Dogwatcher wrote:A rare incursion from me to this thread. I’m not a big one for negatively reviewing businesses online, but I’ll make an exception on this occasion.
I’d eaten at Jamie’s Italian several years before and really enjoyed the meal. The Godfather cocktail was also a big highlight. So when we discussed booking there for NYE prior to the Strikers’ match I was looking forward to the meal, with a Godfather to finish off.
Upon booking for our group of 21, we received an email that acknowledged our booking and indicated that for groups of 12 or more the restaurant charges 10% on top of the bill. I’m unsure why they would charge you for bringing more people to their business, but I understand this is their standard policy (NYE or not).
Anyway, our booking was for 4pm, so not in the busy period. We arrived on time to be told our table was not prepared and we waited for 20 minutes before being seated. Seems ridiculous that our table was not ready this early in the night, at a time when few people are eating. Business was steady, but not busy.
Finally, we got to our table and no one came to ask if we’d like a drink to start with. It was 40 minutes after our arrival time when we were finally offered a drink. C’mon, it’s NYE and I’m catching up with some dear friends – I want a beer with the lads!
The waiter was charming, if overly familiar.
Our meals came in good time. A friend and I had the crab spaghetti – we both thought it was horrible - washed out and tasteless. Mrs DW didn’t enjoy her meal (and, like me, she isn’t one to complain lightly), another friend’s $45 steak was stringy and chewy, while another person who had a steak dish was disappointed.
To top it off, a meal was forgotten and delayed by 20 minutes –the rest of us had finished, which is always uncomfortable for that person. This person really lucked out – they were earlier told their first choice meal wasn’t available, they asked for a wine that was unavailable, they asked for a cocktail for which they were told not all the ingredients were available.
It was really disappointing, considering as a group we spent about $700 there and potentially would have spent a lot more had we seen a drinks waiter earlier and had we had an enjoyable enough meal that we wanted dessert.
I missed out on my Godfather cocktail (
https://www.thespruce.com/godfather-coc ... ipe-761446) as the service was so slow that I didn’t want to order another drink prior to our departure.
Had the meal been set up as the highlight of our night, it probably would have really diminished the enjoyment of our catch-up. Luckily, the Strikers and the Elder Park fireworks were to follow.
Jamie’s doesn’t seem to answer its phone, its Facebook is poorly monitored and full of complaints, meanwhile a Tweet to Jamie’s Italian Australia (seeking a chance to provide feedback direct) has gone unanswered. Interestingly, feedback I’ve received from mates suggests our experience was not isolated. Looking through the company’s replies to Tweets and it would seem the majority of the negative comments to Jamie’s Italian are about its Adelaide restaurant. I’m clearly not alone.
It’s doubtful I’ll be back.
