Stephen

Nov 10, 2021

Visit to The View from the Shard and…

Visit to The View from the Shard and Three Course Champagne Celebration Dining with Sides at Marco Pierre White's London Steakhouse Co for Two. This visit was part of a Virgin Experience Days Voucher I booked to celebrate our 10th Wedding Anniversary. Make a note that to use the voucher, you must book both experiences separately, and if you live far from London, you might have to do two visits depending on availability. Always check and understand that spaces are all subject to availability. We got to the Steakhouse a little bit early. The hosts at the desk were very welcoming, and they took our jackets then asked us to wait a few minutes for the table. Within minutes we were sat and Martha, our host for the evening, introduced herself and double checked the deal that we had booked. Bubbly was delivered promptly and then she took our food order, which was selected from the deals menu. We ordered Classic Prawn Cocktail A La Russe and Beetroot & Goats Cheese Salad for the wife. Both not worth the price, the prawn cocktail is not the finest, and it was bland, nothing special. The Beetroot was layered all around the plate, had a bit of goats cheese, and a small amount of chopped walnuts. It must be a goldmine selling two beetroots with bits on top at that price!. Onto the main, wife ordered the Braised Boeuf Bourguignon, and I ordered the 8oz Rump. My wife enjoyed her dish, my meat was burnt, I ask for a Medium term and was served a piece of burnt meat. Surely the chef would have shouted in the kitchen if this was being served elsewhere. I wish I could upload a photograph for all to see. Our deal included sides and they were normal. Our dessert was Sticky Toffee Pudding, and Martha had asked the kitchen staff to add "Happy Anniversary" around the plates. This was a lovely gesture by her, and was very tasty. This was soon followed by a nice white box that had the apron inside. We ordered a bottle of red wine to go with the meal. Everyone complains that the service is slow, however most restaurants use this tactic to get you ordering more drinks, that's where the real profit is. The service charge is optional, we left it on, as Martha was very good at making us feel welcomed. The additional money spent was about £50.00 pounds, on top of the deal that was already paid for. We got our jackets, thanked the hosts for their service and left. I think that if you are nice to waiting staff, they are likely to take care of you a little bit better. They are pressured by management to sell more, and running on their feet all night is stressful. I would happily return, and order a bigger piece of meat, and if turns out the same, I will ask for it to be changed. I didn't do this, as I wanted to have the main course with my wife.