From one of the best to the very worst, what happened?
Yesterday, my mother, her partner, my wife, and I went for a meal at The Stables. This used to be our go-to restaurant for years when friends or family visited. I’ve always raved about their steaks, claiming they had the best in the area. Well, not only do they no longer serve steak, it seems cooking anything remotely edible is now beyond their abilities.
The menu has been slashed to a shadow of its former self, with all the usual favourites dropped. To start, the pint of beer I ordered was off and had to be replaced. Table service is no longer provided, so we were forced to order at the bar from the meagre and uninspiring selection. When the food eventually arrived, much of it was stone cold, and practically all of it was inedible. The side salads had clearly been prepared days earlier, rather wilted and very sad looking.
When we complained, the staff couldn’t have cared less. We asked for the bill to be waived, either partially or in full, but were told no because we had “eaten some of it.” Yes, we did, that's how we discovered it was revolting! The excuse we were given? “Even if you didn’t eat it, we still had to cook it.” The arrogance and lack of accountability were astounding.
We asked to speak to the management, but instead, the waiter/barman returned on his own with the insulting offer of taking the price of a drink off the bill. Seriously? That was their solution to serving stone-cold, inedible food? To cap it all off, the staff were downright rude to us as we left.
We will never return, and based on what I’ve since heard from others (I mentioned it to a friend afterwards, and they had a similar story to tell about the place), it seems we’re not the only ones. Avoid this place at all costs. The Stables is a disgrace, and I would strongly advise anyone to steer well clear.