What grinds my gears...

[ithuriel]

Broken cheek bone. After the stupid snow messing up Rugby games the last couple of weekends I might have to miss next weeks too

Happens though, be glad it is not serious enough to stop you ever playing again.

I used to play a little bit of football but my ankles are ruined, i have not been able to play for eleven years now.

[Haydos]

Happens though, be glad it is not serious enough to stop you ever playing again.

I used to play a little bit of football but my ankles are ruined, i have not been able to play for eleven years now.

Tell me about it! I've got ongoing back problems at 23. Slipped a disk 4 years ago and I started playing again a few months back, thought I'd done another one in my 3rd game. Don't think it's as bad but I can still feel it 8 weeks later. Bloody injuries.

[Corky]

Being stuck at Peterborough train station for 2 hours 45 minutes yesterday evening. Got home over three hours late.

[Carl the Llama]

A teeny little monkey with a fez on his head.

[The Doctor]

COSHH forms - ****ing health and safety.

[Captain...]

Crap service. Went for a bite at a cote brassiere in London and the food was superb but the whole meal was spoilt by a cvnt of a waiter who was constantly bugging us trying to upsell, first we just wanted water to drink, so instead of saying they always provide a complementary bottle of filter water he kept saying Evian, is Evian ok, until we said sure, then instead of bringing over a large bottle of Evian he said they didn't have any so will 2 small bottles be ok, so we said yes, he put them down then came back rather sheepishly with our complementary bottle of filter water, so we had 3 bottles of water on the table.

Then when we finished our starter, one order of mussels to share, we said they were fantastic, as they were, he said so why not get another before your main, hmm, no thanks, then the main came, again excellent, but when we said we didn't want any desserts just the bill, he said are you sure, yes, they are really good desserts, !!! Fvck off and get the bill.

I was getting pissed off at this point and she was getting annoyed at me for getting annoyed at him.

So I agreed to drop it, but then the bill came, and like many places it had the tip included, no worries, but the waiter had folded the bill over and back so you couldn't see that the 12.5% tip was included. I don't know why he would do that, does he hope I don't see it and leave a tip, or just doesn't want me to refuse to pay the tip as he knew he had pissed me off. I really wanted to cause a scene, and show him up for being a dick, but the look I got off her made of realise it wasn't worth it.

It was such a stupid thing but it pretty much put me in a bad mood, and the tip was only £4 and I really didn't care about giving a tip he didn't deserve, but I just felt like I was being hustled every moment possible by the waiter.

Edited 28 January 2013 by Captain Shrapnel

[Webbo]

Humblebrag?

[Carl the Llama]

Humblebrag?

The 12.5% tip was £4, so the whole meal was £32, or £16 a head (36 & 18 inc tip), so unless this was some groupon (other discount deal websites are available) deal, that's a pretty poor brag.

Waiter sounds like a right twat though.

Edited 28 January 2013 by BoxingFoxes

[Captain...]

Humblebrag?

Hardly it is a nationwide restaurant chain, fairly well known, the tip was 12.5% so a £4 tip was on a £33 bill for a meal for 2 in London, it was actually really good value for the quality of the food.

[James.]

£32 is just plain humble for dinner in London. I've had meals where the service charge alone was more than that.

Just had a look at these Cote Brasseries and, minus the nob waiter, they look great. Will have to check one out.

While on the subject I went to Wahaca in Covent Garden on Saturday. Absolutely superb Mexican food, highly recommended. 3 cocktails, dinner for two and a tequila each to finish for just under £40, amazing value in central London. Plus they didn't automatically add a service charge which I think is a great policy.

[Webbo]

I've never said humblebrag before. I just wanted to try it out. Edited 28 January 2013 by Webbo

[Guest MattP]

£32 is just plain humble for dinner in London. I've had meals where the service charge alone was more than that.

Just had a look at these Cote Brasseries and, minus the nob waiter, they look great. Will have to check one out.

While on the subject I went to Wahaca in Covent Garden on Saturday. Absolutely superb Mexican food, highly recommended. 3 cocktails, dinner for two and a tequila each to finish for just under £40, amazing value in central London. Plus they didn't automatically add a service charge which I think is a great policy.

The bottle of wine we usually have is ten times that*. You generally can't go for a piss in central London for £32.

I have problem with service charges mind, you should have to earn it, if a waiter is good I tip very well. If they are shit I no problem giving them absolutely nothing.

*delibrate humblebrag

Edited 28 January 2013 by MattP

[Carl the Llama]

£32 is just plain humble for dinner in London. I've had meals where the service charge alone was more than that.

Just had a look at these Cote Brasseries and, minus the nob waiter, they look great. Will have to check one out.

While on the subject I went to Wahaca in Covent Garden on Saturday. Absolutely superb Mexican food, highly recommended. 3 cocktails, dinner for two and a tequila each to finish for just under £40, amazing value in central London. Plus they didn't automatically add a service charge which I think is a great policy.

Love that place. The only problem with it is stopping yourself adding another of their tapas-style dishes to your order!

[Captain...]

£32 is just plain humble for dinner in London. I've had meals where the service charge alone was more than that.

Just had a look at these Cote Brasseries and, minus the nob waiter, they look great. Will have to check one out.

While on the subject I went to Wahaca in Covent Garden on Saturday. Absolutely superb Mexican food, highly recommended. 3 cocktails, dinner for two and a tequila each to finish for just under £40, amazing value in central London. Plus they didn't automatically add a service charge which I think is a great policy.

Wahaca is good, the one on the southbank made out of shipping containers is worth checking out, has a take away van outside too, love the fact you get a packet of chili seeds too instead of a mint at the end.

Cote is decent reliable place for good quality food, although price wise bear in mind £33 was for 1 starter 2 mains and some water, no wine or dessert, still on my healthy January.

