Variety: Pub
Address: 75 Peakview Way
Date Visited: Thursday, April 21, 2016
Orders: Gold Nugget burger, Chicken Wings, Onion Rings
Taste: 4 + 7 = 11/20
Portion Size: 5 + 8 = 13/20
Presentation: 5 + 5 = 10/20
Value: 4 + 7 = 11/20
Service: 3 + 3 = 6/20
Bonus: -
Minus: 2
Final Grade: 49% (Poor)
(Scoring: 100% to 140% = Exceptional, 85% to 99% = Excellent, 67% to 84% = Good, 60% to 66% = Satisfactory, 50% to 59% = Marginal, 0% to 49% = Poor, -40% to -1% = Abysmal)
Notes: A couple of years ago, we visited a fairly new restaurant (opened about six months at that point) and had such a pitiful experience that we decided to pass on giving them a score and decided to return a year later, hoping they had their act together (which they had). Now, we had a bit of a dilemma on our hands when we visited Prospectors' 11 months to the day after they opened. Because, friends, this was a brutal dining experience. I mean, they MUST have had someone call in sick that day because there were literally only two people running the show so the service was horrible and the chef's culinary skills were questionable at best. To say this place has PROBLEMS is an understatement.
After much debate, we decided to proceed with the review. 11 months is more than enough time to iron out the kinks. They have such a golden opportunity, being one of the very few restaurants in a booming area of town (Bedford South), but if every experience is like this, we cannot in good faith recommend this establishment.
We arrived around 7pm on a Thursday evening and the place was packed. We were kind of impressed that it was so bumpin' at that hour. However, once we were seated, we quickly figured out why - it was because we only saw two staff on duty - we believe one was handling the food prep while the other handled the serving and bartending. Nobody in the joint looked overly impressed, and it quickly became clear that we'd be in for a long wait. We should have bailed, but we were so hungry that we must not have been thinking straight enough to make that call.
The menu was...ridiculous. It had everything from wings and burgers to pasta to stir fry to seafood. Based on what we saw at our table, and around the restaurant, it's the kind of place that tries to do everything and doesn't do anything particularly well. That might be harsh, but we really tried to give it a fair chance. We were just let down again and again and again. Honestly, the only thing we were impressed by was the beer special. That's it.
After what seemed like an eternity, our food was served. T's Gold Nugget burger (bacon, cheese, fried egg - see below) was served on a crappy store-bought bun and was "just ok." She wasn't able to finish it - not because she was full, but because she just gave up. It was served with "chippers" - basically heated Miss Vickie's chips. J's Dusted Dry Spiced Sriracha wings were minuscule, overcooked, and barely had any flavour. He seriously wondered if they came straight out of the freezer. The onion rings were most definitely straight out of the freezer and were sadly soggy and beyond bland. Our friends were equally unimpressed by their stir fry and fish & chips - we put a napkin on top of the fish batter when it arrived and the grease sopped through it in less than a second. Gross. We genuinely wished the meals had been served with a side order of TUMS, and J went straight for the medicine cabinet when he got home.
What was most disappointing was the service. We understood the server was run off their arse, but although that person was pleasant, they were beyond inattentive. Our water was never refilled. It took several tries for them to remember an ordered glass of pop. When our meal was finally ready, it took almost ten minutes to get everything delivered to the table. The server never asked how the meal was, and despite asking twice, we never received a takeaway box for one of our friends' order, so we had to wrap it in napkins. Worst of all, when the stir fry was delivered, the server brought the bottle of soy sauce to the table shoved into their arm pit. We're not even kidding.
A meal that would normally have taken 45 minutes to order, serve and eat should not take two hours, but that's exactly what happened. We left wondering if maybe we were on Just For Laughs Gags, but sadly nobody laughed at us and pointed to a hidden camera when we left.
Based on this experience, a score of 49 is really very generous for this establishment. And, only two minus points - one for the "soy sauce incident" and one for general neglect is, also, very generous, if we do say so ourselves. Again, maybe this was a bad night for them and it isn't indicative of their usual standards, but we daresay we won't be back anytime soon to see for ourselves.
Final Verdict: Mediocre at best. Someone call Gordon Ramsay!
