Côte Cambridge — Restaurant in Cambridge

We love to go to Cote, Cambridge, and we try to often, as we have always over the past 10 years received wonderful service and food.

Unfortunately, we don’t like to complain or write negative reviews, but earlier this evening, we arrived at Cote for 6.30pm, only to find, once the maître d' could not find us on his system, that I had inadvertently booked us a table for the wrong evening. However, he kindly found us a table and to our delight by the window, in fact a usual seat for us. So far so very good.

Regrettably, the waitress service was not as good as we have come to expect at Cote. Our waitress was very nice, took our drink and food order and asked when we would like our ‘for the table’ food brought out, prior to our starters, or with our starters. I said prior please. with a question mark, thinking that may be a problem and our waitress agreed that is what ‘for the table’ usually means.

Unfortunately after ordering our drinks and food, we had to wait sometime for the tap water and sat with no drink at all for sometime, I had to ask where it was. Then the Charcuterie Board arrived with the starters, I explained that we had asked that the Charcuterie board be separate from the starters and we were disappointed in the fact, that we guessed our starters would probably be put under a light to keep warm while we ate our charcuterie board, so we rushed this and then our starters were brought out in a timely manner, but after taking a bite of the calamari it was evident that it had been under something to keep warm as the batter was over done so crispie it was almost disintegrating as I put a fork in, at no point during the starter did the waitress ask how the meal was, otherwise I would have said something.

Our main took at least 20 mins to come out following the starters and when our waitress put the food down she did not apologise or mention the delay. The food was as it always is - lovely. The waitress did come back during us eating our mains and did ask us how it he mains were, we agreed, lovely.

We then ordered one decaf cappuccino and the Apple Tart Tatin to share. The coffee came but I had finished my coffee by the time desert came out approx. 15-20 mins later from ordering the coffee and dessert. The table next to us also complained to the waitress how long they were waiting between courses and were asked if they wanted a complimentary drink on the house. Those people also lasked us if we had to wait, and we said yes, and that this was unusual but we both agreed that the waitress should have given us a ‘heads up’ and a rough delay time, which unfortunately she did not. The whole meal took over 2 hours for just two of us,, normally we would be out within an hour and quarter. It was just unfortunate we were left wondering throughout our meal when the next course was coming. A shame really, as it did dampen the...

My partner and I were both disappointed by the evening spent there.

At first, the waitress was really pressing us to order quickly, something that I dont particularly like in a proper dine-in restaurant.

But we actually started to be suspicious when we received the starters : a "fougasse" that was lacking salt and any actual flavor... I had to dip it in the shrimps that also had no flavor except for this chilli sauce. So I felt like I had plain saltless bread to dip in an industrial shrimp-shaped chilli sauce... It didn't start well.

Then I had the seafood stew, and they were almost no gravy, just the (frozen) seafood in a plate, I felt like I didn't had what I ordered. My partner had the beef bourguignon, and they've put pickled onions in it, instead of real onions, jesus... It's supposed to be a French restaurant, never seen any french restaurant using pickled onion in my life. She left most of it, that I ate because the seafood portion was too small (note that we had a starter).

Oh, and when the waitress removed our plates, she dropped a mussel shell in the middle of the table. So from then until we had to ask the waitresss to remove it, this seafood-in-the-middle was catching all of our attention in this supposed-to-be romantic evening... At least, we definitely had a good laugh.

For the dessert, we were suspicious so we asked the waitress if the desserts are "home-made" or industrial ones, she replied quite certain that the desserts are done by Cote, somewhere centralized nearby so it's "fresh made" still. So we order the chocolate fondant, and OH BOY, we recognized as soon as the plate was in sight that it's a regular good old industrial dessert mass produced for all the restaurants in europe (so to speak, don't quote me). Speaking from someone who worked in a restaurant in France and where the damn thing was served to the employees every now and then.

Anyway, the prices though are ok in this restaurant, but it's still not worth it in my opinion.

Oh, one more thing... Even if the service tip is optional, it's actually added in the final bill. Meaning that you'd have to ask yourself and face it yourself if you want not to pay it. Good thing for the waitress that we didn't notice it after having left the restaurant. Another rip-off feeling that strikes right at us when leaving this restaurant.

I really don't understand the good reviews in this restaurant. Maybe we went there at the wrong moment ? I'm not sure though, but we'll probably never go back there again. There is so many other places we know are good for sure in the...

It is with the deepest of regrets that I feel compelled to commit these words to paper. Rarely have I found cause to offer such a blistering critique, for it is not my nature to speak ill of the efforts of others. Yet the profoundly unsatisfactory nature of my recent experience leaves me with little choice.

While the culinary and libational offerings were passable, even adequate, the treatment of my personal effects was nothing short of egregious. The careless spilling of tomato juice upon my new traveling bag and charging cable was, I am certain, an unintended transgression. However, the subsequent handling of this mishap was woefully deficient.

The application of dish soap in a crude attempt to scrub away the stain did little to remedy the situation, leaving behind persistent and unsightly blemishes. That the server failed to ensure the complete removal of the offending substance from the surrounding furnishings only compounded my distress, for I was left to contend with the risk of further soiling.

I cannot help but wonder if the server's response would have been more considerate had the items in question been of a more premium provenance. Alas, though my recent acquisitions may not have borne illustrious brand names, they held deep personal significance. The gesture of waiving a modest dessert charge fell pitifully short of adequately compensating for the ruination of goods valued at over £100.

As I labored to address the lingering odor and unsightly blemishes, the server passed me by on numerous occasions without offering further assistance. The protracted delay I endured upon checkout, with none deigning to attend to my needs, only served to compound my sense of frustration and disappointment.

It is with a heavy heart that I now continue my travels bearing the indelible marks of this unpleasant experience. I can only implore that others take heed and exercise caution when bringing personal effects into this establishment, lest they suffer a similar fate. It is my fervent hope that the management will undertake a thorough review of their service protocols to ensure that no future patron is subjected to such an unfortunate encounter.

**I sent email to them (2024.8.2) but...