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| Industrial vinaigrette |
I had an annoying experience of this sort last night at the restaurant of the Golf du Coulondres in St Gély du Fesc which probably means I'll never set foot in the place again. It's not that the food was bad or anything, but the salad dressing they used came out of a bottle, and they denied it.
It was that white-ish gungy 'vinaigrette' that you get in a bottle that tastes nothing like one made at home from oil and vinegar. You get it in cheap restaurants, and sometimes you get it where you don't expect it, in restaurants which should know better. It shows they are taking the piss out of their clients because they think they either cannot tell the difference between a crappy sludge and the real thing, or they aren't worth taking the time to add oil to vinegar.
Either way, it spoils an otherwise okay meal. I would have said nothing, but the waiter sought my opinion, 'Did you enjoy your starter?' (or words to that effect). He asked, so I answered. I told him the roasted pepper tart with warm goat's cheese slab was lovely, but the salad had been spoiled by using industrial vinaigrette. A look of consternation flashed across the large nose and vivid red pimple which was all I noticed of his face and he said he'd tell the chef.
The next course was okay too - monkfish brochettes with orange slices, some ricey mound and one of those suspiciously similar to every other restaurant that uses industrial cuisine in vacuum packs green veggie mousses. Plus some salad and the ubiquitous white-ish gunge. I conclude that little is home-cooked in this place - another reason to boycott it, if I needed one.
PimpleNose came back at some point when we were ordering another bottle of wine (Chateau LaRoque rosé) to inform us that the chef hotly denied using industrial vinaigrette, it was homemade. Homemade my arse, he must think I'm stupid and have no taste buds. Or, more worryingly, he can't taste the difference so just chucks on any old rubbish that comes out of a bottle. As the most he has to do is probably open up a few vacuum packs, it may also be some sort of induced lethargy from lack of creativity. Whatever it is, that's his problem, and we won't be going back.
Restaurant du Golf de Coulondres - don't bother, it ain't cheap and it ain't worth the money you pay to have someone chuck a bag in a microwave and squirt gunge over salad. Not recommended!
And you've just started the child free holiday, too..you deserved better than this.
ReplyDeleteI would love to see an anti-guide to restaurants...one which notes things about the insult to the customer's intelligence, just like your post!
What a pathetic, detestable reaction on the part of the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteI was once served food with mould on it (wish now I could remember the name of the restaurant). When I complained, they offered to only charge me half price!
Things can only get better!
Fly, there's certainly plenty to write about often!!
ReplyDeleteIt was a shame to start so disappointingly, but we had a good meal talking so barely noticed what we ate.
PG - good for you for complaining! I was once served mouldy tomatoes but it was in a dodgy restaurant in Corsica which I think was a front for some suspect activity and they wanted us out. Everyone stopped talking when we entered, it was most spooky.
You should leave a comment on Cityvox if they cover the area - I always check them out before eating out, most of the time people are spot on!
ReplyDeleteI hate paying good money for industrial food. I have heard a lot of complaints about standard of French restaurant food recently. Sadly a lot have become lazy and just don't bother :(
You're right, Piglet, I'll have a look. I should spread the word.
ReplyDeleteSounds pretty bad.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went to Poland with my dad in the early 70's we stopped at some kind of "workers restaurant". The menu said that [b]complaints would only be entertained if more than half the meal had been consumed[/b].
I don't remember what the food was like there but I do remember having some pretty crap food in a couple of places.
Nick