Monday 8 July 2013

Next (Stittsville)

After generously being gifted a gift card to this restaurant by one of my clients, we were eager to check it out. Word was, that you get an entire breakfast buffet brought to your table on a board. I was intrigued! I called for a reservation last minute on father's day, and was pleased to get a call back within the hour confirming a time. They mentioned that if we needed a high chair, that we should bring one from home, because there are very few available.

The restaurant is at the farther end of Stittsville, just before we would have turned around, assuming we had missed it. The place is classy inside and out, making my stomach squirm a little at the thought of unleashing the Toast kids upon their expensive decor and tranquil music. We waited inside the entrance for a few minutes before we were seated. I peeked through the threshold to scan the restaurant for other littles. There were surprisingly a couple around the restaurant. None were eating toast under the table, though. I was still a little nervous. Were were seated at a table smack in the middle of the floor. The waitress came over to explain our menu options, but we were already settled on ordering the board. This selection feeds 2 people and includes a long list of components.

Our coffees took longer than normal to arrive, and the children's drinks never came, though we asked for them several times. Eventually we gave up and went to the car to get water bottles instead. We continued to be disappointed by servers, but I will elaborate on that later, the kitchen staff was great, however. The food was prepared quickly by skilled chefs. It was all delicious.

A large plank of wood was carried to our table by one of the chefs. It held an array of dishes and bowls holding meats, breads, pastries, fruits, deserts, the works. Only a picture could truly explain what I mean.

If I can offer a piece of advice to the staff, is to please not position the board so the dessert sits directly in front of the toddler. This is in everyone's best interest. Toast Girl had a little melt down, when  told that the chocolate mousse was not her main course, and that she would need to eat something else first. She didn't eat anything else. Toast Boy, however, will eat anything and he was quite happy to dig in.

The food was unbelievable. It included an array of eggs, various meats, pastries, and fruits. Everything was incredible.

After finishing, the kids grew restless. This is usually the time when the waitress would run over with the bill to rush us out for our sake as well as all the other patrons. We waited with our empty plates and obviously upset toddlers for 5...10...15 minutes. I stopped a waitress and asked for the bill.. soon, she said.. soon. 10 minutes later and Toast Boy was crying loudly, and Toast Girl was running in circles around the table. Toast Man brought the kids to the car, while I continued to wait longer for the bill. It eventually came, and I handed over the gift certificate, with exact change in my hand for a tip (despite the crummy service). The manager came over to tell me that I could use the gift card, but they wouldn't give any change or credit back. Since the meal was for only half of the value, he recommended coming back a different day to use it. I checked the gift certificate, the email it was received in, and their website, but there was no mention of this rule anywhere. I'm not sure of the legality of their actions there, but I was less than impressed with them.

Overall Experience, great food, and an interesting concept. However, the service was incomparably awful.








Toast Rating:

 Family Friendliness 
Speed of Service 
Food Quality/Taste


The menu is available online here



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