the french restaurant on lordship lane - bad service beware using Timeout Card

[jjmalt]

went to the french restaurant on Lordship Lane, who's name we are not allowed to mention on this forum otherwise they will threaten the forum with legal action - I have to say this doesn't surprise me and just shows what kind of people they are - afraid of any criticism.

Anyway we went in and ordered food, specifically said we had the Timeout card and did they accept it, which they do. We ordered the 'Menu' of 2 dishes for ?14.95.

So when the bill cam of ?70 we were very surprised indeed! We complained, they said they did not accept timeout cards on the two-course menu. We said they had specifically said they accepted it.

Anyway much arguing later they refused to budge, and as we are decent people and would never dream of walking out, we had to pay up.

Needless to say will not be going there again and will not be recommending it! We've reported it to Time Out as well.

If you want french food then yes the food there is ok but actually the deceiving way we were treated left a sour after-taste.

Go to the Hizar's restaurant instead - much much better on all accounts!!!

[granadaland]

French.

[The Minkey]

Timeout's listing for the place states the 50% reduction applies to the A La Carte menu, excluding side dishes. However, the restaurant should have clarified this when you mentioned you were a cardholder.

[Growlybear]

If the restaurant didn't accept your card, that probably means that at least you got normal sized portions. When we went there using the Amazon deal, we were treated like second class citizens, and given tiny portions. My daughter's steak was well under half the size of the one that was given to the man on the next table, and the quality of everything we had was poor. We both came away hungry. I really don't know how this restaurant survives.

[edcam]

It's well known that restaurants hate people on these deals. I've only ever had great food there btw. It survives because the food is good and it has a great ambience.

[Sue]

If restaurants "hate people on these deals" then they shouldn't sign up to them, should they?

I always thought they did it because they wanted people to enjoy their meal so much that they would go back and pay the full price next time.

Incidentally, is the "French restaurant on Lordship Lane" referred to in the thread the one which used to be Thistells (sic)? Or the one with all the lights? Because if the former, then that makes at least three local restaurants which won't allow discussion on this forum :(

[Growlybear]

I agree, Sue. My husband and daughter had been to this restaurant on a previous occasion, and had paid the full price. They enjoyed the food they had, although they thought it was overpriced for what they got. So when he saw the Amazon deal a few months ago, he thought it seemed a good offer, and unfortunately bought two of the deals. Like you, I assumed that restaurants offered deals through Amazon, Tastecard etc because they wanted to impress customers and get them to return, but this restaurant seems determined to do exactly the opposite. My husband used the first of the deals, and was so angry at the appallingly surly service and minute portions that he refused to use the second voucher, so I used the second one with my daughter and our experience was exactly the same. The offhand service started as soon as we showed the voucher, and it made us feel quite uncomfortable being treated in such a surly way by the waitress, while she was very pleasant and helpful to the people on the next table who were paying the full price for their normal sized portions. I really should have read the numerous reviews on TripAdvisor before going to this restaurant which reflected similar experiences from many other diners. Far from encouraging us to go back again, I can think of nothing that would make me go there, and I will always take the time to share my experiences with anyone who is thinking of wasting their money by buying a voucher to use in this ghastly restaurant. We paid ?30 for each of the vouchers, which I think, considering the quality, portion size, and service, was a complete rip off. A sandwich from the Co-op across the road would have been more enjoyable.

[david_carnell]

I think we can mention Le Chardon.

It routinely gets a pasting on here for cliched French service - i.e. piss poor and doing you a favour by letting you eat there.

To be fair, it does have its odd defender.

My biggest complaint is that for a French restaurant, its bread products are appalling. Those half-cooked white roll things that you can buy in bulk from a cash-and-carry and get served at suburban dinner parties.

[Ted Max]

DavidC: "Those half-cooked white roll things that you can buy in bulk from a cash-and-carry and get served at suburban dinner parties."

Yes. A couple I know have 'em - underheated and barely pale gold - with a carton of Tesco soup for lunch. Every single day. Every day.

Used to go to Le Chardon in the late nineties shortly after it opened. Steak au poivre, pommes dauphinoise, red wine lips, the low murmuring of diners daring to express the conceit that they were part of some secret piece of South London.

Lordship Lane *exactly* half way between what it was and what it has become.

[edcam]

Sue Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> If restaurants "hate people on these deals" then

> they shouldn't sign up to them, should they?

>

No they shouldn't but they do. I read an article about this where every restaurant signed up to these things had a low opinion of the people that wanted the deals. All of them were signed up to it though....

[Ted Max]

The sleek Munir in Tandoori Nights proud of his boys and girls, serving excellent food. James Nesbitt waiting in his long coat at the counter for his takeaway; those eating-in showing affected indifference to this unlooked-for endorsement.

A few in The Foresters or Hamlet Inn afterwards: interfaces of indigenous and settler ideologies. The new-comers killing what they thought they were about to be part of - like settlers unknowingly infecting the locals with diseases their immune systems could never withstand.

The then-locals who understood what was happening knowing that this was both an end and a beginning.

[edcam]

david_carnell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> I think we can mention Le Chardon.

>

> It routinely gets a pasting on here for cliched

> French service - i.e. piss poor and doing you a

> favour by letting you eat there.

>

> To be fair, it does have its odd defender.

>

> My biggest complaint is that for a French

> restaurant, its bread products are appalling.

