Fuego Lounge — Restaurant in Lewes

Warning if you are planning to eat at the Fuego Lounge in Lewes, East Sussex, part of the Lounges group of cafes and bars.

While eating at the Fuego Lounge in Lewes on Saturday 12 April, I bit into a lamb kofte and broke a molar on a piece of metal which was in the meat. The pain was excruciating, but I initially thought I had just cracked a filling. However, after getting an emergency dental appointment, I was told that the metal had cracked my tooth from top to bottom, that the tooth would have to be removed, and I would need to get an implant if I wanted to restore the appearance of my teeth. Given the extortionate cost of getting an implant, I contacted the Lounges group Head Office, to ask if they would provide compensation. I was told that they would pass the matter on to their insurers who would contact me, as would their Operational team and Health and Safety team. After three days I had to contact Lounges again as neither the insurer, nor either of their teams had been in touch. The insurer then contacted me, requesting information, and informing me that they had 90 days in which to decide whether they would admit liability. He made it clear that I shouldn’t expect to hear from him before the 90 days had expired. A month after contacting Lounges, I had still not been contacted by their Operational or Health and Safety teams. After chasing Lounges again, someone from their Operational team finally contacted me to say that as the matter was in the hands of their insurers they couldn’t answer any of my questions. Given that one of my questions was asking if they had carried out their own investigation into how the metal got into the meat, I was very concerned that the same thing could happen to someone else, which is why I am writing this review. Nobody should lose a healthy tooth and be put through all the pain, trauma, inconvenience and expense to have it put right, just because they ate at a restaurant. I was in terrible pain for a month, and will need to go through further painful dental surgery over the next few months. If you are thinking about eating at any of the 250+ Lounges run cafes or bars, I would wait until they have reviewed and clarified their food safety processes. Given the size of the Lounges portfolio, my guess is that their approach to food preparation and safety is the same in every restaurant.

And I have still not heard from the Health and...

Had a drink and a small plate with my wife on a Saturday afternoon. Atmosphere a bit tired and service ok. Unfortunately my wife bit into a lamb kofte which had a piece of metal the size of a pellet and cracked a molar. This was in mid April and she has had to have an extraction and implant put in costing several thousands of pounds and as yet no compensation for the costs of repairing her tooth nor the lost work and personal time, tremendous pain and inconvenience all due to poor food safety standards and magnified by the worst possible handling of the issue by Lounges. The manager on duty saw the piece of metal and apologised and did not charge for the food though did for the drinks. On Monday after seeing her dentist and being told this healthy tooth was cracked through to root and needed extraction my wife contacted the restaurant who’s general manager had already heard from the manager on duty about the incident. He told her that this would go back to head office to resolve. Lounges Ltd head office referred her to their liability insurer, Protector, who after a few days responded that they would be investigating and come back to her within 90 days. It is now over 110 days and no resolution for compensation yet and no communications from Lounges whatsoever despite several follow ups from my wife. Totally unprofessional handling of this customer experience and incident by Lounges and their insurer Protector Insurance. We will never go to another Lounges restaurant again and of course will share this experience with all of our...

I visited Fuego Lounge with my mum for a bit of lunch. It was absolutely lovely. The staff were polite and professional and the ambience was calm and welcoming. We were asked if there were any allergy restrictions and offered a vegan menu without having to go through any embarrassment. As it is, my mum and I are vegetarian and there was an excellent selection of vegetarian choices on the menu. A separate menu for vegan, gluten free and other dietary needs was on the table which I think is a great idea. The food and drink was reasonably priced, with the portion sizes of perfect proportions. My mum had macaroni cheese, which looked really tasty and was piping hot when it arrived and I went for the plant based burger with Fries and homemade slaw. I can honestly say it was the best plant based burger I've ever had. Tasty, cooked just right and with just the right amount of salad and a nice crispy bun. One thing I judge an eatery on is the toilets. The gents in here were clean, sanitary and the toilet roll and soap were well topped up. I can't speak for the ladies, but if the gents were as clean as they were, then I imagine the ladies is too. All in all a great dining experience and one I shall most definitely...