The Albany, Thames Ditton

For 15 years this was our favourite pub/reataurant, Ok the service was slow but the food was well priced and very good.

We made the mistake of wandering in without a reservation when the Albany reopened under its latest refurbishment and were scoulded by a pretentious Maitre-de.

The expensive menu turned out to be standard pub fayre and being a little embarassed by treatment by the management we made a fast exit!

Tried again with a work colleague on a workday later this summer.. arrived by boat to a half empty pub and sat down on a table.... five minutes later we were subjected to the now famous fawlty towers Matre-de treatment.

We were ousted from our table and made to stand aside feeling like a couple of naughty schoolboys whilst the matre-de decided on which of the empty tables he would eventually seat us.

We treated the matre-de to the sight of us climbing back into our boat and we sailed off to a far better meal at 'the edge' at Hampton Court.

Perhaps this is a little unfair as I havnt visited the pub recently, but having been burned twice I wont be going back until the management changes.

26 Aug 2007 20:38