Harts Again
Well I never got round to finishing the review of Bluu and by now I've forgotten what I ate so I must try harder.
We went back to Harts for a birthday party last Wednesday and while the food was excellent as usual, the service was definitely below par.
A couple of years ago I visited Hart’s for dinner and a very strange thing happened. After I had ordered my food a waiter came and discretely whispered in my ear, “Sorry sir, but the wood-pigeon does come on a bed of crispy bacon rind, will that be OK for you?” I said yes, of course - that is what I ordered. And then I wondered - why the hell did he ask me that? It seemed an odd issue to have raised. Eventually I remembered that our table for six had been booked in the name of “Goldberg” - a Jewish name.
That is the level of service that you used to get in Hart’s, the sort of service that made you, Jew or Gentile, feel like a King. Well they're definitely slipping.
We must have waited an hour for our starters to arrive, a second order of wine arrived almost with the dessert and had to be sent back. And though we sat down at 8.30, we were still eating while the abundant waiters were stacking chairs at 11.30. I don't know what the problem was - maybe the kitchens were short staffed but that doesn't explain the wine. They were quite good about it and removed the service charge from the bill before I had to ask. Still they aren't doing themselves any favours.
We went back to Harts for a birthday party last Wednesday and while the food was excellent as usual, the service was definitely below par.
A couple of years ago I visited Hart’s for dinner and a very strange thing happened. After I had ordered my food a waiter came and discretely whispered in my ear, “Sorry sir, but the wood-pigeon does come on a bed of crispy bacon rind, will that be OK for you?” I said yes, of course - that is what I ordered. And then I wondered - why the hell did he ask me that? It seemed an odd issue to have raised. Eventually I remembered that our table for six had been booked in the name of “Goldberg” - a Jewish name.
That is the level of service that you used to get in Hart’s, the sort of service that made you, Jew or Gentile, feel like a King. Well they're definitely slipping.
We must have waited an hour for our starters to arrive, a second order of wine arrived almost with the dessert and had to be sent back. And though we sat down at 8.30, we were still eating while the abundant waiters were stacking chairs at 11.30. I don't know what the problem was - maybe the kitchens were short staffed but that doesn't explain the wine. They were quite good about it and removed the service charge from the bill before I had to ask. Still they aren't doing themselves any favours.
1 Comments:
Now, I've always struck lucky with Harts. I've heard the odd horror story, but have always enjoyed excellent meals there; lunchtimes being particularly good. Service can sometimes be a little ahughty & superior, and the atomsphere can tend towards the stuffy, but that's all. I held my 40th birthday in the function room upstairs in Feb 2002, and they really did us proud - very friendly and helpful all the way through the process.
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