Reviews Been there? Add a review!

oliviasfu

Sundays are great to catch up with busy friends and some over due self indulgence. I went to meet my good friend, Kate, at the Le Meridian in People's Park because Dim Sum sounded like a walk in the park and then some. We went to their 8th floor "A Mei" restaurant and were greeted with a promptness and eagerness to serve. However, upon being seated, the service seemed to have magically disappeared. We had to remind the staff several times that Kate's beverage still hadn't shown up even though all our food had. That didn't stop them from repeatedly asking her if she would like something to drink. I myself ordered a bowl of pork congee and received shrimp congee instead. After informing them that it was Shrimp instead of Pork, they sent three different people over so that I could say it a few more times, the last of them insisting the pink and poop colored, minced balls were in fact pork. I decided to trust them and took a bite which confirmed my initial common knowledge that it was in fact shrimp. I'm allergic to Shrimp. As they could tell I was becoming agitated, a fifth server quickly came over and said, in perfect English, with his hands properly behind his back and his eyebrows raised in profound astonishment, "You don't like Shrimp?" I explained one more time that I ordered PORK!!!!!! After this rhythmically challenged exchange, believe it or not, It did come....but left me anticlimactically, to enjoy my lukewarm congee . Meanwhile staff, who obviously thought their facial expressions weren't universally understood, could be seen having eye rolling jams. After paying the bill, we decided to move to a smoking table but were escorted elsewhere. When we arrived at the designated destination we were informed that the hotel rather have us smoke sitting in the kiddie corner and not dirty a second table. So we obeyed, stepping over toy trucks, dolls and colorful padding, and lit up. Luckily no kids were near by and an employee with common sense looked at us like we were dim witted delinquents. I asked him if he would like us to move and he politely showed us to another, more grown up, seating area. Overall, the wait staff seemed to be huffy puffy teenagers who were not well versed in their hotel restaurant scripting, if they in fact have such protocols, and came off as rude and inefficient. Upon leaving, the host and hostess did a great job of bidding us farewell. A Mei, excluding the greeting and farewell, represents to me what excruciating China service, in a cosmopolitan hotel, was 10 years ago. The food didn't even begin to counter this negative. I'm glad the farewell will be positively memorable as I left on a good note, resolved to never ever return.

7 months, 1 week ago