My family attended the Easter brunch buffet at Alley on 25 on 17th April. Overall, we enjoyed the selection of food and the ambience, however there were certain issues that left us feeling a bit disappointed. Details below
1. No communication between staff: There was...no dedicated server or communication between servers. On several occasions, food that we did not ask for was served to our table. And on the other hand, food that WAS ordered never made it until we had made several inquiries. E.g.: my husband ordered guava juice but was served orange instead. We ordered ice coffee with milk on the side, we only received the coffee. A shepherd’s pie which we never requested made it to our table. The selection of egg dishes we ordered did not. We noticed that the staff taking our orders would not write anything down. This is an impossible feat to remember, especially at a buffet when there are so many items on the menu for order. It also becomes extremely frustrating when we must repeat ourselves to different servers who show up to the table to take orders. Sometimes within a minute of each other.
2. Mains and desserts served together: All these hang ups invariably caused a delay in our eating and therefore at 2.30 we were asked to order our mains AND desserts as the kitchen was closing at 3pm. We complied without any fuss as this is standard practice. My main was served first but then instead of the rest of the party receiving their orders, we received ALL the desserts instead. Including the ice cream ones! We kindly inquired if these could be stored in the fridge for us but were told it was not possible. So our ice cream sat melting on the table while we waited for the rest of the mains. Ten minutes later we were informed that the burger was no longer available. The order was switched to Steak. Now about 15 mins had passed. The desserts still sitting on the table and no mains in sight. At the Andaz level of service one would expect all the mains to be served together. I believe this is considered common practice even at less established restaurants. And serving of the desserts could have been avoided if they had simply had a system to keep note of the dessert orders and serve them later. Since the kitchen was only closing at 3pm the orders could have been prepped and then stored till atleast we had finished half our mains. Not everything just being sent to the table simply to “complete a job”.
3. The presentation and quantity of the food: The marketed photo for this buffet made your mouth water, however sadly in reality the presentation did not. I understand that photos are for “illustrative purpose only” however the difference was so marked that it must be commented upon. The “cheese platter” was just one bread crip with a few triangles of cheese and a handful of fruit and nuts. If you are serving a table of 5 adults and 1 child, there should be sufficient portions given. Its true we could request for additional portions but that just ended up being so tiresome as the orders were being “lost” somewhere in the abyss between server and kitchen. Similarly, the “carving board” which by the way says “Sharing platter” on the menu, was served in tiny palm size bowls. The sausages cut into 1-inch chunks, a small triangle of ham, one charred carrot, and unidentifiable pieces of meat. 15 mins after this was served, some mint jelly was plonked on our table which we realized was supposed to be served with the lamb in our “platter”. How can one of these bowls serve 5 adults?
4. Running out of food at 2.30pm. This is inexcusable. If the restaurant wanted to reduce food wastage, then it could have easily requested guests to pre-order their main course. But they didn’t and instead when a burger was ordered at 2.30pm (so late because our initial starter orders were messed up) we were told there are no more left. Similarly, an order for cinnamon rolls went unserved even though we ordered it before the cut off time. When inquiries were made, we were informed there was nothing left. According to the Manager he “Searched all over the hotel but could not find any”. Perhaps searching the kitchen would have been more appropriate! Food had run out a full 30 mins before the “buffet” ended. I say “buffet” because the very concept of that is the servings are unlimited but for this event, they very much were limited.
5. Charging us for the burger that was not available. When we received the bill, we were surprised to see we had been charged for an additional main course of… a burger. Initially our table ordered 2 x Angus beef burger however as mentioned they only had enough for one portion, therefore the other was changed to the Steak and Egg. When the bill arrived, we found a charge for 1 additional Angus Beef Burger. After all the issues we had faced, you would expect the manager to at least check our bill before he personally handed it over to us. Why anger an already annoyed customer?
6. The positives: Food tasted great. The balloon sculptor was a nice addition. Ambience was cheerful. Staff were friendly despite the hiccups.More