The Thomas Daniell — Restaurant in England

Disappointing 70th Birthday: Slow Service and Subpar Food at The Thomas Daniell

Full Review: We recently visited The Thomas Daniell for a special occasion—a 70th birthday celebration with a party of six. Unfortunately, our experience was far from satisfactory.

Menu Availability: A significant issue was that 30% of the menu was unavailable due to "ordering issues." Some of the missing items included flatbread, onion bhaji, buttermilk fried chicken, ribs, fries, custard, and chocolate sauce. Additionally, on their specials menu, they were missing one of the three dishes. In my opinion, many of these could have been sourced elsewhere. For instance, they only had two more orders of oysters left, which was also a starter. This lack of availability was disappointing and poorly communicated. Better transparency from the staff would have been appreciated, especially if they had informed us beforehand about the limited menu. A call to inform us of these issues would have allowed us to make an informed decision about dining there, particularly on such a special occasion.

Service and Timing: While the initial wait for our starters was reasonable (20 minutes), the wait for our mains was excessive. When the mains finally arrived, only five out of six dishes were served. The sixth dish, fried fish, arrived nearly 10 minutes later and was clearly half-full, giving the impression it was hastily put together with whatever was left. When we pointed this out to our server, they returned 15 minutes later with a freshly fried fish, starkly contrasting the other three plates of fried fish, which seemed cooked much earlier.

Food Quality: The starters, including the beef tacos, were disappointing—the tacos were served cold. Additionally, the Goan curry was disappointing, tasting more like tomato soup, though the fish within it was well-cooked. The rice accompanying the curry seemed like microwave rice, lacking any freshness. The fried fish mains also varied in quality, with the freshly cooked dish highlighting the staleness of the others. The Asian slaw that accompanied the fried fish was merely cut-up vegetables, lacking the expected flavor and dressing.

Bartender: On a positive note, the bartender was attentive and recommended some excellent beers. His knowledge and enthusiasm about the drink selection were impressive and added a small highlight to an otherwise disappointing evening. Additionally, he was the person we gave our feedback to, and he was very receptive to our frustrations, which we appreciated.

Management and Overall Experience: The most disappointing aspect was the lack of acknowledgment or compensation for the slow service and limited menu options. Despite the presence of the owners, there was no apology or attempt to rectify the situation. This lack of customer care suggests a low standard of service that is unacceptable, particularly for a special occasion.

In Conclusion: What should have been a memorable celebration turned into a frustrating experience with subpar food, slow service, and poor management. We won't be returning, and we hope the establishment takes this feedback seriously to improve for future patrons. Truro is a small community, and word of mouth travels fast—unfortunately, our word will not be favorable.

Absolutely...

Great Food, Disappointing Service: The Food: Excellent Quality and Speed ​The best part of our visit was definitely the food. Our meals arrived very fast, and the quality was very good. I ordered the steak and was extremely happy with the preparation. ​One small note on the steak: While the meal was delicious, I had to use a butter knife for the steak, which made it unnecessarily difficult to eat. A proper steak knife should definitely be provided. ​Service Needs Significant Improvement ​Unfortunately, the service detracted significantly from the dining experience. ​Initial Seating: Despite having a reservation, we were simply pointed to a table "over in the corner" rather than being properly seated. This felt dismissive and was not a great start. ​Lack of Follow-Up: After our table was cleared, the service essentially stopped. ​We were not offered dessert menus. ​We were not offered additional drinks while we finished our current ones. ​We sat for a significant period after the restaurant had quieted down, waiting for attention that never came. ​Getting the Bill: Ultimately, we had to go up to the bar to request the bill. When I mentioned the issues regarding the lack of follow-up service and the seating, the response was a simple, unhelpful "I'm sorry" with no attempt at resolution or further acknowledgment. ​Overall ​While the chef deserves high praise for the excellent food, the front-of-house service needs serious attention and training. The poor hospitality and lack of follow-through made the experience frustrating. I hope the restaurant addresses these issues, as they have the potential to be truly excellent with...

We booked ahead for Sunday lunch and it was confirmed that we had reserved a lovely table in the corner of the pub. When we arrived we were seated in the middle of the pub next to a table that had a pet dog with them that was actually sat on a chair at the table. The waitress who was very pleasant came and took our order of 2 roast beef dinners. Before long the food arrived which was well presented and was very tasty. Half way through my dinner I asked our waitress if it was possible to have some more gravey. The young waitress looked embrassed and said yes but its an extra £3. I questioned this, again she said sorry yes it's £3 to which I replied that I would rather leave the food. I was perplexed and quite honestly disappointed that you would charge an extra £3 for some more gravey. Never In all our years of going out for Sunday lunch have we every been charged. Speaking to other friends neither have they. I know people reading this would say its only £3 but it's the sheer audacity that you would charge for it on top of £22 for Sunday.I am utterly disgusted with your choice to charge for extra gravey and would not book again for...