I’m not posting this review lightheartedly. I’ve been trying to reach out to the chef in question, Christopher Peppas, and the owner, Nikki van Rillaer for a week, with no reaction.
The short version is that our family, with three young children, were basically frog marched out of the restaurant in front of all the patrons, after an argument about pasta that was cold.
The long version: On 22/12/2017 our family visited Old Mill restaurant for a quick lunch on our way - me, my wife, Magriet, and our three children.
Once we sat down and ordered drinks, I noticed on the menu that the prices were hiked up considerably since our last visit. I noticed that a burger with sauce was R120, which I though was excessive. But I accept that an entrepreneur is entitled to charge whatever they feel is good.
Taking into account the cost we decide to stick to some sandwiches and two plates of chips (R45 per plate) and a pasta with pesto for my son.
The food (including some wrong orders) were served 50 minutes after we entered the restaurant, but we were OK with that.
All the food was served except for my son’s pasta, which only arrived ten minutes later. It arrived without the pesto and cheese that was supposed to go with it. My son immediately said that the pasta was cold, upon which my wife touched it and confirmed that it was actually really cold.
With us now in a hurry, Magriet took the plate back to the kitchen and gave it back to a waitress and asked her to please warm it up. Magriet was matter of fact,not rude.
A minute later, the chef (Christopher), came out to our table with the plate in his hand and addressed Magriet and said: “What seems to be the problem?”
Magriet then said: “The pasta is cold – could you please warm it up a bit?”
The chef replied: “That pasta is not cold. I prepared it myself.”
Magriet said: “I beg to differ. I put my finger inside the bowl and the pasta is cold. Please feel it, it is cold.”
The chef replied: “I’m not touching the food. If the pasta was cold, the butter wouldn’t have melted.”
Magriet said: “I give you permission to touch the food. Please feel it.”
The chef repeated that he won’t touch the food.
It is at this stage that I became involved, a little irritated since we were now more than a half an hour on lunch longer than we planned for.
I said: “If you charge R23 for a coke and R120 for a burger, the least we can expect is good f*cken service and food.”
The chef said: “Please don’t swear at me. I will have to ask you to leave.”
I found all of this extraordinary. I did use profane language, but as an adjective and not directed at the person. I really felt that we were being treated badly.
Because I’m a passionate person who abhors being bullied and being lectured as a client, I did at this point become rude and I swore at him.
The chef then demanded that my family and I leave the restaurant immediately or he would have us removed. This was now in a loud tone with ALL the patrons in the restaurant witnessing it. I asked him how he planned to remove me, since I was planning to finish my food first. He said he would call the police.
He also then went on to lecture me on how I raised my children for damnation, which I found extraordinary. I told him that my children was none of his business.
He repeated his demand that we left “his restaurant” and that that “he didn’t want our money” either.
I repeated that I was finishing my food, upon which he started to grab the plates from underneath my wife and childrens’ hands, ending with me, grabbing my plate in such a violent way that the food and cutlery spilled onto my lap.
Our family sat in baffled silence for a minute, and then realise that there was no point in staying and we got up and left, with the whole restaurant watching in stunned silence. We felt humiliated.
All we asked for was for a bowl of pasta to be reheated. Surely that is a straight forward request and not a reflection on the chef’s artistic integrity whatsoever?
