One to avoid…

For the first time i find myself writing a mainly negative review… having for the time ever asking to speak to a restaurant manager… the villain of the piece?  Well, we thought we’d try Obento – touting itself as “Bristol’s finest Japanese Restaurant” - on Baldwin street in Bristol.  A mistake we will not be repeating… i’m not even gonna do what i normally do and post a map, cos i don’t want to inflict it on anyone! Go to Wagamama’s instead or stay home and order from Easton Express…

Initial impression was very good – seated immediately, and our drinks order was taken with 2 mins, and appeared quickly.  Then came the waiting… Our food order wasn’t taken for half an hour, despite waving and indicating that we were ready to order (no i didn’t wave or click my fingers, but everything but!).

The couple who’d arrived 20 mins after us ordered at the same time, and their food arrived first – leaving us waiting expectantly, but increasingly grumpily as takeaway orders and other food flew out of the kitchen.  20 mins later, still no food, so I asked one of the waitresses, and she replied two minutes.  10 later, still nothing, so i pressed again, and suggested that we’d be walking if nothing came out soon, to which an excuse was made that there’d been a problem in the kitchen – fine, but why not tell us and at least bring us something to keep us going…?

However, food duly arrived about 5 minutes after that complaint.  The food itself was passable – but by no means great, either on the Bento box front, or the sushi.  Didn’t compare to the fabulous Easton Express takeaway, and the sushi was akin to what Tesco serves up in little plastic trays… but at least it was food, and we were rather hungry by this time.

So we ate, with little explanation of what stuff was when it arrived (again at irregular intervals…) and i popped to the gents after – to be greeted with a pile of sick in the corner of one cubicle (from the previous day… i won’t go into detail, but it was obvious…), and the other in a less than pleasant state too.

So… for the first time in my life I asked to speak to the manager, who turned up about 5 minutes later.  Explaining our various issues, he really didn’t look bothered – and added that we hadn’t even been asked for another drinks order… the excuses were unforgiveable in a restaurant. “We’re busy”, with a chorus of “everyone ordered lots of sushi” – well duh! it’s a bloody Japanese restaurant and you have a 50% off offer on sushi! Not exactly a surprise, surely??

Suffice to say, after threatening to walk, then offering to pay only half, I finally agreed to a 20% discount on top of comp drinks – so yes it only cost us £24 for a meal for two.  But in comparison to some of the great food available for a comparable price elsewhere in Bristol, and given the service, cleanliness and lack of care, I think I’d have to be offered money as well as a free food to step back inside Obento.  Shocking.

Breakfast review – Tinto Lounge, Bristol

Right then, first bash at a review – met up with a friend for brunch this morning at Tinto Lounge on Gloucester Road.  It’s a nice, friendly little bar/cafe/eatery up in Horfield with quite a wide menu (burgers, steaks, all sorts, and brunch stuff served all day…), teas and coffees and some decent beer on tap – two very good ones today, Bath Ales Dark Hare stout, and nice lighter ale, also from Bath Ales, called Toga Man, which I particularly enjoyed as it was served in an old-fashioned pint pot!  Given that it was breakfast i also bowed to convention and had a coffee.


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On to the food.  Service was a wee bit slow today – it was quite busy with lots of families in, and not a huge amount of space.  The kitchen also seemed to be prepping for a later service, but the waiting and bar staff were friendly and apologetic (our food turned up at about 10 minute intervals…).  Trina and our friend Jason both had eggy bread (£4.50) with bacon and maple syrup – American stylee.  It looked really good and Trina managed to polish hers off pretty much before mine arrived! Reliably informed it tasted good and was great value.

I went for their standard Lounge Breakfast (£6.50).  Good quantity – gives two slices of bacon rather than one (which really annoys me).  But… what i’d assumed was a sliced sausage was a strange sausage patty, the bacon was a bit on the crispy side, and the toast was a bit underdone… they also appear to have left my baked beans under a heat lamp for a few minutes too long, as they had that lovely skin on… On the upside, the patty was actually quite tasty, the black pudding was nice, the egg was perfect (though served with a parsley leaf, which was somewhat redundant…) and the hash browns were… well… hash browns.  In all, it was good and filled a hole – good enough to require a pint of Toga Man to wash it down… – but if we go there again, i think i’ll join the fashionable crowd on the Eggy Bread.

Overall, i like Tinto – the staff are friendly and while it’s a little crowded (it could lose a table or two)it has a good buzz about it.  I have eaten there once before a few years ago, and the food then was also good quality – simple but nicely done.  Overall, 3.5 our of 5 i think – though the beer and service definitely helped that mark.
Cheers!