I swear when I went into this restaurant they thought I was Charlie Louie from Hotly Spiced. Recently she has had an uncanny ability to choose the worst bits of every menu. Thankfully that seems to be turning around. I suspect I’ve caught this affliction from her through email.
John took his dad to the doctor this morning and once he was all dressed up it was a shame to waste it. We’d been to M2 Pizzeria and Wine Bar before and it was great. It was so good that I wanted what I’d had before – their roasted pumpkin, feta and pine nut pasta shells with a lovely napoli sauce and topped with shaved Parmesan.
We arrived at 11:50 and were informed by the lady behind the counter that lunch didn’t start until noon and pointed us to a stack of menus and said for us to sit anywhere. What she didn’t say was, “The chef is a fill-in and I’m the only person doing the coffee, drinks, dessert, taking orders, taking payments, clearing tables and delivering food. If she’d told us that, I think we would have come back on a better day.
It’s a lovely spot for lunch right on the lake. It’s salt water but because it’s man made with a lock, there are no tides or rough water. There’s also a lovely sandy beach for kids to play on and several electric bbqs for people to use (free).
I knew what I wanted and the fellows wanted The Reef pizza for $11 (small) with prawns, mussels, crab, squid, anchovies, scallops, reef fish, garlic, onion and mozzarella. Sounds good doesn’t it?
We found a table and John went to order and pay. Then we sat and sat and sat. Finally we got drinks and we sat some more. It’s a lovely spot if you want to sit. None of us had eaten breakfast so we wanted to eat.
Eventually, the lovely woman from behind the counter came up and said, “Who ordered the entree sized pasta?”
“Me.”
“I’m sorry but we are out of pasta shells, can the chef substitute fettuccine?”
“Sure.”
I’m really easy to get along with and I don’t gripe but when someone says can I substitute one pasta for another I expect the rest of the dish to be the same. The last time I had this dish it was gorgeous with plump pieces of oven roasted pumpkin, lots of toasted pine nuts, rocket and shaved Parmesan on top. It was also served with a bread roll.
This is what I got ($14) and I’ve got to say, it didn’t taste all that bad but it looked like someone ate it before I got to it. There was no rocket, no pine nuts, no roasted pumpkin (however there were two or three tiny, smooshed bits of pumpkin) and no shaved Parmesan. There was no bread roll and I would have loved to have had a spoon to help eat the fettucine noodles with. It was roll and chomp – not the most elegant way to eat in a restaurant. It did have a puddle of oil in the bottom of the dish – that was new.
The two pizzas were wonderful. They were full of big pieces of seafood on a crispy thin crust and they cleaned their plates. The angle I took the shot with doesn’t show how high the pizza was with seafood. I should have taken a photo side on of a slice – it was very special.
We decided against dessert because we didn’t want to wait – and wait.
The verdict – we all would go back but it will be a while. They would be much better off to tell folks right up front that it’s going to be a horrendous wait. Once you’ve ordered (and paid) it’s tough to walk away.
G’day and Oh No Maureen, perhaps you now have the curse too! lol
I had to laugh when you wrote it looked like someone had eaten it before you!
Thanks for the much needed chuckle today and hope you next eat in experience is better than this…ok? 🙂
Cheers! Joanne
I certainly hope so! It was SO good last time. 🙂
That is so disappointing! There’s so much anticipation when you’re returning for a dish you absolutely loved. At least next time you’ll know what to ask to make sure your dining experience is MUCH better. 🙂
That’s it! I had such high expectations. I should have come home and made it myself but of course I didn’t because John’s not a pasta person. I looked forward to getting my fix. 🙂
I am sorry your dining experience was such a bust my friend! Hopefully it was just a bad one and you got unlucky!!
Cheers
CCU
I’m sure it’s a one-off glitch because the last time we were there we were very happy. 🙂
Oh no! I was quite worried for Charlie and only minutes ago read that she had a good meal. Has the curse been passed on? 😉 🙁
Yes, it’s like pass the parcel 🙂 I hope you don’t get it!
That’s a total bummer! I hope john’s Dad is OK. I hate a bum experience like that. I hope you complained, it’s important so they are aware of what they are doing wrong; you’d be surprised how many places have no clue.
The last time it was great. My biggest complaint was the time and surely she knew when we walked in and could have told us before we paid.
I’m pretty easy to please too; always just grateful to have a bit of time off from cooking…but waiting an interminable amount combined with that substitution? I would have had to spill too…they need to get their act together!
at the very least, put up a sign that says, “we’re experiencing a bit of trouble and there will be a wait of 45 minutes after ordering,” and then they would have had only the die hards to look after. The problem for us is you pay when you order so you’re stuck.
Well that stinks! Sorry your food wasn’t as good as you’ve experienced in the past. It does sound as if Charlie’s bad luck with restaurants is rubbing off on you!
It might be contagious, John, be careful. 🙂
I hate it when I return to a restaurant where I had a good experience and the food is not as good as I remember or had,. BIG Bummer. The pizza looks wonderful…like what I had in France once.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving!
Same to you, Roberta. John’s son and his new partner (from Chicago) will be with us. Magdalena has only been in Australia a few months and is really looking forward to pumpkin pie, turkey and stuffing and “all the rest.” John’s dad has never had Thanksgiving. He’s in for a treat.
