The Zetland Arms, South Kensington

I was in the South Ken area and fancied a pub lunch. Externally the Zetland Arms looked inviting and having put my head through the door I could see a wide mix of clientele, from builders to business suits to tourists. It was noisy, lively and bustling - this I mistakenly took for a good sign as why would all these people be in the pub if it wasn't good. I can only Imagine that the customers I saw were a transient bunch who like myself were just passing through South Ken as I discovered no-one would use the pub as a regular after my food experience.
I ordered a plain steak sandwich on white bread leaving out the tomato and chutney that came with it on the menu - the barman stared at the till looking to see how he might overcome the options printed on the computerised till to omit the chutney and toms. Eventually I ordered, paid and sat down with my pint of Guinness and awaited with expectation for the sandwich to arrive. Twenty minutes later the sandwich arrived - it had the tomato and chutney with it that I did not want. I pressed on removing the chutney and tomato but discovered when I opened the second half of the sandwich that it contained the smallest piece of steak you could imagine without it being just bread and butter. I politely complained at the bar and was ordered a replacement sandwich and was promised a steak sandwich with onions. Twenty minutes later after much harrying my sandwich arrived. It came with chutney and tomato but worse still it came on brown whole grain bread. It took me nearly an hour to reach this point at which I got a refund; of course this did not compensate for a ruined lunch and rubbish experience. There seemed to be plenty of focus on taking money at the bar but little care what happened after that. I can see from the ratings this pub has (if only I'd read them before using it) that this is a poor pub with poor management who don't seem to care about repeat business but rely on a passing trade of mostly one timers.

24 Dec 2010 18:48