Mister D’Arcy — Restaurant in Western Australia

Hello Mister D’arcy, We went to the restaurant the other evening and were extremely disappointed. We had high hopes for the restaurant and heard positive things! As we arrived, we were greeted by a lovely lady and were taken through the buzzing mid section, to the back dining area of the restaurant. The restaurant had unique decor but no vibes at all, apart from the buzzing mid. The feng shui of the whole restaurant was all off! To the alfresco dining, the high tables in the mid, and the stagnant dining in the back. They placed us in the stagnant back that was basically furnished like a cheap stakehouse, with a tacky living room projected onto a flatscreen tv!! Between a wall and stairway. After asking for a new seat, we settled for an alfresco table out the front, where we were literally sitting on the curb. We slid our table closer to the heater. But it was too heavy. No wait staff to help us, as they observed us struggling. We sat on a tilt, that we tried to fix, on our knees, with the paper sleeves that our cutlery came in like a canteen, shoving them under the table legs. Secondly, we were not told anything about the restaurant as we were seated. We didn’t realise there was no table service and that we had to get up and collect our own water, plates and cutlery. They had multiple wait staff walking around only to clear plates, sometimes! Wish I was getting paid to do not even half my job…. Onto the food and drinks. We ordered the passionfruit martini, the tuna tartare and the duck pancakes to start. After waiting a while… we were greeted to our drinks. They were okay, not mixed correctly and both tasted totally different. One tasted like watered down wine and the other straight spirit, with a hint of passion. Then the tuna tartare, with wonton crackers came out. HUGE wonton crackers. It should have been wonton crackers with a side of tuna! The tuna portion seemed so tiny compared to the wontons. They would have executed this better by having the wonton halved or quartered and a dollop of tuna on top. Tasted pretty good though thankfully. Then the duck pancake came out. We found the dried orange garnish odd , when the duck wasn’t glazed in orange at all! But the dish lacked sauce, it was dry as a bone. But most of all the SPICE!!! I can take the heat, but when I saw the amount of sliced chilli poking through, I had to take the majority out. But as I started to chew my first bite, I then came to terms with the other spice elements. We unraveled the pancakes and found that the duck was dressed in literally chilli seeds and more! It was inedible (So we didn’t eat it)! The waiter came to collect our first plates and didn’t even have the audacity to check how it was going! Not even the usual saying, “How is everything going tonight!” In the end we decided not to waste our money as it was pricey for what it turned out to be, and decided to go elsewhere! Sadly the restaurant did not live up to the expectations it’s trying to “forkfill”! I hope you can see this as constructive criticism as I have hope for this local gem to thrive. From an experienced restaurateur with many years in...

Beyond disappointed. Planned a girls night out with some amazing friends. I called the restaurant 2 hours prior to our booking and said I wanted to give them my cc details and to charge me for the full table. I was advised they could not take payments like that so I asked if I could bring an envelope of cash with my bank details to transfer any balance left back to me. Was told this was a perfect way.

Asked the lady to let the team know.

Arrived early and handed an envelope to the lady manager. The envelope had the amount of cash in it written on the front, as well as our table name and that the full amount was to be covered by what I had supplied and that I was covering the cost of the whole tables entree, mains, dessert, drinks, cocktails. For any balance, I had listed my bank details for a refund. I also listed it was a SECRET and to please just text me. The lady manager took the envelope and I received no text so I understood this to mean she knew what was going on. I went to order our meal and saw my first friend being charged. I gave them a look to say no and the girl kinda shrugged and told me she ordered and wanted her own table number…. Ok we missed one. The rest we managed to order on a “pay later basis”. At the end of the evening, we went to “pay” and my friends started to PAY THEIR ACCOUNT! The lady manager who I had handed the envelope to was right next to me, SITTING DRINKING AT THE BAR! I looked to her to try and get her assistance, back to the lady behind the till who was still trying to take a payment!!! I then had to tell my group of friends what had happened and that they were not to pay, when I was then attacked by the manager and the lady behind the till, that I was not welcomed to come back….??? What the hell??? The manager told me she knew nothing about what I had planned. I showed her the 3 min conversation I had had with someone at their restaurant, where I had explained my plan. The manger just abused me again and told me I was not welcome back and I was just embarrassing myself and the girl at the till just threw me the balance of what was owning to me. I literally walked outside in tears of embarrassment.

Don’t ever plan anything special at this restaurant as they will not only feign ignorance despite being shown proof, but then abuse their customers.

Also, they got our meal wrong and when I showed them, they told me I had to pay for another meal.

Food - really lovely, except the meal that was not my order and refused to replace Atmosphere- was actually really nice Staff - appalling Management - specifically the lady manager - rude, abusive, argumentative and clearly unable to read an envelope and be willing to assist in what was supposed to be a beautiful gift to my friends. The manager’s incompetence in advising her staff is where this all went wrong.

Im beyond sad that what should have been an amazing evening out for my friends, trying to do a kind, anonymous gesture, was handled so aggressively by the staff.

Will not be...

Very disappointed with our experience tonight. We left frustrated and actually feel ripped off.

Firstly the food was fantastic so credit where it’s due. The chefs were on point but the front of house was a shambles. We’ve had many a meal in other venues within the group and have always had a great meal. That’s why tonight’s experience just doesn’t sit right with me.

We spent the majority of our night up and down like yo-yos ordering food, drinks, getting plates, cutlery? We spent $215 for a table of two and feel like we should be on the payroll with the work we did tonight. We go out to dinner (rarely as we have a young family) to get away from having to do everything! Other tables in our area were being waited on hand and foot, but when I asked for cutlery I was told to get it myself.

The table of loud, drunk women sitting directly behind us had multiple servers running laps for them, they were even apologised to profusely by the server when they by their own fault knocked a cocktail that was being brought over to them all over the back of my shirt and my handbag! But I didn’t get an apology.

I also didn’t get an apology when my second drink order of blush pink gin and came out without the gin! Charging $25 for a gin and tonic to then send out just tonic is diabolical. Again husband had to get up from his seat and go to the bar to get it sorted. My first gin came out with a bottle of fever tree tonic and a beautiful marble platter with various different fruits( lime, strawberries and orange) my second gin came out in a glass with one strawberry and already made up (minus the gin). I’ve worked in the hospitality industry for years. I know what gin and tonic tastes like. And the drink DID NOT have gin in it. No big deal, easy fix but apparently not! After some back and forth they agree to make up a new one but not before telling my husband the gin was in there all along. We both tasted it and that is simply not true. Why would we bother getting up and queuing AGAIN to have to argue over something that was what we ordered? It makes absolutely no sense. He asks why the inconsistency? Why did my first drink come out with all the theatre and then the second comes out thrown together? Lady behind bar agrees but again feels the need to tell us the gins in it! It’s not! Hence the send back! How about some service and just take it on the chin and say sorry! Mistakes happen, we will get another straight out to you. The same server who couldn’t apologise enough to the party of drunks behind us for spilling their drink all over me comes out and slaps my new G&T infront of me without uttering a word. Utterly infuriating and just killed the night.

We Haven’t had an experience as bad as this in years! It’s a shame because the food was great but everything else...