Ash — Restaurant in Scotland

don't go here, you can find somewhere better!!

Me and my colleague went to this restaurant on the 31st October while we were in Inverness on business. We thought it looked like a reputable place, and they had an offer on the board outside that was 2 courses for £8.99 or something like that if you ordered before 6. so we entered the restaurant and placed the order at 5 to 6 to make sure we were in the deal, firstly the man at the bar was not impressed by that, and told us he had no tables, despite the fact I looked around and saw 3-4 clearly empty tables, and informed him that we would take a 2 seater table that was in the corner empty. our starters arrived, and they still had not taken our drinks order, so we ordered 2 x 500ml bottles of RED KITE ale which was 5.0% and cost about £5.80. they brought out 2 bottles of red kite, however these were 330ml!!, and the label clearly stated 4.2% (for beers I have never tried before I tend to select them on their %). I called the waitress back to our table (in a kind friendly manor), and told her that firstly the bottles were not the 500ml that were advertised, and the alcohol % was grossly inaccurate as well. again the staff did not take that well, forcefully telling me that "well that's just what the brewery provide us with", despite the fact that 2 descriptions of the beverage were wildly inaccurate and due to their disgusting approach to the way they handled this, I was honestly p*ssed off at their confrontational response. I don't know if they realize that they can actually be done under the trades description act in cases like this!! Then came the time to pay, so my colleague, went up to pay, at the bar, only to have the receipt SLAPPED down onto the counter with aggression and for him to be confronted with a "THERE THATS YOUR BILL!!" in a very aggressive tone. me and my colleague were paying customers, who wanted what we had paid for in a nice looking establishment and service with a smile!, we both left gobsmacked, and disgusted that somebody would speak to my colleague in such a way!!!,

To the management team of ASH restaurant, you should be ashamed that your staff conduct themselves in such a manor, and sort the problems that are presented to them out in a more professional manor!

HONESTLY NEVER GOING...

Shame as this was my favourite restaurant of all, and I'm a trained Baker and patisserie chef with professional cookery qualifications. (only saying about this as I think it says how great they were for me to think that highly)

Well... Now on around my 9th visit in 3 year, the first of 2020 due to Covid-19, it was not even a shadow of its former quality!

Starter- haggis, neeps and tatties. This was all tasty but the haggis not as much flavour as before. It was also only just warm.

Main - Steak pie, chips and peas. Well I always got the tender beef curry which is now been whipped off the menu sadly. The steak pie was OK, beef was tender and the pastry was well risen. Chips were not crisp at all and well frozen peas are frozen peas.

Dessert - Creme Brulee. This is my area and previously it was nice and smooth with a nice piece of homemade shortbread. This time it was curdled, not the sour type but when mixing in preparation it has split! The shortbread was also a bit of mass production packet stuff. Used to be homemade and tasty.

Service - As me and my partner walked in, not even a hello from the gent in a suit. Just stared at until I stepped forward and said we had a table reserved. I then got a finger pointing to paper and told to sign the track and trace. He sat us and we waited 13-15 minutes until anyone else came, this is not a big restaurant and currently can't seat its capacity due to Covid-19. I counted 5 staff so no reason for slow service. The young girl who did most of our service was pleasant enough. The 2-3 men in suits need to learn about customer service. Talk more, say hello, ask if everything was OK. Don't just stare, nod and when asking to pay point/ tap the card reader and demand "TAP"

Have a staff meeting and have a serious word with yourselves! I know a lot of custom is tourism so is not return customers but we matter too.. And even those tourists deserve better... Or...

The first time I came to Ash, a few years ago, the staff were welcoming, the food was good, and the prices reasonable. Last night, after my train was delayed, I thought I'd while away the hour's wait by eating there.

It was a very different, and very disappointing experience. I stood waiting for several minutes for the staff to stop talking to each other and their friends, until eventually one of them bothered to attend to me; when I said I'd like to eat, he made a show of looking at the reservations and said there was no room; when I asked if I could sit at an empty table round the corner he said that area had just been painted; but when I pointed to another empty table next to people who were already eating, he agreed (a bit reluctantly) that I could sit down. After that I waited for at least five minutes while staff walked past before I caught the manager's eye and was finally given a menu. The food was expensive for what it was and not very pleasant - the chicken in my caesar salad had the sort of taste that usually means it's been intensively reared and supplied by Brake or similar, which is inexcusable when there are two great butchers' shops within two minutes' walk. For £13.50 a portion, I expect a great salad. This wasn't it.

I eat out regularly and have done all my life, and I've also managed a very successful restaurant in London, so I am not writing this review out of idle pique. It's paramount that in the hospitality industry staff know that while they're on duty, their attention should be focused primarily on customers, not on their personal relationships. Anything else is bad management and training. So I shall be putting Ash on the list of places to avoid - which I circulate to all my visitors when they book. It's a waste of a...