Restaurant 1865 — Restaurant in Portsmouth

I have coming to Portsmouth since the 70’s but never visited or stay at the Queens Hotel. Well.. I have now .. while I thought the welcoming reception was not that welcoming ( only 7 out of 10) my personal opinion here the rest of my stay was awesome. (Not a complaint just gentle notification) A drink at the bar after 3 hours drive was what we needed.. we were welcomed by a very professional bartender gentleman, Colin I think ( my apologies if I got the wrong name ) very friendly black guy who made us so welcoming that we had 2 rounds of drinks ( Campari vermouth orange juice plenty of ice ) .. perfect with some nibbles.. we met some friends and went on to the restaurant. Here again welcomed by a absolutely gem in the name of Fernanda .. (this lady is a keeper.. look after her!! .. I would !! I have been working in the hospitality world for 45 years ( now happily retired as from yesterday !!) and it was really wonderful to know that people like her still enjoy being in this industry..back in my days .. I would employed her without any hesitation !!! Fernanda went out of her way to gives us a superb service ( by the way we were late .. not always nice for the staff .. but the welcoming was still charming. ) The food was exquisite 👌🏻.. ( a simple fish and chip was out of the world ) thank you chef .. thank you to the brigade !! Freshness , quality, portion wow !!! Excellent.. and who does Baked Alaska nowadays ??? Well you guys do one that really is again superb .. superb. And superbly superb !!! While I do found the hotel generally looking a bit tired and could do with a refreshing touch it did not stop me to think is an absolutely beautiful building inside out… Thank you .. my very best wishes for the future 👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻👌🏻👍🏻 PS : bedrooms are very...

We chose this restaurant based on its excellent reviews, but unfortunately, something clearly went wrong today—or perhaps the management has changed—as this place bears no resemblance to what has been described previously.

The food quality was below par. While the starters were passable, the main courses were shockingly poor. The turbot was overcooked, the sauce was unappealing and mushy, and the potatoes were inconsistent - overcooked on one plate, undercooked on another, and bland on both. The guinea fowl was overcooked and dry, while the burger suffered from the same issue: dry meat and an overall lacklustre experience.

The service was equally unimpressive - slow and unprofessional. They served water without providing glasses, brought a bottle of Prosecco but left us to pour it ourselves, and served croquettes while claiming they were a Scotch egg, causing confusion. When we gave constructive feedback about the food, the waitress dismissed it with a casual, "Oh, sorry, we usually get good feedback," rather than taking any meaningful action.

This was especially disappointing as it was a special occasion - a birthday lunch for my partner's Mum, which we had mentioned when making the reservation. There was no acknowledgment, no complimentary gesture, and not even a "happy birthday"...

Very good meals in a lovely setting and the staff were excellent. My only issue is the concept of adding a ‘Gratuity’ to the bill. Dictionaries define a Gratuity as’ a tip given to a waiter, something given without claim or demand, something given voluntarily or beyond obligation, in addition to the official amount and for their red personal use, given freely as thanks for service. I think simply tacking it onto the end of every bill does not meet those criterion. You may say that I could ask for it to be deducted from the bill but why put that role or embarrassment onto your customer? It doesn’t even say “optional” or “discretionary “ Finally, by adding it to the bill and putting through your accounts it is liable for tax, thereby reducing the amount, if any, that goes to the staff. The sum in question is negligible and was paid, it is the practice I abhor. Queens Hotel has responded to my comments above but only addressed one of the 3...