All reader reviews by Anonymous

The Northall

I had dinner at The Northall on the 14th February 2012 for the first time and it will definitely by my last .

I went to your restaurant that night with high expectations. The meal and the service we received from your waiting staff was superb but the evening was ruined by the impoliteness from a member of staff.

I had made my booking on Monday 13th February 2012 via toptable.com for the special offer of three courses and a glass of Laurent Perrier champagne for £25. I received a confirmation of my booking from the site later that day. On the night of the meal, 2 hours before our arrival I spoke to a gentleman to verify my booking and he confirmed that they had.

When presented with the bill at the end of the meal I noticed that there had been an error with the amount we were charged for our meal. I brought this to the attention of the waiter who then called the maitre d' over. I explained to him that there had been a mistake; we had not ordered the valentines menu but the special offer of three meals and a glass of champagne for £25.

The maitre d' then proceeded to tell me that the restaurant was not taking toptable bookings that evening and diners had been contacted and made aware of this. I explained that no one had called me but I had called the restaurant two hours before arriving and at no point during my conversation with David did he tell me of this. I also showed him a confirmation of my booking on my smart phone (a copy of this has been enclosed with the letter).

He also highlighted that on the menu we were given it stated it was the valentines menu. I told him I did not see this and it is not my job to highlight to the staff at the restaurant of my specific booking. This should have been dealt with before we were shown to our seats and given the correct menus. Afterwards we were given another bill with the correct amount.

I found his manner and approach to the situation both abrasive and condescending. I was made to feel like a liar in front of the other diners. His retort of "have a nice evening" and walking off mid-conversation was very unprofessional. If this is the kind of staff they employ then they need to re-evaluate their hiring policies. A pleasant evening was ruined by the actions of an ill-mannered member of staff.

The other staff were very attentive and I would have scored them a 7 for services but due to the behaviour of one person I am only giving them a one.

Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Overall rating
Food 9 | Service 1 | Atmosphere 8 | Value for money 8