PIZZA FACE!

..in my face?

Time for a rant!


What is it about me and getting bad salads?


How is it possible in this culinary capital that one can simply not find decent salads.


Further, why is it that restaurants will not own up to their inept efforts?
Do they not need to keep their clients?

This week at a very well known and popular Bordeaux Italian eatery, this Desperate Anglo Housewife, in keeping with her spring purge, ordered a salad. It was called " Fresh Pasta Salad " and was described as assorted lettuces, fresh pasta, mozzarella, tuna, tomato, pesto..." 
Sounded good.


The restaurant in question has the Italian food lovers lining up for hours to sit down to their fabulous pizzas, mixed antipasti plates etc.With their fame and success  perhaps they have lost touch with the reality of customer service and a perfected menu?
I have been going there for years and years and have never had a reason to complain. Their pizzas are frankly fabulous and their desserts, wonderful. They have a great wine cellar.


My friends and I did note a certain drop in the table set up...where have the pepper and salt mills gone? Why are there plastic Cerebos salt and pepper packs straight of the grocer shelf on the table...not a good look!! Cheap!


Back to my lunch...my companions' steaming pizzas arrived and then came my salad. 


Served on a flat plate was a couple of very boring chopped iceberg lettuce leaves, a handful of overcooked white pasta, a sprinkle of crumbled tuna ( say, a tablespoon at tops) and as for the mozzarella another tablespoon of mozzarella "micro-crumbs" no slices at all. Let's not forget the 2 half cherry tomatos. No pesto, no seasoning, no colour. Game over!!


A bottle of vinegar and one of olive oil were unceremoniously plonked in front of me. I nearly asked for a bowl,whisk and apron!


I had a couple of mouthfuls of what only could be described as overpriced, tasteless disappointment. I very politely asked the waitress to take it away stating that it really was not what I had expected and held no interest whatsoever. I foolishly apologised about 20 times!
She kindly asked me if I would like something else. I declined..actually, I was really embarrased as I have always loved eating there.


When we went to pay I was rather surprised to see my "salad" still on the bill. I said to the chap at the checkout, very quietly, that actually I had sent it back as "it wasn't up to your usual standards"...and then came the " client is king" in reverse..
 "Oh but it is my favourite salad," he said. I smiled at him and said " Yes, But I am the client." "We serve 400 people a day and noone has ever complained" he retorted, clearly having no intention of any gesture of goodwill towards a client of many years.


Well guess that will be 399 clients now!


And back to France where the client is NEVER king and yet another restaurant to strike off my list.


Time for some comfort food.
Always a total pushover for roasted chicken I also love cooking Coquelet...wee baby chooks. They are quick to roast and succulent to boot. 


Bay Leaf and Lemon Roasted Coquelet


Stuffing:
1 cup good quality ground pork
handful pistachios
6 - 7 dried apricots
fresh bay leaves
3 lemons - one zested.
half a cup fresh bread crumbs
salt pepper
olive oil
dry white martini


Put ground pork, pistachios, apricots, lemon zest, salt and pepper, bread crumbs in a food processor and zap until uniform. Stuff your birds. Cut one lemon in half and use this as a "plug" for the stuffing....sounds grotesque but will infuse beautifully.


Massage each bird with olive oil, salt and pepper and squeeze over juice of third lemon. 
Tuck fresh bay leaves under wings or legs.
Place in roasting dish and pour in dry white martini to about 2 cm height. This will stop birds from drying out and will add to perfumes.


Roast at 180° until golden and juices run clear.


Serve with mountains of garlic-roasted potatos and fresh mesclun salad.





Comments

  1. I can guess the restaurant! They are damn arrogant too.
    You should have refused to pay.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for this post!
    When will they learn in france about client service?
    Your post just heightened one of my own experiences this week. I also apologised in my anglosaxon way and got pooh poohed at and tsked by the waiter.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @ John.Thanks for your comment. Happy to see this is not just me. I do seem to be doing alot of complaining about client service this year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I remember questioning a vinaigrette asking why they had used one out of a bottle. The waiter went away and came back later saying it wasn't out of a bottle but fresh.

    Like I can't tell bottled muck from fresh vinegar/oil. He insisted too. I just glared at the little spotty twerp, who went off happy, and we left happy in the thought we'd never go there again.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Thanks Suzy for yet another subject for my book club. We seem to speak more about issues in your blog than the books.
    ps I ordered the Run FB Run book too!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for your candour.

    ReplyDelete
  7. mmm that look so yum

    ReplyDelete
  8. They have always been arrogant, but up until now the food has been delicious. However, when they start to take things for granted, all good things can come to an end. You cannot only live on your past reputation. Customer service is such an integral part of it, that it’ll make you or brake you sooner or later.
    France still has a lot to learn when it comes to that.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Restaurant rage. Feeling it for you. Why do successful restaurants in France always make you feel like you are so lucky to be there? Bloody stupid.
    I live in Paris which is probably even worse than Bordeaux for this. Really appreciate what you write.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Susy only you would massage a chicken. Chooks last rights?

    ReplyDelete
  11. This has to be Peppone?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Over time I learned never to apologise...the merest hint of an 'I'm sorry but this is inedible/not as described on the menu/recycled from someone else's rejected meal' and the restaurant staff are through your guard in a flash.

    ReplyDelete
  13. @ Fly, sadly correct. Lesson well learnt.Butultimately they are the losers, one client less!

    ReplyDelete
  14. Suzie why did you even pay?

    ReplyDelete
  15. @ Joshua....I do not know. let us just call it anglo saxon cringe???

    ReplyDelete

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