Rick Stein's Café

The food was lovely, although the fish in the curry was somewhat overcooked but my wife's steak was perfect. The drinks were expensive, the water eye-wateringly (!) so. £5.95 for a bottle of water is nothing short of extortion. The servers were s-l-o-w. No one likes to be rushed but waiting 25 minutes or so for the main course plates to be cleared then another 10 minutes for the dessert menu to be offered, all in a very quiet restaurant was not good. I'm more than happy to pay for good service but I think automatically adding it is a bit of a con trick, to be honest, especially when the service is so-so. I guess I could have reduced or removed the over-priced service charge, but no one likes to make a scene, which they well know, so the service charge gets paid, whether the service was good or, in our case, indifferent. So, all in, our 3 courses for £34 (x2) cost us £122. Was it good food? It was OK, but nothing outstanding. Was it worth it? - No, not really Would we return - Probably not.

Booked an early sitting, so just three other tables occupied on arrival. Ordered drinks, one was incorrect, but no matter, it was acceptable. Starters were good, but one of the mains was completely wrong, so returned it. Waited an age for the dessert and had to ask twice for the bill, which didn’t arrive so had to go to the reception to request it a third time. We didn’t complain about the service initially, as we accept that mistakes happen. However, the bill included a 12.5% automatic service charge. At this point, we requested this be removed. We do not understand why they believe this is acceptable practice. We subsequently received a “satisfaction survey” via email. I answered this honestly, to include all of the above detail. To-date, I have received no acknowledgment or any other feedback. Considering this is a high-profile franchise, the attention to ensure customer satisfaction is extremely disappointing, especially as this could (snd should) have been a really good dining experience.

Love this restaurant. Always book in advance as it does seem to get busy. The pondicherry curry is wonderful and very flavourful. We come here whenever down in Cornwall and always enjoy it. The kids food is also not a typical children food offering. Actual chicken breaded rather than some odd nugget. Very tasty and not too pricey considering where you are.