"**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."