Ah well, at least the pizzas were good. It looks like a lovely spot to sit and enjoy the view…if you weren’t starving to death! 🙂
LOL one look at my photo and you’d know I’m far from starving to death. 🙂 It was a lovely spot to sit in. I’m not good at sitting. I fold the clothes while I watch the news, I pick up crap outside when I take the dog out and you’d never find me sitting doing nothing. There are just too many things that need doing. I need a class in relaxation.
it’s so disappointing when you go back to a restaurant that was good and have bad food. sometimes a restaurant should just shut for the day if they don’t have enough food. GG
I think their chef didn’t show up nor did the waitstaff. Not sure what that means but the two people working obviously were in over their heads. The poor woman trying to do everything must have gone home exhausted. She was literally running.
Such a bummer when you return and the second time turns out to be a let-down. At least it wasn’t horrendous food! But having to wait for waay too long without a previous notice is also not very fun.
{ Teffys Perks Blog } X
You are so right. I wouldn’t have minded going somewhere else. Mondays are often tough to find something open but if all else failed, we could have gotten a bucket of chicken and sat on the beach. 🙂
Ouch! That’s why I prefer to dine at home!
We do too but when the ancient one was all dressed, we needed to take him somewhere. He LOVES to go out and at 93 on January 1st, how long will that continue?
I’m sorry for your bad luck. You and Charlie are a match to my nephew who, even when we order the same dish, always gets the smaller chicken breast or lobster tail or even baked potato. And when they’re brought to the same table … it’s noticeable.
The pasta dish looks like something **I** would have plated which is not a compliment by any means. And basically you got a different dish not just a pasta substitution. Very disappointing. I would have definitely cast hungry looks on my male companions’ pizzas.
At least the view was lovely.
I didn’t mind the pasta but it certainly didn’t feel like I was eating out. I wouldn’t have served a dish like that to company at my house so I wouldn’t expect to pay for it in a restaurant.
It’s one thing to visit a restaurant for the first time and be disappointed by a dish, but to return for a particular dish and be disappointed..oh no – so sorry Maureen!
At least the pizza was good right.
It’s one thing to visit a restaurant for the first time and be disappointed by a dish, but to return for a particular dish and be disappointed – ouch – that stings. So sorry Maureen.
But at least the pizza was good 🙂
Yes, and today is John’s birthday so I’m glad his pre-birthday pizza was fantastic. Even if he did have to wait.
Wow that’s shocking presentation of your pasta! It really does look like someone has had a go at it and picked out all the good bits. Hope the Charlie luck doesn’t continue!
Isn’t it funny, that’s what John said. “It looks like he ate the best bits and gave you the leftovers.” LOL
oh yikes, very poor presentation and oil at the bottom is never a good thing…hope her recent good luck with meals rubs off on you!
I liked Claire’s comment that the chef ate all the good bits out of the dish before sending it out. LOL
Agree, the waitress should have informed you of the issue and let you decide whether you want to wait or not. I would have sent the dish back and ask for a pizza, of course there would be more wait and wait, so I would steal a slice from each of the guys and return the slice when mine appear.
LOL I wouldn’t dream of waiting another hour for a pizza. 🙂 The pasta wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t what I ordered.
That stinks that the experience was not a better one. At least it is confirmed that the pizza is still really good, even if the pasta has a lot to be desired. Waiting too long takes a lot away from the experience.
Exactly right, Velva. Even if the food had been fantastic – waiting 30 minutes for drinks and nearly an hour for food at lunch is ridiculous.
Ugh…service like that drives me crazy. Too bad you weren’t informed before you ordered 🙁
yes, because we would have still returned to have our favorite lunch dishes and they wouldn’t have a crap review.
What a disappointment! At least you got a story out of the whole thing 🙂
Sorry you had a long wait, but the food sure looks good. Great pictures and I love pics of your FIL. The camera loves him! 🙂
If you had been there you would have cracked up. I was using my phone.
Rob: “Are you taking a photo on your phone?”
Me: “yes, smile”
Rob: “you’re taking a photo of me?”
Me: “Yes, SMILE!”
Rob: “You don’t need a photo of me.”
Me: “Oh for goodness sakes say CHEESE!!”
Rob: “cheese”
🙂
It was Faulty Towers from the moment you got there. As bad as it was, I think the very worst over-sight is that you didn’t get a spoon to help you eat your pasta. That’s the biggest sin of all because that is just plain common sense. Welcome to the Faulty Towers Club! xx
Oh you’re a dear for giving me the curse! (not) John asked if I was going to write about it and I said yes, I owed it to you because you always tell it like it is. 🙂
Oh bummer! I hate it when a dish doesn’t live up to expectations. At least the pizzas were good! They sure do look yummy!
My dish tasted all right but it wasn’t what I ordered and that’s what made me angry. That and the hour long wait at lunch time. So looking forward to this week’s Lucy adventures. I think she belongs to all of us now. 🙂
What a lovely picture Maureen, doesn’t he look cute and mischievous at the same time. Life’s too short to be waiting for 1 waitress. Pas that baton back to Charlie
Maybe we should pass it on to someone we don’t know 🙂
These scrumptious, mouthwatering pizza .
They are ready for another 🙂
Bummer about their only being one person to do everything and a fill in chef on top of it. But look at that view. I’d eat cardboard for that. I look at anywhere here and see flat land, subdivisions or corn fields. I should visit you. My life would complete to visit your country and get to meet you in person. I hate that I don’t travel more. My bucket list is getting too long.
it was a shocker all right 🙂
I spit out my water when I read “it looked like someone ate it…” I love your sense of humor!