I visited this coffee shop last year whilst on a trip with my boyfriend and his mother.
I was initially quite impressed with the lovely decoration, it really does look attractive.
Instantly I was put off by the fake friendliness of the place. Every hello seemed forced and it is really off putting, i find anyway.
The drinks menu was extensive, slightly over priced in my opinion but i had heard many good things from friends and family about how amazing the coffee was. I really don't mind paying £2.40 for a coffee if it's a good one, and it definitely was.
We found ourselves a table as requested by the sign. I did overhear a man complaining that he needed to find a table number. Personally i didn't understand his problem, you do that in most restaurants don't you?
After walking around the marina and its surrounding area we were quite understandably peckish. The menu was relatively basic and expensive! A sandwich costing £6....i could understand if it was served with chips but i was wrong, just a side salad.
I decided on the Greek salad. My boyfriend and his mother selected the tapas to share between them.
Whilst waiting to be served, i noticed the lovely selection of fine foods on offer, totally out of my price range but lovely all the same.
It was whilst i was waiting that i noticed two members of staff preparing the food. The young lady was preparing a fantastic salad in a bowl, it really did look delicious. It was at this point that i saw one member bend down and pull a packet out of the fridge. I noticed that the packet was in fact Morrison's Value salad cheese! Clearly this cheese was supposed to be Feta, which would be part of the Greek salad i, and another customer, intended to eat. I have absolutely no problem with value ranges in supermarkets, i regularly buy them myself, so its not because i am a snob. However when i am paying almost £8 for a Greek salad, i expect a higher quality cheese to be used! I thought The Apple Tree used local high quality products, clearly not.
I opted for a cheese and ham sandwich, probably value products but cheaper than the salad in any event.
The lady who served me was overly friendly, i seriously thought she might jump over the counter and kiss me. I understand there is a reason that staff are made to be friendly however it just made me feel very uncomfortable.
I ordered and went back to my table. And waited.
Eventually, a really tiny, young girl brought our drinks over to us. She was smiley and happy, none of the fakeness at all.
The coffee really was fantastic, just lovely lovely lovely.
Our food arrived a short while later, bringing with it a lovely lad (sorry i don't remember his name) but he was charming and genuinely friendly. My sandwich was okay. I ate it, sitting there wishing i'd had the tapas. It looked delicious but there didn't seem to be much too it considering the price.
Overall, the coffee was fantastic but i felt that the food was overpriced and very basic. read more