Hôtel de L'Abbaye Le Tronchet - Handwritten Collection — Hotel in Saint-Malo

WE WERE TRULY LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR MENU GASTRONOMIQUE WHICH ON THE RATINGS HEREIN, SUGGESTED THE PLACE WAS FABULOUS!!||AFTER BEING IGNORED FOR THE OBLIGATORY HOUR MY WIFE AND I WERE OFFERED A DRINK AND SINCE IT WAS A BLIND-TASTING MENU THERE WERE NO CHOICES OTHER THAN HOW MANY COURSES? ||WE CHOSE 5 AND WERE SEATED HALF AN HOUR LATER. ||THE FIRST COURSE CONSISTED OF A SLIPPERY CONCOCTION OF RAZOR FISH CLAMS, RAW SCALLOPS & MOULE. IN FACT, THE ONLY ADDITIONAL TEXTURE TO BE HAD WAS THE 2" PIECE OF PLASTIC THAT WAS HIDDEN IN THE MEAL. ||I INFORMED THE MAISTER DE, WHO WAS SUITABLY CONCERNED/CONCERNED/CONCIALITORY BUT I WAS HAPPY TO SIMPLY MOVE ON SUGGESTING THAT SOMEONE COULD HAVE CHOKED ON IT AND BEST INFORM THE KITCHEN BLAH BLAH..||THE SECOND PLATE ARRIVED WITH A SIMILARLY TEXTURELESS GUNK CONSISTING OF MASHED AUBERGIGNE INNARDS TOPPED WITH SOU VIDE GREY MULLET ADORNED WITH SOME SLIPPERY SKIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.||NOT EXACTLY FEELING IT BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO BETTER. WE TUCKED INTO A SORBET TO CLEANSE THE PALLET AND LO AND BEHOLD OUR FRIEND THE PLASTIC APPEARED AGAIN. ||THIS TIME IN THE FORM OF A CLEAR HARD PLASTIC THAT LODGED IN MY THROAT AND HAD ME COUGHING & CHOKING, I KID YOU NOT.... ||RELIEVED TO HAVE COUGHED IT UP AND SPAT IT ONTO MY PLATE I CONTINUED TO PICK OTHER BITS OF SPIRELLED PLASTIC THAT HAD STUCK IN MY TEETH.||ONCE AGAIN THE MAISTRE DE WAS ON HAND TO SHAKE HIS HEAD AND OFFER HIS PERSONAL APOLOGY BUT NOTHING MORE.||WE BOTH FELT THAT AT THIS STAGE WE HAD GIVEN IT A CHANCE AND DECIDED TO BACK TO THE GOLF CLUB FOR SOMETHING LESS DANGEROUS TO EAT SUCH AS A BURGER OR SOMETHING AND WERE UTTERLY |FLABERGASTED TO BE PRESENTED WITH A BILL FOR THE ENTIRE 5 COURSES INCLUDING ONES WE HADN'T HAD ALONG WITH THE WINE ACCOMPANIMENT WE ALSO HADN'T HAD. ||DESPITE OUR PROTESTATIONS TO THE MANAGER WE WERE FORCED TO PAY THE BILL EVEN AFTER THE MANAGER WAS MADE TO CALL...

