Awana, 85 Sloane Square, London Restaurant Review

Kathryn Ning was not happy with her AWANA Dining Experience

Awana
85 Sloane Square, Chelsea,
London SW3
Tel: 02075848880

http://www.awana.co.uk

I decided to go to Awana as it was my father’s 65th birthday. I
also ordered a birthday cake for my fathers 65th birthday by email. This
was not acknowledged by any of the staff. When we first arrived we were
early and sat at the bar. We were then promptly seated right at the front
entrance. This table was in a poor location as people and the
waiters/waitress were constantly walking past our table. Furthermore it
was extremely cramped as people were continuously brushing past me and the
waiters were always touching me when walking past.

On the whole the food was fine; however the seafood batter was too oily
and had not been drained properly. The ayam berisi chicken with prawn
was a strange combination and did not seem to work. The stuffed prawns
inside the chicken were overcooked.

I was extremely unhappy with the service and atmosphere. I could not enjoy
my food as the waiters/waitresses were constantly brushing past me and
touching me. I felt that we had the worst table. The service was also
rushed and somewhat clumsy, as plates and cutlery were dropped near us. I
felt that I could not celebrate my father?s birthday in that sort of
atmosphere. I do realise that Saturday is a busy day but when people are
within touching distance of you whilst eating it is very unpleasant.

At the end of the meal, the waitress asked me if I enjoyed myself and was
surprised when I said I was not happy at all. She quickly processed our
bill and did not ask me why I was unhappy. I felt that this was not
appropriate and did not demonstrate good customer service at all. One
waitress I found to be extremely patronising. She did not wear a name
badge so I did not get her name. However she was wholly inappropriate. When
explaining to her that I requested a birthday cake by email, she replied,
‘You should have said so on the phone’. She sought to justify the problem
rather than resolve it. Only till after we paid, then she reluctantly
said, ‘I can get a cake for you’, which is pointless as I was very unhappy
and distressed. To think that a waitress would talk to you like that.We
paid £140 for three people, which seemed excessive for the level of
customer service. The website markets Awana as a fine dining experience.
If I had wanted good food and inattentive customer service I would have
gone to Chinatown instead. Oh well, at least I got my service charge money
back.