The Montpelier

[Cassius]

I know The Montpelier is not strictly ED but it is close and has been mentioned in other threads.

My partner and I went there yesterday afternoon for the first time for a quiet drink, we went up to the bar to order our drinks and the chap behind the bar asked us where we were sitting and told us he would bring our drinks over.

We sat down and waited, and waited, and waited. After a few minutes, (the barrel might have needed changing, he might have been in the middle of another order) I caught the barman's eye and he looked over at our empty table. He came out from behind the bar and started clearing empty tables without having poured our beers.

So we left. What was the point? If he didn't want to bring the drinks over why didn't he pour them as we arrived and let us go to our table with them. After all the order of a pint and a half of San Miguel was hardly complicated!

Has anyone had similar or dissimilar experiences? Were we just unlucky?

[JohnL]

Never feel comfortable having drinks brought to my table. Maybe I'm too traditional.

If drinks aren't served immediately - it's rather demeaning to the customer I feel.

[huncamunca]

I've always had very good service - and food - at the Montpelier

[serif]

me too.

[Louisa]

and me..

Louisa.

[SeanMacGabhann]

And me.

Oh. . . Apart from that one time when they were a bit ditzy. But overall a good success rate

[Cassius]

Just unlucky then.

[taper]

the place was great when it first opened, but the service and food i've had in the last couple of months has been

very poor.

[tommy]

"Bringing drinks over" means an added 12.5% service there - surprised that you didn't get your drinks though

I like the Montpelier but for a local that 'added touch', and the silver change trays are not really welcome. There are other good pubs in the area (The Rye Hotel, The Gowlett, The Duke, etc) where service is good and drinks are cheaper

[Gerrard]

Would be interested to see a comparison of drinks prices between the Montpelier and Gowlett. I visitied both places this weekend, and found the price of Guinness in the Gowlett to be quite high.

We had a great meal in the Montpelier on Friday night despite it being our waitresses first night. In my opinion, it is the best food you can get from a pub in either SE22 or SE15.

Bad luck Cassius, but give it another go, I really rate this place and I personally find other pubs in the area to be more expensive.

[JamesG]

Not eaten in the Montpellier but the food in the Duke is excellent.

[KestonKid]

Been to the Montpelier a few times and found it a very welcome addition to the local pub scene. And we had an excellent meal at the Duke on Sunday night - reasonably priced and charming staff. Well worth a visit.

[AcedOut]

There is this place?

[georgina]

I'm sorry to see a bad review of the Montpelier - its one of my locals and have always found it to be good for food and drink. I found staff a bit OTT when it first opened, but has now in my opinion settled into a nice little place. (Still need art or something on the walls)

Sorry you were disappointed Cassius

(Its on Costa Street off the Bellenden Road)

[lard]

Service can be a bit hit and miss lately even when it is quiet, and the bill is invariably wrong in some way.

Food is generally good though. Much prefer the vibe in the Gowlett though.

[jhillm]

I've always enjoyed the food and had good service there so am surprised...could also try Hoopers on the corner of Ivanhoe road as an alternative, great food and beer/wine and not expensive!

[Brian Jackson]

Yep,

The Montpellier is shocking for service which is a real shame because i do like the place. I had a meal there once and we waited an hour for our food. When i asked what was going on turned out he had forgot.....hhhmmmm. And that was the owner. Unfortunetly they never have enough staff on. They only had one waitress on the night we went and it was a Friday night. She was lovely considering the pressure she was under. Sort it out mate!

[SeanMacGabhann]

and there we have it - advice from one pub to another....

[ratty]

Went in on Saturday evening for a meal and some wine. Food was superb - really superb, service was excellent. What more can I say - it was great! Just thought I would share!

[CF]

I think The montpelliar is a great local, the food is really good, its reasonable, and its nice and cosy. You have to expect that there will be the odd bad experience but keep trying as its worth it! I especially recommend their pies yum! we need to support our locals or they will vanish!

