Restaurant problems

If there is something wrong with your food in a restaurant just put your knife and fork down without eating any more and catch the eye of the waiter or wait for the uneaten plate to be cleared and you will hopefully be asked what the problem is then. However, if the food is cold attract the waiters attention immediately. They are often glad to know before the mistake is repeated. For example, one night at Whites my entree fish cakes were so salty that they were inedible. The maitre d’ came over and thanked me after checking in the kitchen and finding that the whole mix had been double salted. He said he much preferred to be told at the time so he could fix the problem rather than reading a bad review on social media the next day.

If you don’t complain at the time and eat it all up well it is no use complaining afterwards. If nothing is done to correct the fault - new plate, extra glass of wine, apology …. when you come to pay the bill ask that it is taken off the account or alternatively when they apologise say sweetly “that’s all right as I know you will not be charging me for this”. If it is charged don’t go there again. I never went back to O’Connell St Bistro after an unfortunate creme brûlée incident. Helen