Parcafe is a cute, bougie cafe attached to the Dorchester Hotel. I came by to try the lunch deal some coworkers raved about: 10 pounds for a salad, hot beverage, and dessert.
The salads are premade daily, so you have a choice between 3 fresh looking salads. Today it was a vege option, a pasta option, and a meat option. I ordered the meat option - which was some sort of ham tossed with salad and tomatoes and a very light dressing. The salad was good: simple, light though a small portion. The coffee was excellent, warm and rich, and the cranberry cookie did hit the spot.
Unfortunately, while the food impressed the service did not. The woman behind the counter was incredibly snooty and I felt uncomfortable nearly immediately. First, two of the salad options were labeled, one was not; I tried to ask what was in the unlabeled one, and she seemed incredibly agitated by my question. I never even got an answering. She then stopped - in the middle of me attempting to order - to help another customer who had walked in to pick up her take away. No warning, no apology, nothing. (In fact, even the customer herself took a moment to apologize to me for interrupting!).
I asked one more question - what dessert was covered in the lunch special - since I did not see any cakes at the counter to which the sign referred. She again answered with an attitude directing me to read the sign which specifies that it only includes a brownie, cookie, or cake. The irony of then being told it included banana bread was just the icing on the cake, so to speak.
Finally, I had ordered and was about to pay when another customer walked in. She had turned, clearly wanting to help him and make me wait again, but at this point I wasn't having it and basically had to stick my credit card in her face to get her to help me.
It's unfortunate that the staff was so awful, because I just started working around the corner and this could have become a go-to lunch spot for me. The food was good, but not worth being made feel like a nuisance. I am new to the area, have an American accent, and did have a couple simple clarification questions, but it wasn't as though I was being impolite, demanding, or holding up the que (I was the only one at the counter when I began ordering). Happy to take my business elsewhere. read more