Whilst out walking the dog last Friday we decided that we fancied some nibbles, see my girlfriend has bought these new tapas bowls and she likes to get as much use of them as possible, but that's another story, so we decided whilst walking back down the Antrim Road we'd call in to the Karolina Shop. We'd heard they sold authentic cured meat and olives and we both fancied a change from the Tesco's stuff. We approached the shop and the lights were on but when we went to open the door it was locked. On that the shop assistant came to the door and we asked, 'Are you open?' To this she replied 'Yes' but the way she said it you would have thought we'd asked if it was a shop - so from the outset I felt a little bit disgruntled.
Anyway I went to walk in and she pointed at the dog and said, 'No dogs' - that was grand as we hadn't expected to bring him in. So I went in alone, as I walked around the store I felt the shop assistants eyes burning through me as if I was some sort of wee scallywag ready to case the place. I could actually hear here neck cracking as she moved her head to follow me around the store. This made me feel really uncomfortable to the point that I asked her if they had any olives and when they didn't I left without even looking at the meat. It takes a lot for me to avoid looking at dried meat.
The shop itself was great selling all different international goods. They had a chilled section and a meat section, which I hope to see one day. Definitely a good place to call in and have a look if you want something different for your meal.
I'm not sure if it was because it was late on a Friday night or because I was wearing scruffy clothes whilst out for a walk or just a bad night for the shop assistant but I had a bad experience. if I was reviewing the shop alone it would probably be 4 stars and if I was reviewing the service it would be a 1 star so I'll meet in the middle with a 3 star. It's nice to some some shop diversity on the Antrim Road and I'll definitely be back to give it another go! read more