Canteen by name, canteen by nature...
We recently decided to give the Canteen at the MAC a try, following perusal of the Mac International 2014 exhibition.
We arrived. We were greeted and I gave the name. Another two members of staff came and asked us "are you okay there?" while a third, in the distance, approached to take us to our table. The first table of the evening apparently.
We ordered 4 tapas to share as a starter: butternut squash & sage arancini; marinated olives; chorizo, onions & red wine; and seasoned sweet potato wedges with garlic dip.
3 tapas arrived. I called after the poor man who brought them, "we are still waiting on the chorizo". He said he would follow it up. It did not take long for the waitress who took our order to turn up and show us her notepad. "I've only written down these 3. Are you sure you said 'chorizo'?"
Of course I was sure we had said chorizo. In fact, we had both said chorizo at the same time. If the waitress had written the order down as it was given, instead of afterwards, it might have made it on to her notepad.
The chefs put a pot of chorizo on for us immediately. They would get it to us as soon as possible.
It may have come a little too soon. When we were only half way through the 3 tapas we did receive we were presented with a bowl of chorizo chunks and underdone onions floating in an anaemic broth. Perhaps the waitress had been trying to do us a favour...
For our main course we both ordered the lamb. 18 hour cooked shoulder of lamb, herb crusted, kale, leek, pancetta, scallion mash. Sounds lovely doesn't it? It included everything in the description, and more. It also included vast quantities of mustard. Mustard on the lamb, holding on that herb crust. Mustard on the plate, tainting everything it touched. This could have been a lovely dish.
But seriously.
Who puts mustard on lamb?
After these disappointments, I was still hungry. I ordered dessert. Poached pear and almond tart, vanilla ice cream.
They say bad luck comes in threes. They are right.
The tart I received was tasty; there is no denying that. But there was not a poached pear in sight. There was not a pear of any description, in fact. What I got was a JAM and almond tart. Not even pear jam.
I was not given an opportunity to enquire as to the location of the missing pears.
On a brighter note, however, the arancini and the sweet potato wedges, although meagre in their portions, were delicious. The lamb was slow cooked and the mash was beautifully creamy. This could have been a very good meal.
We arrived. We were greeted and I gave the name. Another two members of staff came and asked us "are you okay there?" while a third, in the distance, approached to take us to our table. The first table of the evening apparently.
We ordered 4 tapas to share as a starter: butternut squash & sage arancini; marinated olives; chorizo, onions & red wine; and seasoned sweet potato wedges with garlic dip.
3 tapas arrived. I called after the poor man who brought them, "we are still waiting on the chorizo". He said he would follow it up. It did not take long for the waitress who took our order to turn up and show us her notepad. "I've only written down these 3. Are you sure you said 'chorizo'?"
Of course I was sure we had said chorizo. In fact, we had both said chorizo at the same time. If the waitress had written the order down as it was given, instead of afterwards, it might have made it on to her notepad.
The chefs put a pot of chorizo on for us immediately. They would get it to us as soon as possible.
It may have come a little too soon. When we were only half way through the 3 tapas we did receive we were presented with a bowl of chorizo chunks and underdone onions floating in an anaemic broth. Perhaps the waitress had been trying to do us a favour...
For our main course we both ordered the lamb. 18 hour cooked shoulder of lamb, herb crusted, kale, leek, pancetta, scallion mash. Sounds lovely doesn't it? It included everything in the description, and more. It also included vast quantities of mustard. Mustard on the lamb, holding on that herb crust. Mustard on the plate, tainting everything it touched. This could have been a lovely dish.
But seriously.
Who puts mustard on lamb?
After these disappointments, I was still hungry. I ordered dessert. Poached pear and almond tart, vanilla ice cream.
They say bad luck comes in threes. They are right.
The tart I received was tasty; there is no denying that. But there was not a poached pear in sight. There was not a pear of any description, in fact. What I got was a JAM and almond tart. Not even pear jam.
I was not given an opportunity to enquire as to the location of the missing pears.
On a brighter note, however, the arancini and the sweet potato wedges, although meagre in their portions, were delicious. The lamb was slow cooked and the mash was beautifully creamy. This could have been a very good meal.
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