The Glasshouse — Restaurant in Three Rivers

This was our 1st and last visit to the glasshouse buffet restaurant at the Grove hotel.. Adequate parking. main foyer the tiredness and decor lowered your expectations. Hoping for a great experience as we were celebrating our pearl anniversary. Very disappointed, toilets in need of maintenance and shabby decor. hand dryer not working had to use toilet paper to dry hands. No paper towels on offer. staff uniforms looked outdated and tired, The front of house dressed in navy blue attire however, some were ill fitted and in need of a good iron. The waiters for the tables were very polite and attentive , however their dress could of been smarter. I certainly felt over dressed in comparison. As for the restaurant area, very dark and our seating area, shabby and in need of redecorating, seated in the conservatory offering nice view overlooking the garden area however, could of made the most of the outside patio area with display of nice summer blooms, however this was not the case , pond areas looked dull and needed a refresh . The patio seats adequate, however tables needed a good clean and some maintenance. Once seated in our worn out uncomfortable chairs. The cuttelery was old and worn but clean. The food selection area, dark and compact, offering little space for people to pass. Not a great deal in choice unless you like sushi which was very well stocked, well presented and well lit. The Asian selection was ok but I have had better quality, not a great choice and a lot of dishes were fish. The area itself was clean however some of the serving utensils were mixed for the various dishes. The roast area had a selection of 3 meats. Beef, Lamb and Turkey. Of which the beef was very rare and the lamb was in my opinion under cooked. The turkey which I had was not cooked properly and was inedible. Choice of veg was ok although al- dente, a fair selection. Nice gravy. Yorkshire puddings slightly over cooked but acceptable. Pasta and pizza area very sparse not a great deal of choice. Although chef accommodating. Grill area was clean not a lot of choice no chicken cooked on grill, lot of fish dishes or prime cut steak. Also beef wellington, a little rare,however my husband enjoyed it. A dish containing rice of some kind almost like paella which was soggy and unappealing. Cheese selection dark and not well lit, Cheeses were dry, with a few options. Displayed with grapes, and a nice selection of crackers offered. The pat'e very tasty but hidden away, if you wasn't looking you would of missed the 2 choices. Dark and small signs scattered around, for poor slighted people this may be hard to read the labels. Plates could of been restocked quicker as in some areas searching was required from other areas. The dessert selection was plentiful, raging from fresh fruits and fresh fruit salad, mixture or home made cakes, creme bulee, cheese cakes and inovitve desserts, what appeared to be homemade,Turkish delight cookies and amaretto, a good selection of ice cream with toppings and a chocolate fountain. Nothing much was missing from this area, taking prime position and well lit. Set back in the hallway amongst the dining area. By far the best area, plenty of choice well presented. Overall, the glasshouse is overrated and exceptionally expensive £6.50 for a bottle of water, were as the soft drinks at the average price £4.50. the additional service charge at 12.5%. I originally viewed this occasion as something of a treat for a working class person, to be as a special occasion. This is not the case. A run of the mill experience quality of food for something's unacceptable, there are plenty of restaurants that beat the quality and taste and ambience of this restaurant. This is truly one of the most expensive places I have visited around the world, and one of the most disappointing. I would not recommend unless you have a mindset of a 2nd rate restaurant serving 2nd rate food in 2nd rate surroundings. 5 stars it is not 3 at best and I am...

The food quality is no question very good I wouldn’t say excellent but it is very good. The presentation of the sushi, and fish section looks great but I don’t like cold fish so I didn’t try anything from here. The main food stations consist of Indian, pasta/Italian, roast and a mixed possible bbq fusion type station. Overall there is enough to eat but I think it’s limited variety and could be so much better.

The Italian station - would of been nice to see some stone baked pizza variety, or fresh burratta, bruchesctta or something. Indian station disappointed me the most. Where is the chicken tikka or biryani or chaat, no authentic samosa or pakora. The chicken korma sauce was tasty but I found the shredded chicken in the sauce very off putting. You get a better meal at M & S! Roast station I was hoping to see beef wellington or a juicy roast beef joint but I had very dry turkey. Lamb looked tasty but I dont eat lamb, the potatoes weren’t very crispy or tasted very fresh side vegetables were ok. Was hoping to see items like steak cuts, or quality burger or something authentic station like Mexican, tapas or something else.

The seating area is ok, not very clean quite badly stained seats, it can get very loud.

The buffet area is relatively small so it can get a bit crammed but you will have enough time to eat perhaps it’s because there’s not a massive selection. Plates not the cleanest

I also found the servers at each buffet station so unfriendly and un polite. If you asked a question it was an abrupt ‘no’ or yes.

There is also a desert section which again is ok. I think it should include basic tea and coffee.

You won’t leave hungry but you may leave feeling that something was missing. There was T anything that I thought ‘oh wow this is amazing’ it was simply ok. For approx £200 for two people you have to ask yourself is it worth it? Or would you be better off going to a al a carte fine dining restaurant.

Also for a self service buffet I’m not sure how a service charge added to your bill is justified I think this should be optional.

Venue is very pleasant parking is very difficult with not the best helpful parking staff outside. Staff on the inside not the most at tentative so if you’re not sure where to go good luck trying to find someone.

The grounds are pleasant enough to stroll around. Toilets are really small and does not cater for volume of people visiting.

Staff were very welcoming for us once we were seated.

This review may come across fussy but your paying for was at is supposedly high end cuisine. It’s got to be...

Being Vegetarian and due to some food intolerances I often choose the vegan options and after checking the menu on the Grove website and the a la carte Glasshouse menu not having anything bar soup suitable I was happy to see a separate vegan menu offered with many options suitable. On sitting down I asked for the Vegan menu (as detailed on YOUR website) only to be told we don't do a Vegan menu. I pointed out that the Groves website says this is not the case and was told they would get the manager. Manager comes to table and says also, "we don't have a vegan menu" - so I show him the Grove's webpage contradicting his statement and the Vegan menu.... thegrovecouk/dining/vegan-menus/ To be told that they are no longer offering this menu and that they don't control the website was not really a suitable reply. After all this is YOUR website for customers to see what's on offer... A compromise was made, a starter to be made as a main and I ordered Plant based platter (with soy not added to the tofu): grilled vegetable skewer, soy marinated tofu, falafel, padron peppers, aubergines and tahini dressing

What turned up was a cremated joke.... 2 skewers of burnt to a crisp vegetables, tofu so bitter it was inedible and no tahini dressing... everything tasted of charcoal with an appearance to match.... this was sent back and another apology.

The replacement arrived and was equally inedible... bitter/tasteless/burnt... So while the rest of the group ate their meals - I ended up eating nothing at all. Whilst the manager apologised yet again, stating that they were sorry I didn't like the meal was totally wrong, the food was inedible, not that I didn't like it, it was inedible, no one would have liked it... For a restaurant like the Grove to be unable to cook what's on their menu, something this simple, doesn't bode well.... I was told next time I come they will have more options lol... what...