PJ’s Bar & Grill — Restaurant in Petaling Jaya

As someone who owns and manages multiple F&B establishments in Klang Valley, I’ve seen my fair share of service blunders. But PJ Bar and Grill took it to a whole new level….dare I say, they’ve set the bar for bad service so low, you’d need a shovel to find it.

Let’s start with the crab cake. Imagine my excitement as it arrived at the table, only to be shattered when I took a bite and discovered it tasted, well, “funny.” It had some kind of cherry flavoured ubat batuk taste, now, I’m all for culinary creativity, but this was more like a comedy of errors. Naturally, I sent it back, expecting an apology and a quick removal from the bill. Instead, I got a defensive manager who seemed more interested in protecting the chef’s fragile ego than addressing the issue. Apparently, the chef is a culinary genius, and my taste buds are just unsophisticated. How silly of me!?

Now, here’s where things get interesting. After returning the crab cake, I was told, oh so kindly that they’d take it off the bill. But when I received the check, surprise! There it was, charged in full, staring at me like an uninvited guest who refuses to leave. The manager, in her infinite wisdom, decided to dig her heels in, defending the charge. I suppose charging customers for food they didn’t eat is the new standard in hospitality.

The manager refused to back down, defending the charge as if her job depended on it, which, at this point, it probably should.

After a series of back and forth that could have rivaled a badminton match, the manager finally gave in and removed the charge for the crab cake. But here’s the million ringgit question: why does a customer have to fight tooth and nail for something that should be common sense?

If I may offer some advice, having a bit of experience in this industry myself, here’s how this could have been handled better:

Apologize Genuinely: A simple, sincere apology goes a long way. Defending the chef and dismissing the customer’s feedback is a surefire way to lose business. Follow Through on Promises: If you say the crab cake will be taken off the bill, take it off. No one likes a surprise charge, especially when it’s for something they didn’t consume. To the hotel management: You need to seriously reconsider who you have managing PJ Bar and Grill. This manager is driving customers away with her arrogance and poor judgment. If you don’t make a change,and quickly, you’re going to lose business, plain and simple.

In the F&B world, service is everything. PJ Bar and Grill might have a lot of things on the menu, but good service isn’t one of them. Here’s hoping they figure that out before more customers get a taste of their version of hospitality.

Note: This bad service review only applies to the manager, not the waitstaff. The waiters and waitresses did an excellent job, and they deserve better leadership than what they’re...

My advice: if you don’t dress up/seem like a working adult, do expect unfair treatment. Obvious attitude will be shown by the floor manager if you practice your rights.

I went on a Tuesday with friends. Food choices were limited. Ordered a signature mixed grill and the shrimps were replaced with beef, but we were not notified us about the change. Also ordered aglio olio, but it took an hour. After notifying Fara about it, she went in to check but it still had not come out after 20minutes. I told another waiter(can’t remember his name, very kind and patient) to cancel the order since we’ve waited way too long. However, Fara yelled at us across the bar that it is on the way and that we’re not allowed to cancel it. Just then, the waiter told us the chef forgot about it and just started cooking. I did not want it anymore as we’ve waited far too long so we decided to leave because it was getting cramped and noisy. When we wanted to pay, Fara showed obvious body language that she was unhappy as she knocked loudly on the screen to print our bill. The rest of the crew was friendly. One of the waitresses who served us was Amanda, she was super friendly and efficient. All in all, view is good, but I would not recommend this place because the food(even the mixed grill) took too long and indoors is noisy while outdoors is too...

Taste: 3/5 Portion: 3/5 Ambience: 5/5 Service: 2/5 Price: N/A

Rooftop dining seems to be the trend and more so with COVID SOPs encouraging ventilation. Great views of PJ and on a clear night, you'd be able to see the flickering lights of Genting Highlands. The dining area shares the same space as the swimming pool area of the hotel.

Was there for a group dinner. Let's cover the food first. The 3-course set was made up of cured japanese mackerel, braised lamb shank and coffee tiramisu. No complimentary coffee/tea or even water. The 2 small squares of 1.5" x 1.5" mackerel were chewy and lack flavour. Braised lamb shank was very tender. Meat falls apart easily but the braised vegetables were overcooked and everything sitting under the shank became a bit of a mush. Tiramisu was underwhelming and served lukewarm making it mushy as well.

Service...while the waitstaff were friendly, they truly have to work on efficiency. Those who ordered the striploin as mains finished their meal before the lamb shanks arrived! And dessert showed up a good 20 mins after mains were done. We almost forgot we had dessert still. Table setting was also totally wrong. There were knives on both sides of the setting, too few forks and no spoons. Wrong knives too.

Overall, not the fine dining standards...