"Disappointing 70th Birthday: Slow Service and Subpar Food at The Thomas Daniell Full Review: We recently visited The Thomas Daniell for a special occasion—a 70th birthday celebration with a party of six. Unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory. Menu Availability: A significant issue was that 30% of the menu was unavailable due to ordering issues. Some of the missing items included flatbread, onion bhaji, buttermilk fried chicken, ribs, fries, custard, and chocolate sauce. Additionally, on their specials menu, they were missing one of the three dishes. In my opinion, many of these could have been sourced elsewhere. For instance, they only had two more orders of oysters left, which was also a starter. This lack of availability was disappointing and poorly communicated. Better transparency from the staff would have been appreciated, especially if they had informed us beforehand about the limited menu. A call to inform us of these issues would have allowed us to make an informed decision about dining there, particularly on such a special occasion. Service and Timing: While the initial wait for our starters was reasonable (20 minutes), the wait for our mains was excessive. When the mains finally arrived, only five out of six dishes were served. The sixth dish, fried fish, arrived nearly 10 minutes later and was clearly half-full, giving the impression it was hastily put together with whatever was left. When we pointed this out to our server, they returned 15 minutes later with a freshly fried fish, starkly contrasting the other three plates of fried fish, which seemed cooked much earlier. Food Quality: The starters, including the beef tacos, were disappointing—the tacos were served cold. Additionally, the Goan curry was disappointing, tasting more like tomato soup, though the fish within it was well-cooked. The rice accompanying the curry seemed like microwave rice, lacking any freshness. The fried fish mains also varied in quality, with the freshly cooked dish highlighting the staleness of the others. The Asian slaw that accompanied the fried fish was merely cut-up vegetables, lacking the expected flavor and dressing. Bartender: On a positive note, the bartender was attentive and recommended some excellent beers. His knowledge and enthusiasm about the drink selection were impressive and added a small highlight to an otherwise disappointing evening. Additionally, he was the person we gave our feedback to, and he was very receptive to our frustrations, which we appreciated. Management and Overall Experience: The most disappointing aspect was the lack of acknowledgment or compensation for the slow service and limited menu options. Despite the presence of the owners, there was no apology or attempt to rectify the situation. This lack of customer care suggests a low standard of service that is unacceptable, particularly for a special occasion. In Conclusion: What should have been a memorable celebration turned into a frustrating experience with subpar food, slow service, and poor management. We won 't be returning, and we hope the establishment takes this feedback seriously to improve for future patrons. Truro is a small community, and word of mouth travels fast—unfortunately, our word will not be favorable. Absolutely disappointed."
