Söderberg East Dulwich — Restaurant in London

Dear East Dulwich Establishment Management,

I am writing to express my recurring dissatisfaction with my experiences over the past four weekends at your establishment.

I wish to emphasise that on each occasion, I ordered the same menu items without any changes:

Eggs on Sourdough Toast 12.50 Portobello mushrooms, baby spinach with basil & walnut pesto.

I chose not to voice my concerns on the first three occasions, given my genuine appreciation for your cuisine. However, after encountering similar issues for the fourth consecutive time, I feel compelled to draw attention to what appears to be a managerial oversight in the operation.

During my latest visit, I waited over an hour for my dishes. Besides the extended wait, I faced challenges with the orders. The Black Americano took more than 15 minutes, and the Cinnamon bun, with a 15-minute wait, was charged despite being promised as a courtesy for the delay. Furthermore, of the two Eggs on Sourdough Toast orders, one came without the walnut pesto, and the other was missing entirely. Despite my request for rectification, the delay was exceedingly long and not prioritised.

My partner also encountered problems with his orders, which were delivered in a random manner. When dining at a restaurant or café, the expectation is for patrons to receive their dishes simultaneously.

The lack of coordination and communication among the staff is evident. Observing the kitchen, I noticed that the service team seems hesitant to return orders to the chef, and, in turn, dishes requiring corrections are not given priority.

After such a lengthy wait, upon requesting the cancellation of my dishes at the counter, I was met with the response, "It's all good" — ironically. Clearly, it is not. I was also informed of a manager's absence, prompting me to reflect on previous visits when, despite one being present, the issues remained the same.

I stress the need for further training and integration among the kitchen, management, and floor staff. This is not merely a complaint but a request from a customer seeking a pleasant experience, as I've previously enjoyed at other establishments in your chain.

I conclude by asking: why, when ordering the same items, has the experience been so poor?

This serves as a point of attention for both the company and its...

I have previously tried to come, only to be told the kitchen wasn’t taking orders for a bit. We visited again today. There were 3-4 staff working at the counter. Not once did I see a customer acknowledged. Everyone had to ask staff for service. We eventually asked if we could sit down. Tables at the front are cramped, and you can’t sit back to back with anyone. It wasn’t clear if it was table service or counter service. I eventually joined the queue & ordered. I was not asked to pay. Food took over 1 hour (and there were empty tables). Other tables were getting served around, despite having ordered sometime after. I asked a staff member where it was, she said there was only 1 chef, but she would check. She went to the counter. After several minutes we were told it would be a few minutes. More food served to others around us. Just as we were about to leave, the food came. Really disappointing. The waffle looked more like a biscuit. The hazelnuts were whole and not crushed. The eggs on sourdough was ok, but the kale tasted stale. No goodbye as we left, nor to any guests. Such a shame, as the area has a captive customer base. We certainly...

We ordered the waffles, meatballs and eggs on toast for breakfast this morning. We have dined here several times before so know how the waffles should taste. The meatballs and eggs were good, however the waffles felt off, like the batter was missing an ingredient (baking powder?) and tasted very dense and chewy. We raised the issue with the lady in charge and was told "our recipe is good and no one has ever complained before"!? She did not offer to take our uneaten plate away to show the cook or any other solution.

Stunned and just wanted to leave, we went up to the counter to pay. Another wait staff asked how our food was to which I brought up the waffles not tasting right again. Her excuse was that the waffle iron sometimes plays up. Again no suggestion to rectify the issue.

Based on our experience this morning, we will not be returning, which is a shame because this used to be one of our...