China House

Apr 08, 2008

Good Food, Bad Service

I was entertaining some business associates last evening at the Hyatt Lounge and then carried on to China House. The Hyatt is a regular of mine as I usually go to Som or the bar quite often for a post work drink with associates. China House was a first time experience.

First impressions - tasteful decor and quite a serene outdoors marred by a bright interior. The cubicles are quite private and give you the opportunity to have a conversation without a 100 prying ears surrounding you.

Secondly, food is good albeit highly expensive. We had one round of starters (lotus root fritters and crab meat soup dumplings), followed by claypot vegetables and sichuan chicken for mains accompanied by fried rice and noodles. The bill was nearly Rs. 8,000. I am not complaining as I guess you are sort of paying for the "tao" experience, haha!!

Thirdly, to say the service is "slighly" snooty is an understatement. Here's why - I CANNOT understand EVEN if you are an accomplished restaurateur with some knowledge of food giving me lip, after all I am a customer willing to pay your fancy price. What upsets me more is some trainee waiter acting like he owns a michelin star place and is doing me a favour by waiting at my table - I mean, if he had tilted his head a little further upwards, I could have seen his brains right through his nostrils - as the Queen of Hearts would say, "Off with his head", ok off with one point!!!

I am lopping off 1 point for clumsy service (including aiming to pour water on the tables, not the glasses and spilling the claypot vegetables/mushrooms on the table and denying me the pleasure of eating them). I expect table service at an upscale restaurant to be impeccable.

The host's attitude counts for a lot during a meal. So, overall, I would think twice before going there again.

Cheers
S

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