A friend is working at the head quarters of a company in Amsterdam so people travelled from New Zealand, Sweden, Canada and the UK for a summer holiday visit. Our local on the ground recommended Envy so we made a booking.
After a busy day of running around we called a couple hours ahead of our booking to push it back. No problem was the answer. We arrived and the Rude Skinny Blond Manager (as described in different person's review) immediately treated our table of 6 youngish-middle aged professionals like a bunch of children. "You're 45 minutes late!" .... and a huge lecture, how there is no table etc etc. We explained we had called ahead and were on time. He then paused and with a big fake smile and smarmy attitude said he would see what he could do b/c he "really want(s) you to have dinner here." He walks away for a second and comes back - oh our table is ready and its fine ....... mmmmm ok, bad start, but lets move on.
The waitress comes along and strongly advises us to go for the 5 course set menu because it will be "easier for us & the kitchen". She doesn't say its impossible to order a la carte and gives us all the menus. All in its about 45 minutes later when we flag her down to order. We order a round of aperitifs, bottles of water, 3 dishes each and wine for the table. Whilst we are ordering and asking questions the waitress was very short, and a bit rude, telling us the restaurant has no tap water and clarifying questions by stopping people mid sentence to say, "what are you saying?" I also saw her giving a middle aged American Black woman at the table next to us a very hard time.
RSBM comes over afterwards and tells us the only way we can dine there is to have the set menu. He was yelling at our table, "THIS is a RESTAURANT where you come to DINE! If you want a little SNACK, you can go to the wine bar and have your SNACK." I was appalled at this, got up and left the restaurant. Any person who has a such poor manners, and speaks to people in such an aggressive, patronizing, condescending way should not work in a service industry environment.
There were others in our party that stayed and had a chat with more of the staff. The kitchen confirmed that this man was indeed the manager. I understand some of the kitchen staff, perhaps the chef, was embarrassed and said a couple placating words about maybe discussing tomorrow. But in the end, no real effort was made to make the worst dining experience in the history of the world any better. A sin, for sure, but it looked more like Wrath than Envy. Neither our friends living and working in Amsterdam (that were also present at the dinner), nor their company, will ever patronize Envy again. read more