RHUBARB at Drapers Hall — Restaurant in England

Faulty Towers? That would be flattery… it’s a disaster

I am compelled to write this following an appalling Saturday night dinner for a group of friends. Our pre-dinner expectations had already been significantly toned down following a similar negative experience of one of the guests a few weeks earlier, so what we endured can be considered to be the norm and not an exception.

On a positive note, the venue is very special. A historic building tasteful restored and fill of character. Unfortunately, a restaurant that positions itself as ‘fine-dining’ cannot rely on this alone. The worst aspect of Drapers Hall is the service. At best it is amateur but enthusiastic, but generally it is absolutely incompetent. To say that the whole experience lacked attention to detail is one way of putting it, the other side of the same coin could just read “we don’t give a damn…” Requests for dessert met with a grunt and generally all requests to passing staff were met with a “we’ll send someone over” which each time then took the best part of fifteen minutes.

Other restaurants in Shrewsbury do offer a good level of service, but be it slap hazard management, a lack of training or underpaid staff, this venue was an embarrassment. Wine service was chaotic, with wine glasses were filled to the brim at one end of the table and leaving just quarter glasses at the other end of the table, yet when we asked for a second bottle of the same wine they were sold out. And this was at a normal time on a Saturday night. It was the same lame story when we arrived – everyone wanted to have a glass of fizz on arrival but most of the champagnes were out of stock and we couldn’t get a second of the bottle that we did choose.

Our food was average at best and on the level of ‘pub grub’. The seemingly microwaved slices of turkey that were presented to me had more steam coming off them than the Flying Scotsman at full pelt. The walnut pie for dessert had the distinct appearance and taste defrosted factory-prepared food and yes, you will need three courses because you will be hungry.

Don’t rely on the bread served up at the table to fill the gaps - British Airways economy class bread rolls have more taste and texture. And don’t get me started on the espresso. Take note, it’s not supposed to be a small cup of filter-strength coffee. In these days of perfect espresso coffee pods that cost £0.30 a shot from a machine that is less that £100 there is simply no excuse to serve such a disgusting brew.

We all have to earn a crust and independent restaurants are a blessing to all towns, but this place could be so much more. Sadly I fear that this old dog is unable to learn any new tricks…

P.S. Also make sure that you check your bill, we had someone else’s beer and...

I was there on 28th March for my sister-in-law’s birthday, party of 6, who had eaten there before. The interior and decor was old, quirky and nice decor. This is marketed as a ‘high-end’ restaurant….

We ordered starters which were delicious. 3 of us ordered sirloin steak (no other cuts available)for main course, served with a spiced butter sauce. I asked for a traditional peppercorn sauce instead as I enjoy that. The steaks were served. I asked about the peppercorn sauce and the waiter replied that ‘the chef did not have the ingredientes ’. This was insulting and arrogant. A chef who does not have cream and peppercorns in the kitchen; really ? Surely a chef should be flexible and indulge the customer with a simple request even if not on the menu. The 3 steaks were ordered medium-rare, no blood. Mine was raw, nor rare, it was purple meat. The waiter came back and offered replacments. The replacement steak was hot and cooked perfectly.

That sucked the atmosphere out of the evening and we left without having puddings.

We paid £68 for a bottle of Rioja given the special occasion. It transpires it can be purchased for £28, probably less to the restaurant in bulk. Why the obscene mark up? Yes, I can understand maybe £15 mark up but £40. Absolutely ridiculous and greedy!!

On the way out the owners, the lady who took our order and the chef were sat in the bar. NO apology was made for the mistake. This lack of humility was arrogant.

As a comparison, I took my family to The Raven Inn in Welshpool for Easter Sunday lunch. The menu was extensive and every dish homemade. The Sunday carvery was delicious.The staff were fantastic and I told the manager who I know about our disappointment experience at Rhubarb and that I wished we had the same quality of food as the Raven, who, incidentally have a choice of 4...

My father came to the UK from the US for my wedding, and booked into the hotel for the nights after to stay in Shrewsbury. I drove them into town around 11am, which is quite early (he had contacted them asking for an early check in, and no one replied). The door was locked, and my two phone calls went unanswered (yes I was calling from a UK number, I live here). Despite the fact that an Amazon delivery driver was there and called a contact number and received an answer (and was told he would have to wait 10/15 minutes just for someone to come take delivery!). With no answer and no indication of how long we might have to wait, and being very nervous about how helpful they would be having ignored both my calls and his previous messages, I took them to a different hotel. I’d have been happy to wait until a designated time, but without any answer and with all of my wedding things to get back to my own home, waiting indefinitely until someone came or decided to answer the phone was not an option. Perhaps staying in the hotel itself is lovely, but if there is no communication or commitment to even answering calls when guests need assistance, I’m not sure how it can be a...