The Mayflower — Restaurant in England

The plate of rolls was a 'bread sharing platter' at a ridiculous £9 for four rolls, and absolutely awful olives (could get better at the corner shop - no exaggeration). The seafood sharer at £23 was tasty enough but the only items not deep fried were the prawns and the smoked-something pate. If the seafood sharer was the only thing we had ordered we would have left hungry. It came with, wait for it, two slices of ciabatta. As a sharing platter?! The only reason we left full was that they brought us an extra four rolls! In their favour, the waitron was delightful, and they didn't charge us for the two plates of rolls. It was also nice that the young 'senior waitron' (definitely not a manager in sight) stood up to say goodbye with good grace. The place has very little atmosphere to speak of. (And, by the way, the 'beer garden is right next to and no hedge to the busy road.)

I asked AI to tone my review down a little, and it only managed a little: 'Here’s a polite but firm revision:

We were quite disappointed with the value and quantity of food, particularly for the prices charged for the bread sharing platter and seafood sharer. The bread sharing platter was £9 for just four rolls, accompanied by olives of very poor quality—honestly, we've had better from a corner shop. The seafood sharer, while tasty, was £23 and consisted mostly of deep-fried items, with only the prawns and a smoked pâté providing non-deep-fried variety. It was far from substantial; had we only ordered that, we would have left hungry. Calling the seafood and two slices of ciabatta a “sharing platter” felt like an oversight.

The only reason we left feeling full was that the staff kindly brought us an additional four rolls at no extra charge. On the positive side, the waitstaff were delightful, and the young senior server saw us off graciously. However, the venue itself lacked atmosphere, and the "beer garden" was right next to a busy road with no hedge or barrier to improve the ambiance.

While we appreciated the service, the overall experience did not justify the high cost, and we hope the establishment considers adjusting either portion sizes or pricing to better reflect the value offered.'

The image shows two plates of food.

Plate 1 (Seafood sharer, left): £23 A small cast-iron pot containing prawns in a buttery sauce garnished with a lemon wedge. Two slices of ciabatta bread. Several pieces of deep-fried seafood, including fish goujons and breaded calamari. A ramekin of a pale sauce, likely tartar sauce, and another dish with a yellow creamy sauce.

Plate 2 (Bread sharer, right): £9 Four small bread rolls with different textures and toppings (e.g., seeds, herbs). A ramekin of green olives. A small dish of butter and another with balsamic vinegar and olive oil...

Having just left the Mayflower I can’t help but feel massively disappointed and extremely confused. Firstly I will state the food was very enjoyable and this review isn’t to detract from that. However what ensued around being able to eat our food was strange in the least. As a group consisting of 5 adults and 3 children, we initially set up in the garden as it was a pleasant evening and the children were playing. We ordered food, and in the wait that took place (a little longer than expected it not out of the ordinary) it began to rain. We tried to move inside before our food was ready and approached a member of staff stood in front of the dining area, which at best was a third full. We asked for a table of 5 please with 2 high chairs. They didn’t have any available. Not a problem we don’t mind pushing two tables together and we can make it work we suggested. As another group who had just come from inside literally did in front of us. We can’t do that we aren’t allowed to move the tables. To cut a long story short this exchange went back and forth and we were repeatedly told the tables car be moved. In the idle of attempting to resolve this the server walked off to the kitchen and returned saying your foods ready where will you be sitting. So despite three different people within our group attempting to resolve the problem of why we couldn’t sit inside, we ended up sitting outside with 3 children under an umbrella in the rain. Our server brings our food out in the middle of the downpour which naturally gets a wash in the rain on its way to us. Having previously asked to speak to a manager or such, and being told we couldn’t because there wasn’t anyone, a man who introduced himself to be the landlord then came out to us midway through our meals. He then set about telling us that we had it all wrong and that they were saying that we would loose two seats if we push the tables together, questioning our version of events and insinuating we were lying. Which considering we were sitting in the rain eating with our children and there was a bar area full of people who witnessed what had occurred and also couldn’t believe what was taking place, seems a little strange. After eventually hearing what we had to say, not once was an apology offered and the landlord walked off without saying anything further. Such a shame as even with being soggy the food was good and good portion sizes and until this happened we had been enjoying a lovely evening for an unplanned special occasion in what seemed like...

Wonderful food was spoilt by the rudeness of the serving staff. We booked a table for Sunday lunch, on arrival we got informed that 2 hours time the table was re-booked, Was that ok? A 3 course meal with friends might as well have gone to a fast food restaurant...... We did not get a choice to enjoy a coffee at the end just informed that the next client was waiting. the staff need to learn better communication skills and to look at the customer and where they are placing items, If you are busy and taking multiple bookings for the same table I as the paying customer would like to be given the option to go elsewhere, Not asked if its ok when the restaurant staff have already made the decision and then be rushed out of the door. I will not be coming back But I doubt your staff...