Spice Island — Restaurant in Dubai

Disappointing Experience with Slow Refills, Rude Staff, and Lack of Preparation at Supposed 5-Star Buffet

My recent visit to the supposed 5-star buffet restaurant named Spice Island in Crowne Plaza Hotel Deira was far from satisfactory. Not only did I encounter issues with the food availability and the behavior of a staff member named Melanie, but it was also evident that the management failed to anticipate and adequately prepare for a busy holiday period.

Firstly, the slow refilling of food stations stood out prominently. It was evident that the restaurant was struggling to keep up with the demand, resulting in numerous empty trays and unrefilled items. This lack of preparation left diners with limited options, diminishing the overall dining experience.

Moreover, the behavior of staff member Melanie was highly unprofessional and unbecoming of a 5-star restaurant. Her grumpy demeanor and frequent shouting as if she’s in a crowded and noisy public market, rather than a refined dining establishment. It is disheartening to see such negative and disrespectful behavior from a staff member representing the restaurant.

To make matters worse, I must emphasize the discourteous and discriminatory treatment by this Melanie. I observed that Melanie, while seemingly kind and gracious towards people wearing suits, displayed an entirely different demeanor towards my friend, who was dressed in semi formal. Her behavior was not only rude but also discriminatory, creating an uncomfortable and unwelcoming atmosphere for us.

As customers, we expect equal treatment and respectful behavior from the staff, regardless of our attire. It is disheartening to witness such unprofessional conduct in what claims to be a 5-star restaurant within a prestigious hotel.

Good thing other staff are very kind and patient to the guests.

Additionally, it was disappointing to see the lack of preparation on a busy holiday period. The management should have been well aware of the increased number of guests and should have taken necessary measures to ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, it felt as though they were unprepared for the influx of customers, leading to subpar service and a sense of chaos.

In conclusion, the 5-star buffet restaurant failed to live up to its reputation. The lack of food availability, the unprofessional behavior of staff member Melanie, and the evident lack of preparation for a busy holiday period contributed to a highly disappointing dining experience. I sincerely hope that the management takes these concerns seriously and makes the necessary improvements to restore the quality and professionalism expected in a premium...

We have been a regular customer of spice island for the past 9 years.However yesterday we found that cleanliness was was poor as our table space was totally dirty with beverages spilled on the floor which made the place sticky dirtying our footwear after which we had to alert the staff. The DJ music at the restaurant was beyond tolerable decibel levels. We started to have a severe headache and hence we repeatedly requested the staff to reduce the volume since the music was so loud that we could not even hear our own conversations. However the staff and the DJ was extremely sensitive and did not reduce the volume stating that people sitting right inside the restaurant at the extreme opposite end corner need to hear music. Seriously!! ?? This is a restaurant, not a pub or disco which should have had loud DJ music. If people seated at the other extreme opposite side end should hear music, then your speaker system should be adjusted accordingly, not that music is played beyond audible levels from the entry of the restaurant. We had asked for table 25 near the window while placing the reservation, to avoid this situation. However we were told that there is a group foe which tables are reserved. Had the table arrangement been horizontally done near the stage, other customers like us could have been well accommodated and not inconvenienced. Also we have observed that the general variety of food is not that great as it used to be. The items on the dinner food menu displayed online was not exactly at the buffet which we alerted your executive chef Mr. Nasser who had been very kind to listen to us. Pls also pay attention to the linen of the chairs which we found was stained at our table. Overall it was a very unpleasant experience yesterday by which we did not really enjoy the food had to leave...

Dear IHG top management,

We literally left the place like 20mins ago.This is something that I think you really need to rectify. All is false advertisements and waste of money on this “ALL ASIAN BRUNCH” all items you put in social media post was not available and items which is mentioned included. You have to wait for 15 minutes to get a dim-sum.what a joke! My fiancé’s came back 4 times just to get her portion, And another 30 mins. To get your shrimp and crab on the live cooking. buffet display never been refilled looks dull and empty.which is very different from the videos online.total scam! Quality of food bland and dry especially the meat options.looks like they used the meat from Saturday brunch and re-used in Sunday brunch.I am a regular guest of IHG groups to add on that was a management team from Intercon back then. Really unacceptable!! No manager was around doing quality checks! For 99aed or 149aed we could go somewhere else to get quality and legit asian food.but this is a complete disaster cutlery and plates full of scratches and chipped. Lack of leadership and management! You know you having 200-300 covers prepare yourselves put more staff chef or floorteam. Howcome you make sushi ala minute.so guest was standing 15mins to get there sushi.i feel bad for the lady chef struggling alone making sushi at least waiter in children section has a smiling face and polite to calm us down. Seriously!! asian restaurants in the streets of Dubai produces better food. You really need to...