The Angel, Highgate

In summary - good location, pleasant enough layout, average beer selection (unless you're in to Eurolager), lousy food and service.

Having attended one of their much trumpeted Wednesday Quiz nights last night, I felt compelled to put finger to keyboard. We made the mistake of ordering food, which included a couple of (very dry) burgers, a frozen beef pie and - the piece de resistance - a "Vegetarian Platter". Allegedly.

Upon being presented with a plate of blackened, fatty mess, my friend attempted to send it back, only to be cross-examined by the needlessly self-assured manageress as if she were some 6 year old who hadn't finished her supper. She appeared to think that deep frying a selection of potato wedges/ falafels/ other things from the frozen selection at Morrisons, dumping them on a plate with a scoop of humousy gak and charging �9 for the pleasure was acceptable. Wrong.

When asked for a refund, the manageress, rather predictably, exhibited all the humility of a recently resigned Cabinet Minister, and eventually (very begrudgingly) offered my friend �4.50 refund as she had "eaten half of it". Which she hadn't.

I'm sure she has been lectured on profit margins and overhead recovery rates by the bean counters who run the place (incidentally, I am, for my sins, a bean counter as well), but frankly it's about time she was lectured on customer service by those who, ultimately, pay her wages.

Don't treat the punters like this - there are plenty of other pubs in the area...

23 Jul 2009 10:54