Madam & Sir Florida Road — Restaurant in Windermere

❗️❗️❗️UPDATE❗️❗️❗️

To the owner of Madam and Sir.

You sent me a very convincing response to my review on the first time I visited your establishment. I took up your offer and decided to give your restaurant a second chance.

On a positive note, the staff were very accommodating and the service was much better than the first time we came by.

In your response you mentioned "we're happy to share that our new Head Chef has offially started and has already implemented major changes to improve our standards - including the launch of a brand-new menu" This statement is a complete lie. Your existing menu was just reprinted. This comment was made on multiple other poor reviews and is purposefully misleading. Nothing has changed with your menu.

I ordered Madams Grilled Lamb Chops. What was served to me vs what was on the menu was absolutely shocking. The most shameful thing of this meal which was supposed to be served with mash was served with dry store bought "just add water" Smash. For a restaurant to pass off synthetic Smash as potatoe mash is unfathomable. Does your "new well esteemed head chef" not know how to boil a potato to make a simple mash?

Furthermore, you are passing off mutton as lamb. The chops were so hard and chewy that I actually spat out a bite that I could not chew. The menu describes the meal as "3 Lamb Chops served with pan-fried buttery potatoes and roasted garlic sauce, green olives, pickled red onion and dried tomato with potato and pea salad with lemon minted mayo."

There was no buttery potatoes, no green olives, no pickled red onion, no dried tomatoes and no potato and pea salad with lemon minted mayo. It was just three dry dunked chops with smash. Please view the pictures. I think your new head chef should give your menu a browse before attempting to cook another dish.

Aestetically your restaurant is beautiful, and perfect for the Gram. It would be great to see that same level of effort put into the food. I certainly will never return to your restaurant and I hope this is an opportunity for you to be honest to the innocent patrons who walk through your doors hoping to get value for their money...

This was our first time visiting this restaurant and it quite a disappointment. I will not go back. Firstly, it was lunch time and the music was so loud I could not hear the person across the table from me. I had to ask the waiter to turn down the volume. The restaurant was not busy and the staff were quite rowdy. We were given the menus and I was completely shocked at the condition of the menus. Pages were literally falling out as I paged through it. It was old, tattered and oily. Not a great first impression.

The beer glass that was served to us was wet on the inside and outside. It was as if it just came from the sink straight to the table. We asked the waiter to take it back.

I ordered a smoked Salmon Salad and was given, what I assume, was Tuna. It was definitely not smoked or Salmon. The salad dressing was an extremely large portion of balsamic vinegar. Surely more effort can be put into making a proper salad dressing.

The burger portion was also very small and the bun that was served was not the bun mentioned in the menu.

This establishment is overhyped and is not value for money. A very disappointing lunch... Would not recommend the restaurant and we certainly will...

🌟 Shoutout & Compliment:

A heartfelt thank you to Fezeka and Faisal for their outstanding service at Madam and Sir. Fezeka’s energy was warm, professional, and genuinely welcoming from the moment we walked in. She paid attention to every detail, ensured we were comfortable, and added such a personal touch that made our experience unforgettable. Thank you, Fezeka you’re a gem! 🤍

⚠️ Complaint about the manager:

However, I unfortunately need to raise a concern about the floor manager who was on duty at the time of our visit. His approach was dismissive and left us feeling disrespected which was a sharp contrast to the otherwise beautiful service we received.

After we had enjoyed our meal and drinks, we simply asked for proper packaging for our takeaway food as we were full and needed to transport our meals safely to the car especially given the rainy and slippery weather conditions. I requested to speak with the manager politely and with a smile, expecting just a simple solution or understanding. Instead, I was met with coldness, no eye contact, no greeting, and absolutely no sense of care or courtesy.

I tried to explain the situation calmly, but he responded vaguely, saying, “the delivery is coming” multiple times without any attempt to resolve the issue or provide clarity. What was most disappointing is that he never came to check on our table, and when I did approach him, he ended up walking away while I was still talking, and began mumbling something to the waiter without acknowledging us again.

There was no apology, no accountability, and no customer care. It felt like he didn’t want to help and honestly just wanted us gone. I’ve worked in hospitality even as a Front of House Manager and I understand very well that the standard of leadership on the floor directly reflects the image of the business. And in this case, it did not align with the excellent service we received from the waiters.

I really feel sorry for Mr & Mrs Mthembu, because they’ve built something truly special, and their brand deserves to be represented with class, respect, and hospitality at all levels. It’s unfortunate that one individual, through lack of training or awareness, can undo all the hard work and heart they’ve put into Madam and Sir.

✨ Final Note:

I hope this message is received in the spirit it’s intended not to attack, but to protect the standard and quality of a beautiful establishment I genuinely admire. I want to see it thrive. Thank you again to Fezeka and Faisal. They were truly the stars of the evening.

Warm...

My husband and I recently had lunch to celebrate our anniversary...it's sad to say, I wish we hadn't spent our afternoon at this particular establishment.

Having difficulty getting through to the place should have been a clear red flag. After two WhatsApp texts later (that were never answered) and a call that didn't go through, I finally got through via WhatsApp call. Being a Monday, some 'fine dining' places were not open, and we only had time to go somewhere relatively close, so here we were.

The decor, interior and music work well. Attention's clearly been given to ensure an aesthetically pleasing space. However, the food left a LOT to be desired (in taste, appearance and cost). We waited a while for the starters (BBQ wings). When they eventually arrived, they were fine, though nothing to write home about. Let's not talk about how my glass was so filthy, the water looked cloudy. For mains, we both ordered the seafood meal (hake, prawns, calamari etc.). A few minutes later, our waiter (who I'm purposefully not naming), returned to say they're out of hake and calamari, so we had to order something else. My husband ordered the rib-eye, while I ordered the kingklip (it arrived unseasoned, with some slimy parts). Our waiter returned to say my husband would need to order something else, yet again, as they were out of all meats! How?! He ordered the lamb shank, which was accompanied by the most overcooked rice. It looked so unappetizing, he barely touched it.

When came time to pay, the bill reflected the meals we initially requested before we had to change our orders - it was only after we brought this up, that an explanation was given for why the bill reflected these meals, and how the bill amount had indeed been adjusted accordingly. For all these issues mind you, no one ever apologized.

The ice-cream was a welcome gesture and was about the only thing which added a bit of sweetness to an otherwise incredibly underwhelming experience.

The same amount of effort and attention to detail that has been given to the aesthetics (menu, decor, music), seriously needs to be given to the main attractions of a restaurant, especially one that markets itself as a fine dining establishment: good food, prompt service and timeous communication.

Did we get value for money? A million times, NO! Will we return? No ways! This was one of those 'one and done'. The fact of having a 10% service charge included to the bill left more of a sour taste in our mouths. The experience honestly felt...