26
Breakfast at Terminal 1
11 Comments · Posted by Mr Angry in Consumer Issues, Getting about, Places
Having finally made my way airside, I had a small amount of time to get something to eat before boarding my flight. It was still early, so I fancied a light breakfast.
I took a seat in The Tin Goose pub / Restaurant and perused the breakfast menu. It was full of overpriced variations of the English breakfast, with little option for someone wanting something on the ‘light’ side. I settled on Eggs Benedict and waited for someone to take my order.
And waited.
Then I noticed that this restaurant was ’self ordering’ as opposed to table-service or self-service. You go to the bar to order, give them your table number, and they bring the food to you.
This presented a dilemma. I was eating alone, so I would have to leave my table whilst I placed my order, and due to the constant security warnings I was not about to leave my belongings there as a sign the table was occupied. I did not want to be at the centre of a “Extremely popular blogger causes airport chaos!” story, not again.
I finally got to the front of the queue and ordered.
“We have no Eggs Benedict, sorry.”
“Right. I’ll just have some scrambled eggs on toast then?”
“We don’t do that.”
“Poached?”
“Nope.”
“Boiled?”
“Nope. You can have fried. As part of a breakfast from the menu.”
I acquiesced and chose the “mini” full English, because I am on a healthy eating kick. I also ordered an Orange juice. He bent over and opened the fridge behind the bar and pulled out a ready-poured glass of orange juice.
“I don’t want that one.”
“What’s wrong, it’s fresh?”
“It was pre-poured, you could be secretly trying to rohypnol me or anything. I’d like a fresh one, poured in front of me, please.”
He did as I asked and requested my table number, which I handed over, before he pointed out that an elderly couple were now sat there.
“Well I WAS sat there, before I had to come up here to order, whilst carrying all my belongings so as not to cause a full scale security alert, ensuring the table looked vacant.”
We settled on a recently vacated table close by, and I went off to use some incredibly expensive wi-fi. My breakfast arrived, without the toast, and I tucked into the worst ten pound breakfast I’ve ever had.
breakfast · bridge bar · heathrow
Shackleford Hurtmore · September 26, 2008 at 7:54 am
I stopped eating at that [Tin Goose - Ed] when I went to the toilets one morning and saw that one of their kitchen staff didn’t bother washing their hands after they’d had a dump.
Actually, I’m not sure if they had a dump, but they came out of a cubicle. They may only have been wanking.
Keef · September 26, 2008 at 8:35 am
Eat For Fun, Live for Now, Love Forever, Barf it Up Later
I would have gone somewhere else, they must be pretty f*cking dumb if they can’t see the flaw in their business model that people travelling alone can’t be in 2 places at one time and queue up whilst simultaneously staking out a table.
You do know you can be become a Member of Giraffe? I wonder what the hell that entitles you to?
Dominic · September 26, 2008 at 8:48 am
When I was in a restaurant in Bucharest a while ago, the service was so bad that after 20 minutes of trying to attract waiter attention so I could pay the bill, I gave up and walked out.
Nobody noticed.
So there IS such a thing as a free lunch after all…
fourstar · September 26, 2008 at 9:33 am
Giraffe [which this post is no longer about - Ed] is generally quite good. I would perhaps argue that /all/ airport refreshment outlets (can’t bring myself to call them restaurants) are badly stocked, staffed, cleaned, organised, managed, laid-out, thought-out and run.
Misty · September 26, 2008 at 10:50 am
I usually skip the food and opt for an overpriced cup of dishwater from S**rbucks.
After ive spent an hour deciphering the menu! Large Skinny ….. WTF?
Admin comment by Mr Angry · September 26, 2008 at 11:57 am
Shackleford Hurtmore – Hello. A little work-wank never hurt anyone. Except that nursery school teacher. He should have known better.
Keef – Especially at busy times when space is at a premium.
Dominic – Good for you. I bet you save, what, two pounds at least?
fourstar – Hello. I will take your word for it, but I speak as I find. A captive market tends to breed complacency.
Misty – Are you sure you weren’t ordering a lady of the night?
vikki · September 29, 2008 at 5:59 pm
giraffe are interested in mr angrys comments – mainly as giraffe is NOT a self service restaurant in the airports or the high street, NOR do we have eggs benedict on the menu… reading his comments is like reading about another place entirely.
seems to us mr angry may have gotten giraffe unfortunatly mixed up with some place else.. we have emailed him this and are waiting for a reply so we can do a genuine response
[Vikki was right, it was not Giraffe, it was the Tine Goose - Ed]
Admin comment by Mr Angry · September 29, 2008 at 8:12 pm
All – I have corresponded with Vikki, and she has correctly pointed out that I have mistaken Giraffe for the Tin Goose at Heathrow Terminal 1.
Ooops.
steph · September 29, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Seems dubious to me if you don’t have self serve or the dish he mentioned!
i think giraffe are great, one of the few remaining restaurants who have great staff who smile cos they mean it, not cos they have to, the food is always good especially the salads and the stacked burgers.and they have THE best coffee outside of australia! nobody gets it right all of the time but in my book giraffe are quite justifiably head and shoulders (like the pun?) above the rest of the other high street restaurant chains
Admin comment by Mr Angry · September 29, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Vikki – Hello. I have not received an email from you? I would happily be proven wrong. I can supply dates and times I was there (from my boarding pass) but I lost my receipt before writing the post. I merely checked online for places I could buy breakfast in Terminal 1 airside, and it appears Giraffe was the only place it could have been?
I am livid » A Retraction · September 30, 2008 at 8:45 am
[...] this post a few days ago I suggested I had eaten breakfast at Giraffe, when in fact it turns out I actually [...]