I would like to say that I like this bakery, as on the surface, everything about it is absolutely charming. Situated at the end of Vernon Avenue, across the road from the sea front, Thunders' setting is simply picturesque. And the shop is unbelievably quaint too - but then again, by their natures most bakeries are.
However, Thunders' quaintness can be a bit cloying, as it detracts somewhat from the quality of the service. I went in there one afternoon to pick up a dessert of some description to bring to a dinner party. There were three ladies behind the counter, and I was the only customer in the shop. When I made a very simple request, one asked the other to do it, who delegated to the other, who asked the first if she could possibly...
Jesus H. Christ, there's three of you, one of yez do it, for feck sake.
And even though it was fairly early in the day when I went in, there wasn't a huge selection, and the stuff that was there looked a wee bit wizened (anything with whipped cream as an ingredient looked distinctly worse for wear).
I don't think that I shall be patronising them in the future, thank you very much. read more