The Quayside, Newcastle

On Thursday the 15th of December my office party met at the Quayside Bar in Newcastle for our Christmas gathering. From the get go this was a disaster starting with no apparent place or person to help us work out where we were sitting. When we spoke to a member of staff they disappeared for 10 minutes before arriving to tell us where to go. Our table was booked in for 6pm and we weren't seated until half past. Our drink order was taken first and this took 20 mins to arrive for twelve people with all drinks and glasses being produced next to the table from a scummy cardboard box. The food wasn't much better and was so awful that most people only ate because they were so hungry due to the waiting and that there was nothing else on offer. The general feeling was that nothing was fresh and a lot was deep fried with the exception of corn on the cob (can't deep fry that but they may have tried on an ealier occasion with bad results). Most main courses were served cold and sent back then brought back piping hot which suggests they have a 2000 watt microwave in their Kitchen. The Waiter wasn't attentive or apologetic and our dessert was brought to us by a chef with food stains on his apron. All in all we were seated for 3 hrs and still hungry by the end of it.

I understand that this is a well liked pub and as a pub I agree its a good place. I don't think that the poor service was the fault of the staff either but the management. This is a pub and not a restaurant so they shouldn't be masquerading as one. The food is poor and the service is terrible but being in amongst the christmas drinkers was most probably the cause of this. The place was rammed with people wanting drinks because it is a boozer and not a restaurant. Makes sense. If we had known this we wouldn't have booked a table there on a false promise.

I wouldn't recommend eating there to anyone. Buy a kebab and chips or a pizza after the pub on the way home and get some real food inside you! Sprouts at Christmas are bad enough but when they are brown with freezer burn imagine how appetising they look.

19 Dec 2005 13:10