Half empty but no room for attentive service
I have enjoyed several great dinners at Neni Cph before, including kind and great service. This, however, will likely have been my last time.
I reserved a table a day in advance, asking specifically for a quiet table (due to migrane). This would likely not be a problem early in the evening on a monday, or so I thought. Upon arrival we were seated in a near empty restaurant under loudspeakers playing music, and the staff only agreed to turn the volume down slightly. We ordered our food and drinks came, but we had to ask repeatedly for the water that they forgot. Not long after, a family with a small child and a crying baby were seated right next to us. (They were the only children in the restaurant). After screaming and music had gone on for 30 minutes I discreetly asked if we could change seats to the room next to the bar. We were almost done with the meal and were only going to have a shared dessert and some coffee. No problem, we were told. As we went into the empty room however now we could have coffe but no icecream. “We will only serve you food at the table” we were told in a firm voice. I asked why it was impossible to be seated in a quiet spot when half the restaurant was empty? “That section is closed” was the answer, pointing to half the room. We returned to our table and ordered the ice cream, a coffee and a tea. The ice cream arrived, but no beverages. As the ice melted, I asked the waitress if our coffee and tea would be coming? “You didn’t order any” was the answer. My friend confirmed that we had indeed ordered it. The waitress checked her notes and discovered that we were right. There were no apologies for telling us that we were at fault. When the tea and coffee finally came the ice cream had melted. This was disappointing because I wanted to enjoy the two together.
I had specifically chosen a quiet weekday and requested a quiet table to have the best chance of this simple request. But there was no flexibility in the seating. And even though there were plenty of calmer spots, and not many guests, we were told no. On top of repeatedly forgetting our drinks, and seeming irritated with us, this made for a dissapointing evening and I had to appologize to my friend after the dinner. I had been exited to show her one of my favourite restaurants, while she was visiting from abroad. Now it was an embarrasment.
I will miss the great food and especially the lovely ice cream but in the end, kind, attentive and understanding service, pleasant atmosphere and flexibility is just too important.