Sam's Fowey — Restaurant in England

Too salty and over cooked, dirt in my salad. I wish we’d just had some takeaway fish and chips and eaten on the pier. You cannot book which actually suited us but after offering our name and number so that we could have a drink in the sunshine nearby I was told we had to stay on the premises for the 45-1hr wait (something only the most popular restaurants in central London insist on). The very well oiled process they have at Sams is that you stand in the middle of other diners scanning the specials board then place your full order at the bar. When I asked to have a taste of the cider I was told ‘you will like it’. You’re then given a number and are told to go upstairs to the holding pen aka bar which had no natural light. When the waiter cane up to call us we obediently stood to leave and waited while he chatted to the upstairs barman before being led downstairs. The meals (scallops, mackerel and skate) were all over cooked and sadly didn’t respect what was probably very good quality local seafood. The poor scallops were dry, tight little balls with no sauce. The mackerel was over flavored and the ‘infused basil red cabbage’ was some vinegar over roughly chopped cabbage. The skate was super salty, and more butter than caper in the sauce. The salads on all meals reminded me of bad cafe side salads from the 90s. The least interesting leaves you can imagine, dry and unwashed (visible dirt on the leaves), with a single slice of pale, dry tomato and a sprinkle of grated carrot. No dressing, nothing. I also heard another table sending wine back because it ‘tasted like stilton cheese’. The waitress just said ‘oh’ and took the glass away without any apology and attempt to make it up or explain. The staff asked four times how our meal was and I probably should have said something at the time but to be honest there was an arrogance from all staff that gave the impression that this would not be received in a constructive way. In the end I just wanted to het...

The food was cooked nicely and it was fresh. The atmosphere was comfortable with nice decorations of memorable music albums (some of them signed as well!). We had a platter of seafood starters and various other small dishes, two glass of wine and a dessert!

So, why the two star review then?! Well…

We ordered something from the menu that never made it to our table and we’ve been charged for that;until we asked for an adjusted bill…

Our table was reserved a few weeks ago and they knew we’re coming. After 1h and 15mins, whilst we’ve just had our dessert and we wanted to finish of our wine, we’ve been handed the bill by the waiter without asking for it…We’re told that the next booking arrived and we had to leave the table. They apologised! Is that audacity, I wonder.

Please note that the confirmation email received, mentioned a two hour booking slot.

I’ve never had such a bad experience on a restaurant and we felt very uncomfortable so we just paid and leave. Tables that were already enjoyed their experience when we stepped in, were still there and haven’t been asked to leave.

It would be nice to think of the customers feedback…some of them travelling from far away;to visit a nice Cornish village and enjoy the food of an authentic restaurant… I guess,...

With such glowing reviews I had the highest expectations. Even a close friend recommended Sam’s from a prior visit. Sadly, my experience was less than ideal. The food I would say is average. I’d eaten in a few places in Fowey over the last week and found Sam’s to be on par with others in the area. My partner’s seafood feast for one was nothing to exclaim about, and my burger was passable along with a side of chips that seemed to have the texture of those that were cooked and then reheated. The coleslaw on the side was nothing but red cabbage slathered in mayonnaise. The goats cheese bruschetta was cremated to the point of the bread turning to dust as it was sampled. The nachos were plain and miserable. I had an apple mojito which I am almost certain was simply apple juice with a few mint leaves added. I certainly could taste no rum, nor experienced the effects of any alcohol (and I’m not much of a drinker). The toilets were like something out of a horror movie, with urine on the seat and all over the floor. I had to clean the room myself before being able to use it. The hand dryer was also pitiful ensuring I left with wet hands back to my table. The ambience was good, and the wait team attentive but that is the limit of my positivity for...