and tasty (but very few) roasted mushrooms. I am not one to leave food (especially when there is so little to begin with), but I did not finish the lentils, and I have to say that I made better while in the height of my undergraduate degree when I literally had no time for cooking.
The service was mediocre for the type of restaurant they claim to be. We ordered a 1/2 litre of red for $40. The waiter brought us one clean, polished glass and one wet glass that had just come out of the dishwasher. We quickly grabbed it to wipe the water out of the inside before he poured the wine... he then proceeded to make a comment about how WE almost ruined the wine by leaving some paper napkin in the cup (YES... they only us PAPER napkins... so cheap). We then told him that we didn't want to ruin the wine with the water from the cup and he began lecturing us about how he was actually doing us a favour because the glass was too hot and he cooled it down for us. Maybe so... but you still polish the glass. I've had better wine service in a sports bar.
All of that was topped off with a horrible conversation with the owner, Shamez. We disagreed with how he treated one of our friends at the table and politely told him so on our way out (we left before the rest of the group). He showed no sign of concern and basically told me that his restaurant is too high class for people like us and that he is amazing.
Sorry, Shamez, but you have nothing special to offer. Customer service goes a long way, especially when your food and service are subpar.
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