Côte Welwyn Garden City — Restaurant in Welwyn Hatfield

Disappointing Experience with Crème Brûlée - A Complete Letdown I recently had the unfortunate experience of ordering and starting to consume what was purportedly a Crème Brûlée at Cote WGC, and I feel compelled to express my deep disappointment with the overall quality of this dessert. I am saddened to report that it was wrong in every respect, leaving me with an unsatisfactory dining experience. First and foremost, the custard itself was a far cry from the velvety, luscious texture that is synonymous with a well-executed Crème Brûlée. Instead of the creamy consistency one would expect, the custard was scrambled and the cream curdled, lacking the delicate smoothness that defines this classic French dessert. The caramelized sugar crust, which is a hallmark of a proper Crème Brûlée, was equally disappointing. Instead of presenting a delicate layer of golden-brown caramel that cracks satisfyingly under the spoon, I was met with a haphazardly torched surface that was soft but in places bordered on burnt, with a bitter aftertaste. This misguided attempt at achieving the caramelized effect only added insult to injury. I am genuinely dismayed by the lack of attention to detail and the blatant departure from the culinary standards one would expect, especially when ordering a classic and revered dessert like Crème Brûlée. As a patron, I believe it is crucial to provide constructive feedback to ensure the maintenance of quality. I raised the issue with the waitress and asked for the item to be removed from the bill. A short while later the waitress returned and stated that there was “nothing wrong with the dessert”. She told me that “sometimes it comes out like that” and this was perfectly OK. I found it quite insulting to have it suggested in front of my guests that I was in the wrong; I was clearly not. This also makes me worry for the many other customers who must also be getting desserts as poor as mine, if the kitchen and waiting staff believe this to be...

I decided to visit this restaurant as a treat. I had heard good things from relatives. Unfortunately, it did not meet my expectations. Firstly, I was given a table right next to the main door and immediately opposite the bar, the till, and the kitchen. So, I was subject to a cacophony of noise from the servers and the general hubbub. I had hoped to come here for a high-quality, peaceful Sunday breakfast. I asked to be moved, and that obviously involved some 'advanced' executive decision-making by the manager while he checked his reservations schedule. I might add that the restaurant inside was almost deserted, and there were dozens of tables that were unoccupied. I was eventually shown to a table that was nicely situated and with comfortable chairs. From that high point, everything declined. There was a door on the other side of the restaurant that banged and rattled a dozen times a minute from the wind outside. This was incredibly annoying. There were a few utility drawers and cabinets situated around, and all of the staff insisted on banging and clattering every single one. The management apparently hasn't heard of soft-close mechanisms for doors, cabinets, and drawers. Unfortunately, in the middle of my champagne breakfast, a large party was seated opposite me, who were loud, boisterous, and constantly swearing. Not exactly the classy type. I recorded the ambient noise levels in the restaurant, and they frequently reached 93 decibels. The Health and Safety Executive states that prolonged exposure to noise above 90 decibels can cause gradual hearing loss. That's how loud it was in here! The food was bland, and I was missing items in my cooked breakfast. The waiter had misunderstood my requests. The champagne was good. As I left the restaurant, no one enquired if everything had been okay, and no one said goodbye. I was incredibly...

I visited the Welwyn Garden City restaurant today at lunch time. What a mistake to make??

We were welcomed and sat promptly, Drinks order taken and delivered quickly which was fab. One of the guests has an allergy, so was given the iPad to refer to for ingredients on different dishes, again couldn’t ask for anymore.

Then it all went down hill, had to call a waitress over to take food order, we ordered.

We waited, waited some more, and some more. Then slowly noticed everyone around us had their food, people who where sat down after us. There starters came, where cleared, mains delivered etc while we had nothing! Ordered before these other customers and we only ordered one starter and two dishes off the sandwiches / crepe selection so shouldn’t take too long!

We questioned this with a waitress we managed to flag down, she checked with her manager who then after a period of time came out with the ‘allergy’ meal. But not the other two.

We questioned it to one of the managers who I have to say, customer service & response was shocking, short, rude and showed no empathy to us as customers. Short sharp answer of ‘ it’s coming’

After another wait the other two dishes came out. However these were cold!

Just a shocking experience all round. First time visiting and impression isn’t good at all. Would I return given todays...