So, I know what you all must be thinking… How can a 3-star Michelin restaurant be anything but perfect? And the fact you are saying anything critical must mean you are very fussy and have lost all sense of reality. I’m here to tell you that everything you see on Instagram is not always as great as it may appear. And just because it has those three shiny stars above the door, it doesn’t mean you are going to have the best night of your life. Sorry to burst your bubble.
As a customer though you are expecting superb service, attention to detail and above average high-level cuisine. To be honest you are expecting something extraordinary because you are sat in one of the best restaurants in the world. The price certainly isn’t cheap, and you are not there to be abused in that regard. Personally, I am always hoping that when I enter a 3-star establishment, the chef is in his/her kitchen. This was not the case at Atelier Crenn.
In British culture first impressions count for a lot, it sets the tone and normally this can be a good indication to how the night is going to unfold. The first impression at Atelier Crenn was not a good one and staff should be aware of how they behave in a restaurant of this standard and care a little bit. We arrived slightly earlier for our dinner and knowing they also had ‘Bar Crenn’ next door we asked if we could go there for a drink first. The answer was a straight out no, “There is a bar across the street you can go to instead,” said the host. This gentleman then walked with us to this random monkey bar across the street and left us there. And when we tried to enter, we were refused for looking too young. Funny that because we are both not that ‘young’ anymore.
We walked back, and approached Bar Crenn, and guess what, it was no trouble at all to have a drink before the dinner. Was it necessary to do all of that? Was it professional? Of course not, and this is before we have even sat down for dinner. What will happen next at this circus…
Now let’s get onto the crucial details. I am sad to say there were only roughly four courses out of the whole menu that were good. The others were pointless even if you had spent two weeks making one element for a dish it just didn’t shine through. Now you can disagree with me (Hello my fellow American friends), But we felt overall on this night we were abused. Service? What service. It became better at the very end of the night when we saw a young man from Bar Crenn take over our table for the wine but all the way during the meal the service was non existent. You could hardly hear what anyone was saying, it was rushed. The dining room atmosphere was cold, clinical, and dark. It didn’t reflect the happy go lucky, carefree nature of the locals from San Francisco. There are ways to keep the dining room elegant and high end but still in keeping with the San Francisco relaxed vibe. It doesn’t mean we all have to be swallowed up into a dark black depressing hole.
If I had not paid for my meal, sure I can go about my day thinking that’s another ticked off the list, you win some you lose some. But a fat reality check is you have to pay through the roof to eat at places such as these and when you don’t receive a certain level for the price you are paying you start to feel abused. And then it spoils your entire night. My guest said, “That’s it I will never eat out again” A tad harsh but I felt what he was feeling. I didn’t want to admit it, but it was far too much for not a lot. How can this be three star?
I was particularly disappointed at the dessert, as I always say that dessert tends to be my favourite part of a tasting menu. I am always excited to receive it, but I was fooled here. Where was the technique, the marriage of flavours and textures? What was three star exactly in this Atelier Crenn ‘cupcake?’ Seemed like a cop out to me. Then what followed was the petit fours. Was that it, really? Why don’t you just twist the knife in further…
I am not here to sugar coat it; I am here to be the most honest I can be. At the end of the day, we all work hard to be able to go to these places, and if the restaurants realise it or not, they can take our money and that’s it, we have to deal with it. Bad nights are part of the deal. Nobody ever talks about how the customer might be feeling at this level. We hear a lot about hospitality and certain rules that are in place to protect the restaurants from no shows/cancellations. How about refunding us if we don’t feel satisfied with what we have paid for? A refund on Tock? Now that would be the day, if I could do that I would do it here without hesitation.
