By Frankey
31 Artemis Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000
Website
It’s not all sunshine, lollipops, and rainbows here at The Urban Scrapbook. And that’s particularly evident with Meat Fish Wine, perhaps unfortunately the worst experience I’ve had in a restaurant for a long time.
Before I get into the details, I think it’s important to highlight that this may have been a once-off snafu by the chefs in the kitchen. But it would be remiss of me to only write about my positive experiences on this blog.
Don’t get me wrong, there are many things that Meat Fish Wine does well. The interior décor and design is world-class. The entrance archway is particularly inviting. Situated in the middle of the dining area is a strikingly post-modern square fountain that I still admire to this day. But that’s about all that falls under the ‘positives’ column.
Bread was served approximately half an hour after we placed our orders. Entrées were served shortly after that and I had the poached Ora King Salmon, which I found bland and unbalanced against the pickled beetroot. But then nothing happened for over an hour. Our glasses of wine had long finished, and I was not in a position to order more. My mate and I decided to take turns to go to the bathroom, in the hopes that our food would arrive on our return, but there was no such luck.
Tables that had arrived later than us had started to receive their desserts while we continued to wait for our mains. About half an hour later, I was advised by the waitress that there would be a further wait, now that the ‘busy’ period had ended in the kitchen. Fifteen minutes later, I had the Gippsland rib eye and while the meat was correctly cooked medium rare, my experience had soured at that point.
I did not have dessert.
I can’t say that the customer service itself was bad, but it was certainly lacking. There had been limited information about the delay until well after things had gone pear-shaped. I appreciate the difficulty for front of house to remedy an error that has occurred in the kitchen. For that, I can say that there was a noble effort. But a complimentary glass of wine can only go so far to ameliorate having to wait to pay for food that is at the end of the day, standard.
It will be a difficult challenge for me to return to Meat Fish Wine, and I do not anticipate that I will open my wallet again any time soon.
Feature image from meatfishwine.com
The Urban Scrapbook 