[Captain...]

The bottle of wine we usually have is ten times that*. You generally can't go for a piss in central London for £32.

I have problem with service charges mind, you should have to earn it, if a waiter is good I tip very well. If they are shit I no problem giving them absolutely nothing.

*delibrate humblebrag

Have you ever asked to have the service charge removed? When I've paid in cash I've sometimes scrimped on the tip, but I've never refused to pay it when paying on card, even when I don't think they deserve it.

[z-layrex]

Have you ever asked to have the service charge removed? When I've paid in cash I've sometimes scrimped on the tip, but I've never refused to pay it when paying on card, even when I don't think they deserve it.

I've only done it once in a smith & western when it really was awful. I'm a very shy person so would normally just pay it even if I wasn't happy

We also walked out of a Pizza Express without paying once because the staff were so horrible to us and the food so bad.

[Guest MattP]

Have you ever asked to have the service charge removed? When I've paid in cash I've sometimes scrimped on the tip, but I've never refused to pay it when paying on card, even when I don't think they deserve it.

Aberdeen Angus steakhouse about 5 years ago. Serves me right for going in there in the first place mind.

Told the guy he was awful and it was the worst service I had ever recieved. Manager came out to speak to me after I had done it, he was very apologetic over it and offered me a free meal next time which i declined as I thought accepting it would look like I had planned it, worst thing was despite how crap he was I still felt guilty after it and I don't think I would ask to remove it next time if the situation arose.

[FoxyPV]

The price of things in Lush.

[AoWW]

The price of things in Lush.

This. Although the smell as you walk past is very enticing.

[Webbo]

The price of things in Lush.

Whenever I walk by their shop it always reminds of that bit in Fight Club where they make soap out of human fat.

[Zingari]

Whenever I walk by their shop it always reminds of that bit in Fight Club where they make soap out of human fat.

Blimey I must be worth a few bob to Proctor and Gamble

[Alexikokopops]

I've only ever been to Cote for lunch (they have a special lunch menu before anyone assumes I boom out £16 for a lunch). S'alright. Wahaca's alright too but I prefer the burritos at Benito's Hat, although that's not really a place to tend to head for a sit down meal

Aberdeen Angus steakhouse about 5 years ago. Serves me right for going in there in the first place mind.

Told the guy he was awful and it was the worst service I had ever recieved. Manager came out to speak to me after I had done it, he was very apologetic over it and offered me a free meal next time which i declined as I thought accepting it would look like I had planned it, worst thing was despite how crap he was I still felt guilty after it and I don't think I would ask to remove it next time if the situation arose.

I made the mistake of going to one if them once when I was a bit tipsy. I came out with the realisation that I could have paid the same at Gaucho or Hawksmoor and had the best steak of my life instead of something I'd be disappointed with at Wetherspoons. I've lived in London for over 4 years and that's been my only visit, despite there being 4 or 5 within 5 minutes of my office (no exaggeration)

[Captain...]

I've only ever been to Cote for lunch (they have a special lunch menu before anyone assumes I boom out £16 for a lunch). S'alright. Wahaca's alright too but I prefer the burritos at Benito's Hat, although that's not really a place to tend to head for a sit down meal

I made the mistake of going to one if them once when I was a bit tipsy. I came out with the realisation that I could have paid the same at Gaucho or Hawksmoor and had the best steak of my life instead of something I'd be disappointed with at Wetherspoons. I've lived in London for over 4 years and that's been my only visit, despite there being 4 or 5 within 5 minutes of my office (no exaggeration)

I'm sure I went past one the other day and it was closed down, the one near Leicester Square, I checked on Wiki and no mention of it going bust, but this did make me laugh:

Journalists have written of the restaurants' low reputation, with dated menu and décor,[4][9] poor quality food,[7][10] inflated prices,[9][10] and unfashionable wine like Blue Nun and Mateus Rosé.[1] Some have claimed not to know anyone who has eaten there in decades, or at all;[10] some have claimed never to have seen more than a few customers within, and wondered how they stay in business.[7] An undercover report broadcast in 2001 on ITV's Restaurants from Hell found mouse droppings in a tub of gravy in the Coventry Street branch.[5]

A 2004 guide to London, crowdsourced from native Londoners, included as the fourth of five tips for newcomers, "Never, ever eat at an Angus Steak House".[11]

In 2011, actor and comedian David Mitchell championed the cause of Aberdeen Angus Steak Houses in his Guardian opinion column, proposing that they be a nominee for a British World Heritage bid, citing them as being "unique to British culture" because of their "proud heritage of serving shoe leather with Béarnaise sauce to neon-addled out-of-towners."[12]

[Guest MattP]

I've only ever been to Cote for lunch (they have a special lunch menu before anyone assumes I boom out £16 for a lunch). S'alright. Wahaca's alright too but I prefer the burritos at Benito's Hat, although that's not really a place to tend to head for a sit down meal

I made the mistake of going to one if them once when I was a bit tipsy. I came out with the realisation that I could have paid the same at Gaucho or Hawksmoor and had the best steak of my life instead of something I'd be disappointed with at Wetherspoons. I've lived in London for over 4 years and that's been my only visit, despite there being 4 or 5 within 5 minutes of my office (no exaggeration)

Hawksmoor is my fave in Seven Dials, fantastic place to eat.

Angus is just woeful, really really bad.

[cambridgefox]

The bottle of wine we usually have is ten times that*. You generally can't go for a piss in central London for £32.

I have problem with service charges mind, you should have to earn it, if a waiter is good I tip very well. If they are shit I no problem giving them absolutely nothing.

*delibrate humblebrag

£320 for a bottle of wine! Really don't have to spend that much on good wine in a restaurant .investing in it is different though.