Taverne

Gluten free bread and options!

This was awful on so many levels. Firstly, it is a cynical tourist rip off. Fancy tap water rather than forking out CHF 9 on their ‘filtered table water?’ The answer is no. Want a gluten free burger bun? The answer is no. Want to have cured meats with your fondue? The answer is no, unless you have it as a starter rather than a main course, in which case the answer is yes. Want to share a pudding rather than have one to yourself? The answer is yes, but we’ll surcharge you CHF 7.50 to do so. We ordered our meals and waited to be amazed. The fondue was ok (buy the waiter a new lighter to save all that fuss about lighting the candle under the cheese). My wife’s gluten free roll arrived still frozen; we asked for a replacement which took a ridiculous time to arrive. The chicken was tepid but the risotto was outrightly cold and excessively salty. The chicken was eaten under protest but the risotto was sent back. The manager arrived and was complained to. ‘The gluten free roll is a special item and we’re really busy tonight.’ So this justifies an unacceptable quality of food? The manager continued to argue the toss before finally scuttling off into the deepest recesses of the building, never to be seen again. The risotto was replaced with a new one. ‘We’ve remade the dish,’ was the claim as it was plonked down onto the table. There was no way that a chef as inept as that could make a risotto in that time; it was the same salty ordure as before on a new plate. By this time, our wedding anniversary meal was ruined; we asked for the bill but the manager had the gall to charge us for the risotto. A subsequent complaint got it removed. OK, we didn’t pay for the awfulness but we would rather have done so and had a good time. My message to this place is as follows; The owners: no tap water? Come on. As for the sharing surcharge, all you are doing is harming your own sales; my wife and I were tempted to share a fondue starter but didn’t because of the ridiculous surcharge. Chef: you are out of your depth. If you can’t coordinate the production of food so that it goes out warm then why are you there? The manager: you’re the one who really failed here. You need to drop the passive-aggressive attitude and allow people to speak without talking over them, this being little more than basic good manners, which you don’t have. You also have the mindset that a busy restaurant or a special request is acceptable for poor food; it is not. You are in the wrong job. Our special anniversary meal turned out to be awful. This place is best avoided.