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Gourmet 4 Shirley

Gourmet 4 Shirley

➤ Unit 2, Parkgate Shopping Centre, Stratford Road, Shirley, Solihull, United Kingdom

Grill • Drinks • Asiatic • Gourmet


"To our surprise, I was asked to pay upfront even though we hadn’t received any food or drinks yet. I declined, opting to pay after our meal, a decision that proved wise. While we waited, a Just Eat delivery driver entered to pick up an order. He politely showed the manager his phone with the order number and requested that social distancing be maintained. Instead of cooperating, the manager shouted at him, refusing to hand over the food because he couldn’t see the phone clearly. He even told the driver to find another job and not to return. The manager then yelled across the restaurant for someone to handle the situation since he didn’t want to deal with the driver. A woman in a tracksuit eventually stepped in and handed the order to the driver while the manager continued to berate him for simply trying to do his job. After this disturbing encounter, the manager came to our table to justify his actions, claiming that if the driver needed to practice social distancing, he shouldn’t be a driver at all and that he had the right to check the driver’s phone. I disagreed, stating that the driver might have vulnerable family members and this job could be his only option. In an astonishingly inappropriate response, the manager exclaimed, “BUT I WAS HAPPY TO GO UP TO HIM AND HE COULD HAVE HAD AIDS!” I was taken aback and could hardly believe what I had just heard. He backpedaled slightly but continued insisting that the driver might be diseased. At that moment, our server returned to inform us that they had also run out of chili. In disbelief and disgust, we decided to leave. Overall, it was an appalling experience, completely marred by the ignorance of the staff. Would not recommend."

Gourmet 4 Newport

Gourmet 4 Newport

➤ Unit 20, Newport Retail Park, Spytty Road, Newport, United Kingdom

Wine • Grill • Brunch • Gourmet


"**Gourmet Disappointment** I recently visited the Newport branch of Gourmet 4 for what was supposed to be a special anniversary meal on Saturday, October 9th. Unfortunately, the experience turned out to be quite the opposite. Upon arrival, we eagerly browsed the menu and decided to order the Bottomless Brunch, which we paid for with high hopes. After waiting for 40 minutes, a lone staff member—who was juggling the roles of waiter, bartender, manager, and receptionist—finally approached us. To our dismay, he informed us that he was unable to serve any alcoholic drinks because he didn’t drink himself and lacked the necessary training. Shockingly, he couldn’t even open a bottle of wine! To make matters worse, we learned that the Bottomless Brunch we had paid for was not actually available, and our request for a refund was denied. This left us completely stunned, especially since we had anticipated enjoying drinks and cocktails. In his defense, the overwhelmed staff member did allow us to go behind the bar and choose our drinks, as he was unsure how to handle the situation while also managing multiple takeaway orders. We ended up finding two bottles of sparkling wine, which we had to open ourselves since he didn’t know how. When the food finally arrived, it was mediocre fast food—not terrible, but certainly not worthy of the ‘gourmet’ label. Describing it as gourmet would be like calling Johnny Vegas beautiful. The presentation was lackluster, served without condiments or cutlery. After some time, we finally managed to find the staff member again, who sourced some cutlery for us but stated that condiments were unavailable. Personally, I find a dry, unsalted, un-ketchupped chip to be a culinary crime! For dessert, we ordered two cheesecakes and a brownie, but only received one cheesecake and one brownie. After waiting another 15 minutes and inquiring about the missing cheesecake, we were met with the less-than-helpful response from our overworked staff member: “Sorry, we’re…” Overall, this experience was far from what we had anticipated. If you are looking for a true gourmet experience, I would recommend seeking out another venue."

Brighton Cereal Cafe

Brighton Cereal Cafe

➤ 38 Trafalgar Street BASEMENT, Brighton, BN14ED, BN1 4ED, United Kingdom

Tea • Cafe • Coffee • American


"We were SO looking to going to the cereal cafe as we are lovers of cereal, me especially and I was a great supporter when they first opened. We went in on a Sunday late morning and got in time to be seated just before it started getting busy. We were supposed to have table service but they were very busy and the guy behind the counter only looked about 14 so we were prepared to go up and order. Only thing was a lot of other people got their orders taken before us so not only were we waiting a very long time before we ate, but everyone besides the lad were moving at a snails pace. There was no sense of urgency or keeping up with the orders despite it really starting to get busy. My partner has many years experience in hospitality so it wasn't like we weren't sympathic but the level of apathy was unreal. Paper orders mean that someone is still running up and down the stairs to get the bowls made up rather than having one person upstairs taking orders and doing drinks, and one person making cereal downstairs. Just seems really inefficient. Two guys left because they were waiting for their coffee. This was a Sunday as well, not even a Saturday. The concept is there and they're obviously popular but wouldn't recommend to dine in until they get the system sorted. It's such a shame because I love cereal but I can't go back if I'm going to be waiting an age for my breakfast. FYI you get up to 4 types of cereal in a bowl, and extra toppings are 50p. The choice of cereal is supposed to be what's avaliable behind the counter but this isn't always accurate and the same goes for the milk."