Three Crowns, Brinkworth

Sadly Disappointed :(

Date of visit; March 2nd 2010

I went here with my boyfriend after reading and hearing positive reviews/feedback regarding the quality of food and service of staff.

We arrived at the location at approximately 7pm and at that time the restaurant was not very busy. We had reserved a table in advance but unfortunately the table was not the best in terms of comfort/position and seating angle, and people coming after us who hadnt booked were seated in what we considered better seats.

The bar staff member was very nice and pleasant. She served us in a very nice and professional manner.

On being shown to our table and seated, the waiter asked us for our order. He was quite abrupt in taking our order. Within a minute or so of ordering I decided to see if I could change my order to something else (I had originally ordered a steak) but the waiter said that the steak was already on the griddle. This turned out to be untrue as we waited a further 30 minutes for the steak to arrive RARE and bloody when infact I had ordered medium. I asked the steak to be cooked more as it was very bloody and he took it away. My boyfriend continued to eat his meal and I waited a further 10 minutes for my steak which came back burned on the outside and still quite red but at this point I didnt want to complain any further as I was embarrased and to cook it any more would have made it worse as all you could taste was burnt charcoal. The vegetables were changed to something different which I wasnt really happy about as there was definitely a better selection of vegetables the first time. I ate the meal as it cost �26 but did not enjoy the steak at all. The vegetables were nice despite being different the second time around.

On paying my boyfriend commented on our disappointment with the steak dish. He is a regular diner at this restaurant was very surprised by the quality of my dish and the service we received on this visit. The staff did nothing to rectify the dissatisfaction and seemed to merely be going through the motions in serving us.

I am a regular diner in restaurants all around the country and can honestly say that this has been my worse dining experience in over 20 years.

Sadly this was one of my boyfriends favourite places and one he had hoped I would really like. Maybe it was a bad menu choice as other dishes did look quite appetising, maybe the staff members who served us was having a bad day... I dont know. All I can say is I definitely wont return to this restaurant to try it again at a cost of �26 for a main dish that quite frankly I have tasted better in a Wetherspoons for under a tenner.

On leaving I saw the manager sat at the bar. Maybe I should have said something on leaving but I was very upset and felt very bad as I had taken my boyfriend here as a birthday treat, and although he enjoyed his meal, the whole experience had ruined the night for us and turned out to be anything but special.

3 Mar 2011 16:36