> Those half-cooked white roll things that you can

> buy in bulk from a cash-and-carry and get served

> at suburban dinner parties.

I do agree about the rolls. Otherwise I've always found the service to be from fine to good(apart from one occasion when the waiter just didn't know what he was doing but that was a long time ago.)

I've also had some really nice meals there and haven't found it to be overpriced for the area/quality.

[Jeremy]

Not been there for ages. The food always used to be OKish, but the service was poor. And I don't accept that this is part of French culture as others sometimes suggest.

[Sue]

Ted Max Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Used to go to Le Chardon in the late nineties

> shortly after it opened. Steak au poivre, pommes

> dauphinoise, red wine lips, the low murmuring of

> diners daring to express the conceit that they

> were part of some secret piece of South London.

>

> Lordship Lane *exactly* half way between what it

> was and what it has become.

xxxxxxx

Did it actually close for a time, then?

I went in the early nineties when it was still Thistells, (God knows why they thought that name was a good idea, maybe somebody couldn't spell Thistles) and I hadn't thought they'd actually done anything to it before they renamed it Le Chardon?

Stopped going after having to wait for over an hour (if memory serves) for some indifferent but expensive fish.

ETA: I think the main attraction for me was the reminder of a fifties Sainsbury's (or do I mean David Greig?) - all they needed was the cheese wire and the ham cutting machine :)

[Sue]

Re Time Out offers, I don't have a card, but I subscribe to their offers email and there are often bargains.

Not in the same class (probably a good thing!) as Le Chardon, but I've just ordered a second voucher for a tiny Indian restaurant (Gurkhas Flavour) between Forest Hill and Catford, via which we get: Two starters, two main courses, two side dishes and two drinks, all for ?12, ie ?6 each for the arithmetically challenged (and indeed for the financially challenged) :)

Went about a month ago, did not feel the slightest bit looked down on for using a voucher, the food was good and plentiful, and the drinks included beer. Rice did count as a side dish though.

We did of course end up buying more drinks - but we didn't have to, and in fact the waiter seemed surprised that we did - we obviously looked poor :))

I don't know how they can possibly do it for this price. All I can think is that they are looking for future custom.

My new voucher can be used up to the end of February, so all good :)

And the 185 passes the door .....

[david_carnell]

Jeremy Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Not been there for ages. The food always used to

> be OKish, but the service was poor. And I don't

> accept that this is part of French culture as

> others sometimes suggest.

I did say it was cliched.

I don't think it's because it's French. Just that it lives up to that stereotype.

[boswell]

I've given up on Le Chardon because I've had laughingly bad service every time I've been there. The last time was the final straw when two friends who were both fans of liver ordered the same dish. One got a perfectly fine piece of meat, the other one couldn't eat it because it was so gristly and tough (and this was someone who really isn't fussy). When we were asked if everything was OK my friend said unfortunately it wasn't and the meat was too tough to eat only to be told "one in two pieces of liver is always like that, what can you do?". A suggestion as to what you can do would be not serve it to a customer paying ?16 for it.

I've actually found the branch in Clapham to be much better (although the service is pretty slow so only go if you've got time for a long leisurely dinner and don't mind massive gaps between courses).

[DulwichFox]

Be careful. People are again talking about and naming the very place Admin have requested

we do not mention..

Please read Rules of the forum from admin.

DulwichFox.

[Jeremy]

david_carnell Wrote:

----------------

> I did say it was cliched.

>

> I don't think it's because it's French. Just that

> it lives up to that stereotype.

That wasn't aimed at you DC!

[Sue]

DulwichFox Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Be careful. People are again talking about and

> naming the very place Admin have requested

> we do not mention..

>

> Please read Rules of the forum from admin.

>

> DulwichFox.

xxxxxxx

Hasn't Admin got the name wrong in the forum rules?

I thought it was another local eatery, Le C********* , which we weren't allowed to mention?

Plus the G***k one.

[boswell]

Thought it was the other Le C place we weren't supposed to mention but have just checked the Business section rules and seen it is actually Le Chardon we're not allowed to mention. Oops. Guessing this thread will have to be deleted unless everyone edits the name out of their posts.

[lane lover]

I think we need to name the restaurant in question. Otherwise, some could make assumptions that it could be another restaurant - which may falsely give them a bad name.

I think most of us know which restaurant we are talking about - and I am still stumped as to why we cant be constructive and comment on this establishment. I know there was an incident in the past that involved factually incorrect information, but why to they get preference on this forum over other businesses?

Good reviews and bad reviews - its only fair! So long as the information is factual, then I dont see the issue.

If LC dont like it, they should improve their service.

[Sue]

boswell Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Thought it was the other Le C place we weren't

> supposed to mention but have just checked the

> Business section rules and seen it is actually Le

> Chardon we're not allowed to mention.

xxxxxx

I think that's a mistake.

ETA: The one I thought we weren't allowed to mention was because a disgruntled ex staff member posted a load of "interesting" stuff about the business on here, which led to the ban. If memory serves.

[Gerrard]

Horses for courses. I have been going to Le C for over ten years and love the food, ambience and service. But I do tend to seek out French food over other options when eating out...

[KidKruger]

Been to that place on and off for a decade or so. Generally I've found the food on average OK but never amazing, the service has all but one time been really poncey - like we're being done a favour being served by them (but there's no option to get our own food so they have to serve us so where's the big favour ?!).