KFC Khalidiya, Abu Dhabi - Bad customer service

I don't think I can ever convince myself to go to my local KFC again ... That's the one located at Zayed the 1st Street, here in Abu Dhabi's Khalidiyah area.

Just last week - At 6:23pm in the evening, with hardly a person in the restaurant ... I ordered my Mini Fillet meal. I waited ... and I waited ...

After 2 other patrons who came after me received their meals prior to myself .. I complained to the Manager, who then tried to expedite my order, which was when I realised he wasn't wearing any gloves when he used a temperature probe to measure the temperature of the chicken at the counter. I would be surprised if this was part of KFC's HACCP management system!

After waiting 15 minutes, I decided to remind the staff that I have been waiting an extraordinarily length of time for what is considered "fast" food, and what surprised me was - There was only one or two other persons waiting around the counter ... Why did it take so long to prepare a couple of fries and my "mini fillets" and why could I not have been kept informed about the reasons for the delay?!

22 minutes later ... I got my Mini Fillet meal. Am I going to take the opportunity to write about my experience eating this take-away meal? I think not - This experience has left me genuinely dissapointed and surprised with KFC.

Update 10th Sept - I provided the above feedback to Americana-Food and Yum group who operates KFC in the MENA region, and to their credit, they seemed to take my concerns seriously. Pity the staff in this store didn't!

Umi Fusion - Al Wahda Mall, never again!

A poor eating-experience and one we hope to forget about soon, one weekend lunchtime at the new extension of Abu Dhabi's Al Wahda Mall...

Fusion? Seems Umi Fusion has an outlet at Jumeirah Beach Residence, Dubai ... I hope that it is purely-Japanese in that outlet, as the meaning of fusion here is genuinely confused! Fusion in Umi Fusion-speak means Mediterranean, Chinese, Japanese and other dishes. It is NOT a fusion of different dishes on one plate - Just a mixed up menu.

Child-friendly? Not at all - One high-chair in the entire restaurant, and when asked for a "child-friendly cup", we got a plastic cup (The disposable type) with a sharp-lip that cut my daughter's lips. Outrageous!

I chose the Paella - I am not sure what mediterranean flavours and colour-profile was agreed upon by the Executive Chef and owners, but it certainly turned-out un-Paella like. Funny enough, it was probably the best of the 4 dishes our lunch-party chose (v the Chicken Rice, v the Hor-fun or Kuay Teow, and definitely v T's mackerel which was promptly returned to the kitchen!).

I am not sure what inspired us to order the Chicken Rice, but we did ... Chili was overly-spicy and without flavour, the chicken was dry ... and the rice? Plain ol' plain ol'!

 

Prices? Japanese Edamame (18 AED), two Japanese Kappa Maki Roll (aka Sushi - 29 AED each), my Mediterranean Seafood with Chicken Paella (69 AED), Japanese Saba Shioyaki (Wait a moment - Isn't that the Mackerel which T sent back!!! 79 AED), and a large bottle of local water at 12 AED. Looks like we got the Chicken Rice and Oyster-sauce-heavy-Hor fun "free".

On a positive side ... They accept The Entertainer. This meal for 4 (4 adults + 4 children) came up to 236 AED, and note that this was WITH the Entertainer vouchers and T had sent back his mackerel!

As Edgar Allan Poe described in The Raven, "Nevermore..."

Royal China - Tim Sum lunch at DIFC, Dubai

Location: DIFC, Building 4 - Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
Tel: +971 4 354 5543
Number of persons: 9 adults, 4 children, 2 babies

Total bill: 1,274 AED
Bill with tax: 1,400 AED (RM$1,100 or RM$122 per adult)

Expensive, not the nicest of ambience (It was too warm!), and they lost our reservation (Not a good way to start a meal!!) ... service was average too. Overall, not the best of experiences, and the food was simply average as well, not up to its London HQ's standards!

Water (Aqua Panna), 25 AED

Peking duck (Whole), 260 AED

Duck two-way (Qty = 3, that's preparing a lettuce rub duck from the meat-bits of the duck, after the skin was served in pancakes ... OUCH!), 105 AED

 Prawn dumplings, 28 AED

Char siew pao (Barbecue chicken of course), 28 AED (That's RM$7.50 per pao!!!)

Dry scallop Cheong Fun with Yau char kuey "Char cheong", 30 AED

Pan fried chicken buns, 28 AED

Glutinous rice in Lotus leaf, 25 AED

 
Pan fried fish cake, 28 AED
Minced fish congee "chuk"/porridge, 20 AED

Baked barbecue chicken pastry, 30 AED

Chicken with cashew nuts, 55 AED

Steamed rice, 12 AED (RM$10!)Special fried rice - Lotus leaf Royal China-style, 60 AED

Sing chau chau-mai "Singapore fried vermicelli", 48 AED

Stir fried beef hor-fun with Black bean sauce, 48 AED

AND ...

Organic Pu-er Tea - 2007 vintage!! (Per pot, 30 AED), they charged us 1 pot per couple or 120 AED worth of tea ... That's RM$100 worth of tea for us 9 adults. YOUCH!

Popeyes fried chicken - Good food, bad service

Branch: ADNOC Petrol station, Khalidiyah
Store code: 10550
Feedback: http://www.tellpopeyesuae.com/
Date of the bad experience: 21st April 2012

What we had ...
3 piece chicken combo (Includes a medium Coke, Coleslaw and "Biscuit"), 20 AED.
2 piece snack box, 11 AED.
 
