Camulodunum — Restaurant in Colchester

We went to a few places to eat out and found some closed and some that would have cooked us meals but the chefs were not well and so on, and then the 3 of us found this place, The Camulodunum.

We were not sure if they were doing food even though it stated so outside, but with Covid etc one has to ask and found they were open for food and drinks. We were signed in and shown politely to a great spot by the window with leather bound incredibly comfortable chairs.

So far, so good. A clean faced young guy took our orders and explained how things were done, e.g. you pay for things as you order and so on. Before we knew it the drinks were served in what looked like immaculate glasses and the person serving them handed them over without touching them anywhere except near the bottom (all to often waiters elsewhere handle the glasses from the top). The food arrived and was served by the person Leo (his given name). Strange that, to be given the name Leo when one was a Scorpio.

When the food was handled I noticed they spoke away even though face masks were worn. I am fussy about that because when one speaks, droplets come from the mouth the same as sound, which means, you know, food and droplets for dinner.

The food itself was spectacular, cooked deliciously, served, and presented impeccably. We ate it, we ate it all and looked at each other afterwards with that “could have done with another one of those” kind of satisfaction. On leaving they asked if everything were satisfactory to which we could only answer ‘Yes, absolutely’.

The atmosphere of the place was warm and friendly, they were showing an England versus Denmark football match on their screens which were not intrusive and we could all here each other (unlike some places where things are so loud you come out afterwards with a rattled brain state).

So, Ladies and gentlemen, we found a gem of a place, great people, food, atmosphere and service and lastly but most impressive, a very reasonable bill, especially compared to others down the high street (which for the same or similar 3 meals and round of drinks), would have been at least 30% more. We were impressed by this place and would recommend...

A shambles - appalling service and rude staff.

If you want to wait 25 mins at the bar to be served a drink, The Duchess is the place for you. I can relate to a comment from another reviewer about being made to feel invisible in an attempt to get served here.

Coming in as I did on a Saturday evening, I expected a little wait due to how busy it was. However, I did not expect to have various staff constantly walk past and ignore me, serving customer after customer at different areas of the bar who arrived there well after me. Quite frankly, it was ridiculous and extremely frustrating.

An excuse given by one or two of the staff was that they were serving people 'round the other side' or 'down there' as they went back and forth to take the custom of others. Well, naively, I assumed that as I was standing right by a till and right by a card payment machine, there may actually be someone who could serve me there. Evidently not. Even when it became blatantly obvious that I had been waiting for a considerable length of time.

Now we come to the rudeness of the particular lady who finally served me, following a wait of 25 minutes. A woman standing next to me, who had seen the farcical situation play out, very kindly pointed out that I should be served ahead of her as I had been there a long time. This was met by a decidedly unpleasant and rude response, saying not to tell her who she should and shouldn't be serving.

Of the two drinks I ordered, one was then wrong. It came with ice, when I had clearly asked for it without. Upon drawing attention to this, I also got a rude and snotty reply - full of attitude - telling me that I should be more polite in how I spoke to her. The lady in question then told me that if I came back to the bar for another drink, I should get someone else to serve me as she wouldn't.

Were it not for the football game being shown in the pub, that I had specifically gone there to watch with a friend, I would have walked out and left long before the 25 minute wait I endured and after the obnoxious and inattentive attitude I experienced from the staff.

All in all...

A couple of us had called in a few weeks back for a quick bite before the comedy club. The food was nice, the service was great and the prices were very reasonable, so I didn't hesitate to go back with friends just a few days ago. We got there around 6.15pm and it was reasonably busy for that time on a Friday evening, but there was only one bar staff on and one runner on the floor. This led to long waiting times at the bar, though the bar person Ella was brilliant. She acknowledged us, and spoke to us and the other customers whilst serving. The food runner was great and answered our questions with a smile. I couldn't help but notice during this whole time there was a young man pacing around at the end of the bar, on the phone while customers queued. He very briefly went behind the bar once all the customers had left and I realised he was a manager. If the management had supported the staff to provide a better service, it would have been a more positive experience. I think I'd try it again, but if it's just one bar staff and an uninterested manager, I'll...