Bistro Moncur — Restaurant in Sydney

Grubby and unethical behaviour. Mother's Day Lunch Bistro Moncur Woollahra A reservation was made a week prior via Bistro Moncur online booking platform. No where on the booking form, or at any stage throughout the booking process were we informed that it was a 'set price' menu (see attachment). My son had also called earlier in the day to increase the party by 1, and was not informed then either that there was a set price. Upon arrival at the restaurant we were met by the maitre 'd who also failed to let us know that it was a fixed price menu. We were seated at the table and hurriedly given menus. We were 'instructed' that all three courses were to be orderd at once and then the waiter promptly left, again no mention of the fixed price. The menu we were handed was similar to the usual al a carte menu but had no prices (see attachment) .Please note that by this stage it is 3pm (we were the second, later sitting) in a very crowded restaurant. It wasn't until I realised that there was probably a set price that I asked one of my sons to go and ask. He was told that it was $99/head plus beverages etc. This behaviour/conduct/practice is extremely grubby and highly unethical, if not illegal. None of us were given the courtesy or decency to make a decision on whether or not we were willing or even capable of paying. The only option left to us was to get up from the table en-masse amidst a very busy restaurant and hope that another venue was still open and available for us to celebrate Mother's Day. My sons had organised the day and were left feeling embarrassed, angry and hugely out of pocket. Shame on you Bistro Moncur. Needless to say we have made a formal complaint to the Department of Fair Trading and also sent you a letter on Monday, to which we've yet to get a response. What should have been a pleasant and celebratory day was made , due to the restaurants conduct. We have been attending this restaurant since the days of Damien Pignolet's ownership and it disappoints us that the charm of the dining room, the food and wait staff are a poor imitation of what was one of Sydney's truly lovely dining rooms.

Follow Up from Bistro Moncur MANAGER 'THE MANAGER' via email:

"...Please accept my apologies for the late response as we have just undergone a change of ownership and were unable to access our reservations email account. I am concerned about the points you raised and wondered if there might be a suitable time for me to call you to discuss at your convenience..."

Follow Up from Dpt of Fair Trading via email:-

I refer to your correspondence dated 16 May 2019 regarding Bistro Moncur.

Your concerns were brought to the attention THE MANAGER a Manager at Bistro Moncur. THE MANAGER advised the restaurant came under new management not long before the Mother's Day event and acknowledges in hindsight there should have been more marketing around the pricing for the day. THE MANAGER conveyed that only those making phone reservations were told of the set menu pricing.

THE MANAGER indicated that the set menu was not compulsory on the day and they would have accommodated for an order selected directly from their standard menu." etc

As a result, THE MANAGER is prepared to offer a $50 refund or a free bottle of champagne on your next visit...etc"

We challenge the following statements made by THE MANAGER: 1.Neither new ownership (as stated to us) or new management (as stated to the Dpt of Fair Trading) is an excuse for improper and underhanded business conduct. 2.A phone call was made on the day of the booking approx. 2 hours prior to our booking and again no advise was given about the set menu price. At no stage were we offered the option of an al a carte menu. Nor were we told the price of the set menu. The UNPRICED SET PRICE MENUS were on the table already. THE MANAGER'S claim that we effectively had a choice of 2 menus is complete nonsense as to have this choice we would have had to have been made of of...

Gone to the dogs! What a joke! I just paid $49 for a 'Prime' Eye Fillet with a Béarnaise sauce and a handful of undressed watercress on the side with some fries out of a frozen bag! I ordered it Rare and it was Med Rare. When I told the very polite French waiter he looked at it and agreed. He said he would speak to the Maitre D. When I went to pay I mentioned this to the exceptionally surly Maitre D who told me that she had looked at it with the chef and they had decided it was Rare. There was no apology, no gesture to perhaps give us a dessert on the house or a couple of drinks, nothing. When I explained to her that I was perfectly capable of establishing whether my steak was Rare, considering that is always how I eat my steak, she looked at me blankly before disagreeing again. That is not hospitality! That is not caring how your patrons feel, allowing them to leave with a totally negative experience. Also I could taste no evidence of tarragon in the Béarnaise, it was one of the dullest Béarnaise sauces I have ever had. My partner had the Duck Cassoulet, which was dry, and looked as if the duck had been sitting in the oven too long! The Chicken Liver Pate was a great texture but completely lacking in flavour and the magic that makes a good pate. They call themselves a French Bistro, then why is it they have no French beer on the menu? I should have walked out then! There are always signs in underperforming restaurants, no French beer in a French Bistro is definitely a sign! Whoever is making choices in Bistro Moncur, has no idea about Food and Beverages! The waiter who served us was lovely, however I don't think you should ever have a Maitre D who cannot even smile or make you feel welcome, isn't that there job? I have been to Bistro Moncur a few months ago and it was great, I have been to Bistro Moncur a few years ago and it was great! I will not ever be returning to Bistro Moncur, as it was a disappointment, so well done to the inhospitable staff at Bistro Moncur for losing a customer with a palette and a love of good food. I will go to Mere Catherine in Potts Point that wipes the...

I visited the restaurant on 2/1/22 at 12pm and had a terrible experience at Bistro Moncur.

1.My friends and I had arrived 10 minutes earlier than the booking time. I was greeted by a tallish man wearing a black facemask, who appears to be in his 40s. He told me that the restaurant was not ready and asked us to come back in 10 minutes with a frown on his face. Although I was not particularly happy with the tone of his voice and the facial expression, I thought it was fair that he had asked me to come back at 12pm. As we were walking down the stairs, there was a group of people who were walking towards the restaurant. We went for a walk and came back to the restaurant and spotted the same group of people already sitting at a table and enjoying their drinks. I did not appreciate that the other group was given a table before us when we were there around the same time. I hope this wasn’t a case of racial discrimination.

We were enjoying our meals and the same male staff approached our table and abruptly dropped a knife on our table without a word. It looks like he wanted to change my friend’s cutlery before the main, but it was extremely rude that he just dropped cutlery on the table and walked away. It was absolutely appalling to witness an employee of such a respected restaurant to behave in this manner. The management needs to work on staff training.

I was again served by the same guy when I was trying to pay the bill. Without even looking at me or asking ‘how was you lunch?’ ‘Did you enjoy it?’, he rudely shoved the bill and EFTPOS machine in my face. All he said to me was ‘Do you want a copy?’ (still without even looking at me). I said ‘No thanks’. He was still busy doing his things. No eye contact. No goodbye. No smile.

It’s absolutely disgusting to see this kind of service from my local restaurant. I was absolutely appalled by the level of service and will never visit this restaurant again! Thanks for ruining our...