Strandfield — Restaurant in The Municipal District of Dundalk

Strandfield is a vegetarian restaurant that for a very long time has served good food. It has been a regular spot for me. Over the last 6 to 8 months something has changed. Eggs are overcooked again and again and again.

The norm used to be that egg sandwiches would be made with soft, runny eggs - you would generally need to ask for extra napkins they were that runny. Now the standard seems to be well-done, even when you ask for runny. It is near impossible to get a sandwich the way you order it. I have gone from simply asking, to over-labouring the point when I order. Surprisingly, eggs still arrive overcooked.

I visited today with my wife and family and was met by a disinterested girl taking orders on the till. My wife asked what scones they had left to which she replied "whatever's there" We ordered our food and made clear the eggs were to be runny on both sandwiches ordered. She didn't appear to be noting this so we asked her if she had. She replied yes.

The eggs arrived overcooked so I sent them back. To my surprise my order arrived back with a message from the chef that they were not overcooked. I wasn’t expecting this. It’s frustrating to have an issue with your order every time you visit but to have it questioned by the chef? Is that normal practice here? This upset me and after asking for management and speaking to one of the owners, it was established that the chef had not been told the eggs were to be runny. The girl on the till hadn’t bothered to write it down. Maybe she was having a bad day. We all have them. She clearly didn’t want to be there. That said, on many other occasions even when the order is written down correctly, the eggs still arrive overcooked. It points to a problem in the kitchen.

After a brief argument followed by now-cold sandwiches, we were given an apology. It’s not fun sending back food. It’s worse when a chef argues with you. The whole incident was upsetting and we weren’t offered as much as a coffee for the hassle. After many years of multiple weekly visits, today I can say I am done with Strandfield. Their customer service was dreadful on this occasion. It's a busy place, they won't miss my business. I will miss the good times. It is a shame that something has changed here. The vibe behind the counter wasn't good today. I noticed this when waiting to ask if I could speak to the owner.

On the large scale of life, over-cooked eggs are a small thing. Though it is an annoyance that has happened now on every recent visit, I can live with it as long as it is remedied when brought to attention. The real problem today was the food coming back with a message that the chef disagrees. Whatever happened to the customer is...

I have somewhat mixed views on Strandfield, which shouldn't take away from its good points. I pop out to it every so often for coffee and cake, and wouldn't continue to do so, unless it appealed to me. Strandfield is located just north of Dundalk, and is easily accessible either off the M1 motorway, or off the Inner Relief Road. It is nestled in a nice area away from the passing traffic. It has the quaint appearance of an old Farmhouse that has been retro fitted with lots of glass frontage, which is nice for both those looking in, and those looking out. There is a gravel parking area, which at times is not large enough for the amount of cars in attendance, and you sometimes get people parking poorly, reducing again the availability. Strandfield is kind of like a cafe with a shop area and a small garden centre, with the cafe area taking up the largest part. It has indoor and outdoor seating. Queues can be very long at peak times, especially on Saturday's and Sunday's when the weather is good. Thankfully, there has always been plenty of staff when I have been here, and every member of staff I have ever dealt with, has been pleasant and very helpful. The only small drawback on the restaurant for me, is that there menu is very limited, with no meat or fish dishes. I don't know why, and although they have a great selection of other options, it's still something I would like to see. As regards the food they do have on offer, it is great. For me it's a little bit pricey, but the environment, the good service, and the quality of the food, definitely make up for that. The shop area has a host of fresh and packed goods, many of the healthy eating variety. Some can be expensive enough, but most are what you would expect to pay anywhere else. I think there are definitely some things that you would have to travel some distance to find. My memory may be skewed slightly with age, but I don't think the Garden Centre portion of Strandfield, is as extensive as it used to be, which is unfortunate. Having said that, there is still a range of plants and shrubs available, that would suit most gardens. All in all, while my review may seem mixed, it doesn't take away from the fact that I would recommend that you visit Strandfield. It's a lovely place, and while limited in what it offers, what it does offer, is of...

Was at the cafe today and was appalled at my experience. I was with a friend who has a severe nut allergy, she thoroughly checked the allergens on the menu to ensure the item she was ordering was nut free. The menu stated the only allergens in the dish were milk and wheat. After eating a few bites of the food she began to taste nuts. She asked a member of staff if there were nuts in the dish and the staff member was confused and unsure what the dish contained. We then asked her to speak to the chef to confirm whether or not the dish contained nuts. The chef confirmed that there were walnuts in the pesto. We showed her the menu which clearly stated that there were no nuts in the dish. The chef simply said it was a new menu. We told her that the situation was extremely serious and she simply said sorry I didn’t write the menu. We asked to speak to a manager and were told that they weren’t there today and there was no one else we could speak to. We had to leave immediately and take my friend to the hospital to be treated. The lack of allergen knowledge amongst the staff was horrific. The staff didn’t seem to understand the severity of the situation and simply said sorry it’s a new menu. This is a huge under-sight by the staff and management at Strandfield and I sincerely hope the menu is changed immediately to ensure that this does not happen to anyone else. I am appalled at the way we were treated by the staff and their nonchalant reaction to the situation. I will certainly not be back in the establishment as their negligent approach to allergens...