July 2007. As we entered I noticed half of the tables were empty. A young female
member of staff welcomed us with a smile and asked how many, I said '4 please'.
She walked over to a counter and asked an older lady 'table for 4?'. The older
lady looked at us dismissively and barked 'outside'. We were guided through the
restaurant, through a conservatory with tables and on out to the patio. It had
large umbrellas overhead but still a biting wind swept up and quickly left us
blue.
Another family was outside with small children, they had come from Scotland and
they too expressed dismay at how cold they felt. I popped outside to the car to
bring in duffle coats and warm trousers for the children. Noticeably half the
tables were still empty inside and the only children I spotted were english
teenagers in the near empty conservatory.
My husband ordered mussels which he said tasted very nice but I had ordered a
pizza with pepperoni on it and somehow I ate a mouthful of uncooked fish. I was
really disgusted and wanted to go and complain about the whole ordeal but my
husband stopped me (he hates any fuss!). As we left I pointed out to him half
the interior tables were still empty. The only people in there were adults,
quite warm and relaxed.
Therefore I got the distinct impression small children are not welcome and I
suspect particularly if you have an Irish or Scottish accent.
