Careless & Dangerous - Avoid!
So as part of a family reunion my partner and I, in tow was her father and a family friend, decided to start our evening at San Juan for dinner, we'd been here once or twice before and thought highly of it. This was all going to change. The evening started off well enough with our starters arriving promptly, however, I noticed there was only one waitress for the whole restaurant which on a Friday night I thought was a bit silly.
It started getting busier and the single waitress was left running around like a headless chicken, receiving no assistance from the management who were sat outside getting drunk. By the way, important to point out that both my partner and I are vegetarians. I actually cannot eat meat products. So yea, you're seeing where this is going?!
First off when we were done with our appetisers we waited quite a while before the main course arrived. Not only was mine, a truffle ravioli quite small for 11.50 but also poorly presented, seven ravioli drowned in a parmesan cream and that was it. While yes I appreciate Truffles are expensive, for being it was the most expensive thing on the menu you would think they would go to some more effort. It was a meagre dish for a main course. My partner's father's order didn't even turn up because the waitress hadn't even put it through. So he was left waiting with nothing but the worst was yet to come.
My partner opted for the vegetable cannelloni of which she shared with me, this is where disaster struck. One of them, which she cut in half to share tasted a little strange; different from the others that were filled with spinach and ricotta. As I ate I started to feel very queasy and unwell. Then, in a shriek of horror my partner realised that of the vegetable cannelloni we had, one of them had beef in it. This now explained why both her and I were feeling very sick.
It took us quite a while and much frustration to summon the waitress who was running around at the other end of the room, utterly oblivious to our attempts to summon her over. Eventually we got her attention and when my partner showed her the error the waitress ran off into the kitchen and was gone for quite some time, reappearing only to serve other tables but took again a long time before coming over to confirm our worst fears; saying... it's OK it's Italian beef! Yes that's what she said and still my partner's father hadn't received his main course. The waitress did offer something else in replacement but it was too late, I had to run to the toilet to be violently sick.
My partner seeing I was so ill and feeling rough herself drove me home for both her and I to end up being physically sick again. Our evening was now ruined. Whilst my partner's father and her friend remained in the restaurant as his main course had now FINALLY arrived. Eventually my partner was forced to head back to pick up her father and friend only to discover her father had already paid, in full, and no offer of a refund was made for the gratuitous and dangerous error. My partner complained bitterly to the waitress who just stood there saying that.. the chef was new, very sorry, very sorry, very sorry over and over again, but still no offer of a refund. Oh and that it won't happen again! Yea right! Why the hell was the chef not properly trained? Why were basic rules and procedures not followed? By the way, to add insult to injury, the mistaken cannelloni which was half eaten and removed by the waitress still appeared on the bill. So we were in effect charged for a failed dish which not only made me and my partner very ill, but was also unfinished as it was removed, but to still get charged? That is beyond greed and arrogance.
I am a vegetarian, I cannot eat meat, this was a blatant disregard to health and safety. You can actually kill people with this kind of carelessness and stupidity. The arrogance of the waitress and hap hazard way they handled the situation was disgraceful. My evening was ruined and I was ill for the whole night thereafter, an evening that had been planned for quite some time as both my partner and I rarely get to see her family. Still feeling the effects today of stomach cramps and nausea. How can a chef be that stupid? Was this some sort of a prank? In a kitchen, meat products are in one corner, vegetables are in another, it is NOT rocket science and this is done this way for a very good reason.
I will never come back to this place; arrogant, dangerous and stupid! Makes one wonder, what else are they getting wrong behind the scenes?! read more
