Pear Tree Bistro — Restaurant in Overstrand Local Municipality

It was a cold day so we went inside this quite small restaurant. The heater was turned so high that our whole party started sweating. (I am not exaggerating here, it was stifling to just breathe) We asked them to turn the gas fireplace off, and the waiter agreed and just walked passed it straight to the kitchen and ignored our request.

Then we ordered drinks. We received 2 bottles of beer after we had ordered on tap, and the other drinks all just stood on the bar for ten minutes while the waiters were joking with each other. So our beer was warm (due to the ridiculous ambient temperature) by the time the other drinks arrived.

We then ordered food, which was okay. The steak for R245 with no sides offered by the waiter was a let down though. The chips received with the other orders were stale and under-seasoned.

I am not nitpicking here, or being baised. I just feel that for the price paid it there are much better options within walking distance of Pear Tree. Casual fine-dining is a competitive market, with a bunch of great options, and it just feels as if this restaurant is trying to be too many things but excelling at none. Service was sub-par.

I was rooting for this to be a nice experience, however I cannot objectively say...

My Criteria for Exceptional Restaurant Service:

Seated within 2 minutes of arrival Drink orders taken within 5 minutes of being seated Starters and main courses ordered within 10 minutes of being seated Starters served within 15 minutes of ordering Main course delivered within 20 minutes after finishing the starters, unless additional cooking time is specified on the menu

I mention these standards to explain why Pear Tree Bistro didn’t achieve a perfect rating. If my assessment were based solely on the food, it would undoubtedly earn five stars. Both our starters and main courses were outstanding—flavorful dishes that were expertly prepared.

However, waiting over 40 minutes for our starters and over an hour for our mains, especially while other patrons seated after us were already enjoying their meals, cast a shadow over what should have been a wonderful evening. In a town with an abundance of excellent options, it means that sadly we're unlikely to consider a return visit.

This is particularly disappointing as my wife and I both love their sister restaurant (Char'd) and regularly go there when on holiday...

Our table for 4 was pre-booked yet we were squeezed onto such a small table which really should only sit 2! The table was right next to their drinks service area and en route to their kitchen! There were tables full of diners on the other 3 sides with chairs touching. So the place is being greedy squeezing too many diners into too small an area. One of our party ordered the muscles as main course. It was well presented and she said the muscles themselves tasty nice ....but the sauce was so incredibly salty that it was totally inedible! As if the pot of salt had been dropped into it! She reported this shortcoming but wasn't offered an apology or that her coffee could have been made complimentary as some compensation. My meal which was the duck breast was delicious but had been left heated maybe while the other dishes were prepared so that the final result was that some of the features of the dish had almost "cooked" away, like the beetroot. Such a shame. Service friendly and willing in a very very difficult service area given the...