Comments on: Review: Pistachios in the Park http://www.greenwich.co.uk/magazine/1636-pistachios-in-the-park/ Greenwich news and information Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:00:42 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Paul http://www.greenwich.co.uk/magazine/1636-pistachios-in-the-park/comment-page-1/#comment-31954 Paul Tue, 26 Jul 2011 06:59:52 +0000 http://www.greenwich.co.uk/?p=1636#comment-31954 I'm sad to say that I had an awful experience at Pistachios in Greenwich Pleasuance yesterday, 25th July 2011. I should have guessed that things were amiss when I first arrived as the tables were cluttered with dirty plates and cups. Not too distressing in itself but the place wasn't even busy. In fact, when I went in to the cafe itself (the folding doors were shut on a lovely day making the place look unhospitable), I was the only person at the counter. There was a young girl behind the servery who was flitting about and I could smell cigarette smoke in doors. Looking over, I could see the back door open and a young man sitting in the doorway smoking. I later learned that this young chap was the cook). Well, I ordered an egg baguette and a tuna melt and paid for them by debit card. I now note that the order was placed at 13.28 hours from that receipt. I was sitting next to the door and 2 other people went in and placed drinks orders so I thought my food wouldn't be too long. Well, 15 minutes later the egg baguette arrived. It was totally anemic without a hint of colour on the bread. I appreciate that the breads arrive (usually frozen) to be finished in the oven but this thing was totally white and hard. If it had been in the oven at all all that had been achieved was to make the thing almost bullet like. I kept waiting for the tuna melt to arrive and even went in once to see what was happening. After 25 minutes the young chap that I had seen smoking brought me the tuna melt. Well, what can I say? Again, I think an attempt to grill the bread had been made but all that had been achieved was to make the bread dry and hard. Not a hint of colour to the 'toasted' bread. It was just hard, dry and curled up at the edges. Lifting the bread I found a lump of cheese that had sort of melted at the edges but was otherwise unaffected by applied heat. It was, to be blunt, disgusting. I paid £8.15 for two wholly unacceptable sandwiches in a venue that was left dirty and appeared unloved (when was the last time the window were cleaned?). I went back inside with the 'food' and spoke to the lad that had served me. He wasn't impolite but he wasn't apologetic either. When presented with the baguette and asked if it looked cooked he replied, "Well, I didn't cook it." When asked if the bread on the tuna melt was toasted his reply was, "I put it in the toaster." I asked for, and got, my money back but have left with a very poor view of the cafe. I live within a couple of hundred yards of The Pleasuance and had a guest with me on this visit. I like to support local businesses but the service, food and general condition of the cafe was dire, making it unlikely for me to bother again in the future. Honestly, why would you? I’m sad to say that I had an awful experience at Pistachios in Greenwich Pleasuance yesterday, 25th July 2011. I should have guessed that things were amiss when I first arrived as the tables were cluttered with dirty plates and cups. Not too distressing in itself but the place wasn’t even busy. In fact, when I went in to the cafe itself (the folding doors were shut on a lovely day making the place look unhospitable), I was the only person at the counter. There was a young girl behind the servery who was flitting about and I could smell cigarette smoke in doors. Looking over, I could see the back door open and a young man sitting in the doorway smoking. I later learned that this young chap was the cook). Well, I ordered an egg baguette and a tuna melt and paid for them by debit card. I now note that the order was placed at 13.28 hours from that receipt. I was sitting next to the door and 2 other people went in and placed drinks orders so I thought my food wouldn’t be too long. Well, 15 minutes later the egg baguette arrived. It was totally anemic without a hint of colour on the bread. I appreciate that the breads arrive (usually frozen) to be finished in the oven but this thing was totally white and hard. If it had been in the oven at all all that had been achieved was to make the thing almost bullet like. I kept waiting for the tuna melt to arrive and even went in once to see what was happening. After 25 minutes the young chap that I had seen smoking brought me the tuna melt. Well, what can I say? Again, I think an attempt to grill the bread had been made but all that had been achieved was to make the bread dry and hard. Not a hint of colour to the ‘toasted’ bread. It was just hard, dry and curled up at the edges. Lifting the bread I found a lump of cheese that had sort of melted at the edges but was otherwise unaffected by applied heat. It was, to be blunt, disgusting.

I paid £8.15 for two wholly unacceptable sandwiches in a venue that was left dirty and appeared unloved (when was the last time the window were cleaned?). I went back inside with the ‘food’ and spoke to the lad that had served me. He wasn’t impolite but he wasn’t apologetic either. When presented with the baguette and asked if it looked cooked he replied, “Well, I didn’t cook it.” When asked if the bread on the tuna melt was toasted his reply was, “I put it in the toaster.”

I asked for, and got, my money back but have left with a very poor view of the cafe. I live within a couple of hundred yards of The Pleasuance and had a guest with me on this visit. I like to support local businesses but the service, food and general condition of the cafe was dire, making it unlikely for me to bother again in the future. Honestly, why would you?

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