[lard]

Further to my earlier post, went there last night and thought it was much improved. Food was great, music was at a sensible level, lights were nicely a bit lower and it felt much cosier. Staff were friendly and the bill was correct.

[ralphation]

I thought this about a visit to The Montpelier a few weeks ago, posted on the thread about The Duke...

"Actually, I'll tell you where is shite; The Montpellier. Great pub and really friendly staff. Big screen for sport and all that. However...

Food is disgustingly priced. Tasty but ?2.50 for a small ramekin of chips to which they then add a service charge even if you eat at the bar is an outrage.

Only ever two staff there. I was in there last Sunday watching the footy. I sat for over an hour at the bar before either of the staff came anywhere within range. When I finally caught someone's attention, she said shed be over in a second and then didn't reappear for the remaining hour I was in the pub. Shame, cos they're really nice staff. Just seems the parent company are only interested in screwing money out of the place.

Lastly, the place seems to turn into a creche on Sunday afternoons. Now, I remember having to sit in all sorts of lousy shacks out the back when we went to the pub with Mum & Dad as kids but having hordes of mewling unattended brats streaking about the place isn't brilliant. I don't blame the kids but if you own one of them, can you not keep them at your table and tell them to pipe down when they start screaming? If they do want to go for a wander, can you not watch over them without standing right in front of the big screen and blocking everybody else's view? Nobody came to the pub to see your kids let alone the back of your head."

Latterly, I went in again to watch a football match as The Wishing Well, my local, was showing another match. When I got in there, the Montpelier had no customers but the barman still didn't want to change the channel. He begrudgingly offered to change over as I was the customer but I thought his attitude sucked and started making my excuses. Then one of the barmaids (not the short English one who is always faultlessly polite) thought a fair way to resolve it was to play rock, paper scissors with the barman but only because she didn't want to watch his game either. She lost so his match stayed on.

All this in a pub with no customers... If I had been the manager and seen that, I don't think either member of staff would be working there for much longer. Appalling service. Then again, looking at how much they try to extract from their customer's wallets the rest of the time, maybe it isn't surprising they only get the dregs of the local bar staff.

I doubt I'll be going back when Hooper's and The Gowlett offer much better service and atmosphere between them.

This is the sort of business that is cropping up more and more in the area. Like Petitou next door, you get some nice stuff, but it is massively overpriced. Hopefully a recession will sort the wheat from the overpiced chaff. I could happily see the Montpellier go to the wall. I'm tired of amateurish attempts to charge West End prices just because your food (when it does arrive) arrives on a large white plate and wasn't microwaved whilst laying on substandard service.

Anyone who wants to know how to run a gastropub should go for a meal in The Narrow in Limehouse. There's a reason why Gordon Ramsey is as as successful as he is and it has little to do with hurling expletives at TV cameras. Maybe some of the jokers down here should club together for a consultancy session with him.

[David Mc]

Actually The Narrow on Dec 23 around lunchtime was pretty shite too. No pasties and no sausage rolls available from the extortionately overpriced and very limited "bar food" menu. ?6.75 for a single fishcake barely 2" in diameter and 0.5" thick with some limp salad and half a teaspoon of tartare sauce isn't exactly a bargain either. Oh yes - and since the kitchen was sooooooooooo busy, they stopped the bar menu for an hour at about 1:30 as well. And the 40 minute wait at the bar was a pleasure too. Not. Neither was the 90 minute (it's just coming) wait for the "food" we managed to order before the moratorium on bar food was declared. I doubt I'll be going back.

[ralphation]

Bugger. That's disappointing to hear. I had a great night out there albeit a while back. Good value food, deliciously cooked and the service was impeccable - competent, polite, professional and friendly. Shame it seems to have gone the way of the vast majority of places in London that think customer service involves turning the lights on and unlocking the doors.

[David Mc]

They just needed more staff; to have stocked properly to be able to meet demand from their menu and to lower the price or up the portion size of the fishcake! When the food eventually did come, it was good (fishcake excepted) but most of us were past the point of caring!