The next decade....what's in store?

The search for a restaurant

Tomorrow is Mother's 65th birthday (and she's behaving like she's about 45!) so we decided we would go out for dinner rather than having people over.

But what restaurant should we go to? She had two requests. They had to serve lobster, and there should preferably be music....in that order. We went to the Hilton poolside last Wednesday to celebrate a friend's birthday and they had a poolside barbeque with lobster, so I guess that's where that came from.

We heard that Terra Nova had a similar thing on a Friday, so off I went. Wrong. They discontinued it after Ivan. So that put me in a tailspin. I conferred with Brother, who eats out quite a bit. He suggested I look at the following:-

Gaucho's Grill on South Avenue (heading down to the plazas)
Thai Gardens (beside Ahkbar Indian restaurant)
Restaurant Japan at the Hilton.

What about Kabana, I asked. He said he had heard mixed reviews which were mostly "nice atmosphere but indifferent food".

To Gaucho's first...
The service staff didn't give me a good first impression. The setting was very nice and included water. I think that's always a winner. The menu looked quite diverse, but ooooops....no lobster. Strike one.

Thai Gardens
I walk in (about 4:45pm) and there were some people (I assume staff) playing dominoes! Not a good first impression. Sure, the restaurant was closed, but still....Strike two.

Alexanders at the Courtleigh (where Mingles nightclub is)
No lobster no deh pon di menu. Strike three (I know, it wasn't in the original list but I had eaten there and liked it mostly)

Restaurant Japan at the Hilton
The restaurant is closed, but I saw the Japanese cooks preparing for dinner tonight. Naturally, I couldn't understand a word they were saying, but when I went up and asked about reservations, one of them could muster up "speak to cashier".

This wisp of a thing came out and I asked her what happens at the poolside (on the offchance that there was a barbeque on a friday). She didn't know. Tut, tut, tut said the trainer in me. Anyway, I asked her if I could make reservations. She proceeded to ask me for what day, what time, how many people. Standard questions. Then a not so standard one (by Jamaican standards anyway). "Is it a special occasion for anybody?"

Well....how did you know! Yes, my mother, she'll be 65 tomorrow and you have lobster which was one of her requirements. Before she came out to talk to me, I had asked the Japanese guys if they have lobster. He pointed to some on the counter top that were looking all...well....lobster coloured you might say. Then I asked him if they had bought it before the season closed. "HUH?" Never mind.

Back to Miss Wisp....
The next question she asked was "do you want to reserve the lobster?" Well, that was a surprise. I told her that I knew that at least two people wanted lobster. Mother and Father.

Well, that was certainly a pleasant encounter. That's what I will be trying to drill into the minds of the trainees later this year...that most of the times, it is their behaviour in the service encounter that will lead to satisfaction or dissatisfaction.

I'll let you know how the dinner goes tomorrow.

Posted by yamfoot at June 30, 2005 09:00 PM