big chef takes on little chef

?? This post is nothing until you tell us which you chose.

My grandparents used to take us to a LC when they dropped us home after staying with them for the school holidays. I also remember the pancakes with square ice cream ?

not been in one for yeeeeears, I sky plussed this, so will watch later with interest.

Well a bacon sandwich with chips obviously. I like to order off menu.

?

Another one for whom LC was a treat as a child

I remember when moving house one time we went there every day for a week ?

We have stopped there occasionally with the kids as I don't need to worry about them making a mess ?

Can't wait to see how this pans out and am not going to read any spoilers hopefully

I didn't watch this, but does this mean that the bumper Burger Grill, and the Jubilee pancakes are no more? <distressed>

(was also a treat when i was a child, hundreds of years ago.)

The one that's now The Tamarind on the A470 (randomest place for an indian restaurant ever?) was the first LC I ever went to, I remember being taken there for a treat when I was about 4 or 5 which would have made my brother 1 or 2, we were coming from Merthyr so by the time we drove to Ponty to turn around it seemed like it was hours away. I remember my brother attempting to throw his woolly hat/bonnet thing out of the window on the dual carriageway.

The Indian there is not too bad and I knew they filmed that episode of Torchwood there but my ex husband wouldn't believe me! (not the reason for the divorce)

jubilee pancakes are safe

Nope - my parents viewed it as a treat too. Although I remember liking their burger with cottage cheese as they were the only place that did creamy cottage cheese rather than sharp cottage cheese. And the pancakes - mmmmmmm.

Have watched this on 4OD after seeing this thread. Am loving the programme. Ian what-his-name is an idiot. Wants to look nicey-nicey and everybody's friend - whilst being as useful as a wet haddock. Heston has totally misjudged LC's customers (and is probably trying to change too much.) The two chefs are fishes out of water, and I'm loving the mini-diva that is Michael the manager. ?

There's no reason why this shouldn't work - but it's great TV in the meantime.

If anyone is interested H and I went to the Popham one today, yeah I know, we're sheep...

It was grim, 55 minute wait, filthy, (mostly) clueless staff, filthy, took ages to take our order, filthy, too many staff not actually doing anything, filthy.

Filthy? I am suprised, it has only been open for a few months hasn't it and with all the press and media coverage, I would have thought that it would have been pushed as 'flag ship' - what was filthy about it ??

They are idiots if they have let it go down hill right after the programme has aired.!!

It was really bad, the ladies toilet were grim, the first cubicle had blood on the toilet seat ? and the sinks were really grubby. H said the gents weren't too bad.

The floor look like it needed swept (no one swept it at all and were there for at least ah hour and a half) A lot of the small tiles on the floor were chipped and a few were missing. We were sat at the entrance to the kitchen and there was rubbish on the floor - oil, fat and a broken egg shell that no one picked up but kept walking over. One member of staff stood for 5 minutes biting her nails. It was grim.

Also, the food was nothing special - H had the breakfast and I had the bangers and mash, we were going to have puddings but were so fed up by the poor service we just left.

I would write to them and tell them your experience if I were you - sounds disgusting!

better still, tell them at the time

"could i speak to the manager please?"

sure - just a moment

"hello, can i help?"

yes, thanks for coming over. i think you ought to know that there is blood on one of the seats in the ladies loos, your staff are standing doing nothing but bite their fingernails, there is filth everywhere, and the food is appalling. i m letting you know that we wont be paying for anything and we're shortly leaving, but rather than get home and write a faceless letter, i thought it would help to tell you now"

easy.

Yes, but she doesnt have a time machine, so a letter would do just fine in this instance.

We drove past Popham yesterday (well, I do most days) and cars were queueing to get in. I'm really surprised they have let the standards slip so much in the weeks that it's been re-opened.

Bit of a shame. I was half-heartedly planning on going during a week day, but perhaps I'll give it a miss.