WE WERE TRULY LOOKING FORWARD TO OUR MENU GASTRONOMIQUE WHICH ON THE RATINGS HEREIN, SUGGESTED THE PLACE WAS FABULOUS!!||AFTER BEING IGNORED FOR THE OBLIGATORY HOUR MY WIFE AND I WERE OFFERED A DRINK AND SINCE IT WAS A BLIND-TASTING MENU THERE WERE NO CHOICES OTHER THAN HOW MANY COURSES? ||WE CHOSE 5 AND WERE SEATED HALF AN HOUR LATER. ||THE FIRST COURSE CONSISTED OF A SLIPPERY CONCOCTION OF RAZOR FISH CLAMS, RAW SCALLOPS & MOULE. IN FACT, THE ONLY ADDITIONAL TEXTURE TO BE HAD WAS THE 2" PIECE OF PLASTIC THAT WAS HIDDEN IN THE MEAL. ||I INFORMED THE MAISTER DE, WHO WAS SUITABLY CONCERNED/CONCERNED/CONCIALITORY BUT I WAS HAPPY TO SIMPLY MOVE ON SUGGESTING THAT SOMEONE COULD HAVE CHOKED ON IT AND BEST INFORM THE KITCHEN BLAH BLAH..||THE SECOND PLATE ARRIVED WITH A SIMILARLY TEXTURELESS GUNK CONSISTING OF MASHED AUBERGIGNE INNARDS TOPPED WITH SOU VIDE GREY MULLET ADORNED WITH SOME SLIPPERY SKIN FOR GOOD MEASURE.||NOT EXACTLY FEELING IT BUT LOOKING FORWARD TO BETTER. WE TUCKED INTO A SORBET TO CLEANSE THE PALLET AND LO AND BEHOLD OUR FRIEND THE PLASTIC APPEARED AGAIN. ||THIS TIME IN THE FORM OF A CLEAR HARD PLASTIC THAT LODGED IN MY THROAT AND HAD ME COUGHING & CHOKING, I KID YOU NOT.... ||RELIEVED TO HAVE COUGHED IT UP AND SPAT IT ONTO MY PLATE I CONTINUED TO PICK OTHER BITS OF SPIRELLED PLASTIC THAT HAD STUCK IN MY TEETH.||ONCE AGAIN THE MAISTRE DE WAS ON HAND TO SHAKE HIS HEAD AND OFFER HIS PERSONAL APOLOGY BUT NOTHING MORE.||WE BOTH FELT THAT AT THIS STAGE WE HAD GIVEN IT A CHANCE AND DECIDED TO BACK TO THE GOLF CLUB FOR SOMETHING LESS DANGEROUS TO EAT SUCH AS A BURGER OR SOMETHING AND WERE UTTERLY |FLABERGASTED TO BE PRESENTED WITH A BILL FOR THE ENTIRE 5 COURSES INCLUDING ONES WE HADN'T HAD ALONG WITH THE WINE ACCOMPANIMENT WE ALSO HADN'T HAD. ||DESPITE OUR PROTESTATIONS TO THE MANAGER WE WERE FORCED TO PAY THE BILL EVEN AFTER THE MANAGER WAS MADE TO CALL...

The hotel is in a lovely setting with extensive & attractive grounds and the conversion of the old buildings have been done sympathetically. The bedroom was generous in size & comfortable, the bathroom was ok.||However ...... despite the dining room being very attractive the dining experience was a great disappointment. The only offering was a tasting menu for which no menu could be provided (had we known that pigeon was the main meat course then we would have not agreed to take this menu). The courses were delivered at a speed to satisfy the chef, not the customer & despite twice asking the waiting staff for the courses to be slowed so that they could be enjoyed & digested, no notice was taken & indeed at one stage we were still consuming the soup when the next course was delivered, which was so unprofessional. Two of the courses included "foam" such that if you didn't consume them relatively quickly they started to disappear before your very eyes ! The large deep bowls made some of the food very difficult to completely retrieve - too much priority was given to pretty presentation & not enough priority to the customer trying to consume the food. ||On one day the electricity was unreliable such that the aircon was not working at times, which also resulted in the cold water not working - try having a shower with only hot water when the temp outside is 36C !! ||At our last breakfast time I had to check four different coffee cups before finding one that was properly clean. ||When we returned on our last afternoon we found that our bedroom door was not closed properly such that anyone could gain access without a keycard.||Finally, when I came to pay the extras the credit card system was not working & fortunately I had enough cash to pay the bill.||A hotel with great potential but not presently justifying 4* in...