The Encore, Stratford upon Avon

It's a nice venue with a smart interior. It's a little on the pricey side, but considering its location on Stratford's Waterside perhaps this isn't surprising.

The problem with smart establishments in the Shires is that they tend to take themselves a bit seriously. The Encore falls into this category and has a culture of cool rather than friendliness - as if it's some kind of privilege to be allowed through the doors. The organisational ethos appears to be based on the misapprehension that 'trendy' and 'friendly' are mutually exclusive domains.

We ate in a small group, and while the food was very good, the service from the youthful staff was rather aloof. For example, no endeavour was made to engage with my 9-year-old son. I recognise that the staff are not children's entertainers, but something in addition to perfunctory service would have been nice. For this reason I probably wouldn't go there again. But as I've mentioned it's a nice venue - I just prefer establishments that have a friendlier ambience.

21 Oct 2013 22:43