Sigh ... isn't it frustrating when the food is good (Crispy fried chicken, very tasty!), but the service is bad. Make that very bad! Here is what happened -
1) I was standing in-line, when a man basically stepped right in front of me - I told the cashier who said "I didn't see. I am normally the delivery man, just standing in for the cashier today". Poor response!
2) After waiting what felt like 20-25 minutes for my chicken (There was only 4 persons waiting in-line, and probably 6 tables filled with patrons at the outlet), the server gave me my chicken - with no drink. I asked him where it was, and the answer was ... "You did not order the meal!" Good grief, just check the receipt, mate! I reminded him otherwise, and without even apologising ... he gave me my meal WITH a drink.

Terrible!


The receipt - Do note who served me, shudder!

The service basically ruined the meal, even though we normally enjoy the fried chicken!


Yummy fried chicken!

Steaks at Meat Co - No longer our favourite!

Located: Souk Qaryat Al Beri, Abu Dhabi
Tel: +971 2 558 1713
Opening hours: 12pm - 11:30pm/12am
Map: Google

A great looking wine cellar does not make a steakhouse good ... Not at the very least.


Why were we so dissapointed at what was probably our "first" favourite steakhouse in Abu Dhabi? Lets start with the service! Our waiter had an indifferent attitude, despite the fact that it was hardly a busy evening at the restaurant. For a restaurant that used to pride itself in great (and different - namely, fun) customer service, this was unforgiveable.

Even our bread came late ... Very late. In fact, it came at the same time as our main-course, and only cos' I reminded our waiter!

Next ... the ambience. Meat Co's menu is priced similarly to large hotel steakhouses, such as the ones I recommend below, but we found the environment to lack "special" - It was warm, and as we sat on the ground-floor, we had to put up with the screeching door as it rubbed against the floor everytime it opened and closed!

Worse of all ... the food. Not only on this occasion, we found our steaks to be over-cooked, despite L ordering "Medium rare". We were surprised that our Wagyu choices were not juicy, and not sufficiently tender. Dissapointing! On a plus side, I liked the onion rings!


My wagyu, prepared "medium".


The last straw ... The price! Whilst Meat Co prices their steaks similarly to other hotel steakhouses, it does NOT even include sauces and side-dishes. These are all priced individually.

Hey, its not all doom and gloom.. We have no problems recommending some really excellent steak-houses in Abu Dhabi!
(1) Rodeo Grill, Beach Rotana - Tourist Club Area, beside Abu Dhabi Mall
(2) 18 Oz - One to One Hotel, The Village - Al Nahyan area, Abu Dhabi

Ah .. at least even on a dissapointing evening for steaks, we had the pleasure of enjoying the sunset from Souk Qaryat Al Beri :-)

Abu Dhabi ... Travellers welcome :-)

Best mexican food but worst service in Abu Dhabi - Sheraton

Add: El Sombero ... P.O. Box 640 . Corniche Road - Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort - Abu Dhabi.
Tel: +971 2 677 3333

Great margaritas ... delicious mexican rice and dishes :-)


Excellent fajitas ... but ... whats lacking in Sheraton Corniche's repertoire, is ... CUSTOMER SERVICE! Slow and unattentive, perhaps its lack of staff (The place gets really busy!), or poor management. Who knows!

Penang Road Cendul - Rusty nail nightmare!

Penang Road Cendul needs no introduction, I had visited this institution on many an occasion!

However, recently, a guest correspondent of this blog, RL, went with his family ... and ta-paued some home. Shock, shock horror .... Guess what his mum found in a pack of cendul as they were eating it! A rusty nail, EEEEEP!

Little Penang Cafe, KLCC - This used to be good!

Lil penang cafe restaurant, KLCC
Level: 4th floor
Lot number: 409-411

It had been many years since my uni buddies (and their little ones!) would have met up with me, so we chose a "Malaysian-y" restaurant for this meeting. Boy did I pick the WRONG restaurant!

Food was so blah ... Cooked without passion, and the service was terrible. There were many staff members, but they didn't seem to pay attention to any of the clients!

The Pie-T's at Chicken Rice Shop are even better then at this eatery ... Eeep!

The noodle dishes were equally poor!

Don't know why we bothered ... but we wanted to give it one more go, but blah ... the desserts were equally poor.

ps - Snippets of Christmas at KLCC ...

Parazs Presszo - Thai Hungarian cuisine, Budapest

Google map: Click here for restaurant directions
Add: 1067 Budapest Szobi utca 4, Budapest, Hungary
Tel: +361 950 3770

Thanks to Zub and bbG for bringing me and my team to this Hungarian-Thai eatery!


Good beer ...


Nice dishes on the menu, at reasonable prices ... round about 15-20 Euros per head including a beer or two :-)


BUT ... beware, the service can be indifferent. To be safe, ask to speak to the Thai co-owner, she is much nicer! Thai? I chose Oihsi Green Tea from Thailand ...

Ah ... definitive Thai starter, Tom Yum Goong.

Chopsticks in Hungaria ...

Really good fried rice! Oops, Kao Pad I mean ...

My Pad Kaprao Moo Sarb ... pretty good!

Pad Thai was okie ...

Hey, its my Pad Kaprao again, this time without the rice ... told you the service was a little odd. They insisted we ordered it twice (I don't think so) ... but I was feeling generous, and had both portions :-)