Saffron Private Dining — Restaurant in Lipa

My partner planned our anniversary dinner as a surprise, making a reservation through Facebook. He confirmed our details and discussed the menu, choosing the rib platter. The next morning, we were informed that the ribs wouldn't be available, so we agreed to choose from the menu upon arrival. Despite asking if other dishes were available, we received no response.

After driving for an hour, we had to wait 10-15 minutes for the staff to set up our table. We enjoyed the greenery while we waited, but once seated, we were told that most of the menu was unavailable – only three pasta dishes and lemonade were offered. This was disappointing as we expected a full menu based on our reservation.

Additionally, the staff directed their responses to me instead of my foreign partner, who was asking the questions. This felt rude and dismissive. They could have simply explained they were not comfortable speaking English; my partner would have understood rather than feeling ignored.

What was supposed to be a special night turned into a letdown due to the lack of preparation and poor communication. The owner's reasoning that I speak Filipino fluently doesn't make sense. It was my partner's surprise, so am I supposed to coordinate and translate for him the whole time? And please do not tell us that I did not want to talk to anyone "upon arriving" when all I did was translate. With no food and having to translate everything, why wouldn't I be upset and roll my eyes? I even agreed when the staff asked if you could call us. Also, I shouldn't have been the point of contact; the reservation was made under my partner's name, not mine.

Regarding the calls, we answered their initial call but had no signal in our area. Our day was busy, so we couldn't respond to our phones immediately and used Messenger through our laptops instead. If they needed to verify our account, they should have mentioned that in the chat; we would have understood. We also waited for their call before leaving disappointed, and even afterward, yet no call from the owner.

There was a significant lack of communication from their team. I'm sure this is an isolated case and hopefully does not happen again to anyone in the future. They could also improve their customer service in online chats, as they came across as cold and unwelcoming. It's disappointing that the restaurant's response to my partner's review was defensive and dismissive, without any attempt to empathize with or understand our situation, nor acknowledge their...

We reserved the day before to celebrate our anniversary. We arrived at 17.15, reservations were at 17.00. Nothing was prepared. After waiting a additional 15 minutes we got told that only 3 pasta dishes were available and as far as the drinks only lemonade was available. So no coffee, no beer no nothing but lemonade... Then we got told by the owner that they were not sure if we were coming, which is mindboggling to have nothing prepared at all even though we reserved and chatted on facebook😅. Maybe charge a reservation fee or something if this is a reocurring problem.And i understand that maybe you dont want to go and get all the groceries you need just to have a full menu ready. But you could have asked what we would have liked to eat so that you atleast have something prepared. Very unpleasant experience overall. Also it was kind of annoying that noone at the site spoke english which is the first i have encountered this in the philipines.

As a reply to your statement: You knew we were coming. I dont understand why you would lie about this?? You clearly said the tasting menu and the normal menu were available. Then the next day you text us to say no ribs which is okay it happens. But then we arrive and you do not have any drinks but blue lemonade and 3 pasta's. You had plenty of time to prepare. You did not even respond to our question if everything on the normal menu was available. So yes i do not think its unreasonable to go look for another restaurant to celebrate our anniversary as you do not seem to understand if you lie to people they are not gonna be happy. The only reason i can think of is that business must be going bad if you cant even stock things like coffee or bottled water and dough. Now i had a gift for my partner which i wanted to serve to her but seeing as you have no one there who speaks english you expect me to tell my partner to tell your worker to hide her gift? You are a private dining "high end" restaurant. Then have some staff who actually speak your nations...

Let me say it first, YOU WOULD BE PAYING FOR THE PLACE RATHER THAN THE FOOD. We arrived at the venue at 6:23pm for a 6pm reservation so we expected that the table would be set already. When we arrived, the staff was still setting the table. Then the soup was served. It was good. It wasn't until the mains were served that we started to feel a bit disappointed. When we were inquiring, we were told that it would be a buffet-type dinner. But when we got there, we were told that it would be plated instead. When the mains were served, let me tell you, it wasn't enough for 20 people. It was very disappointing. The food wasn't even warm anymore when they were served. When we requested wine glasses for the wine we brought, we were given varying types of glassware . We were expecting at least a uniform set because... well, I mean, it's a private dining restaurant? I must say though that the staff was very attentive and accomodating, albeit a little slow. It was an overall disappointing experience because the price we paid was not cheap. Hope they make improvements in their...