Found out recently that the restaurant imposed a charge for the water. Seems a bill for RM600 was presented to the organiser for those who had ordered still or sparkling. The staff had apparently not advised the patrons that water was chargeable. This had happened to me on a previous wine dinner with regard to getting charged for coffee. The fault is ours for assuming. If we'd known the still or sparkling was chargeable as extra then we'd have insisted on tap water. But I feel the hotel bears some responsibility here. People assume that when they pay one price for a wine dinner then there are no extras. Expecting patrons to read fine print with regard to water and coffee without advising of a charge is not acceptable in a hotel that claims five stars. It leaves a very bad taste at the end of the evening. We used to call it pulling a stroke. Once could be classed an oversight; twice might suggest a policy of disinformation. It certainly blots the Lafite copybook and by association the ShangriLa hotel. I wonder whether the wine dinner organisers will go back there? Don't think I would.... better to go to Sage or Cilantro. Cheaper car parking too.
This blog started 2011 as "Fine Food and Wine in Kuala Lumpur", a diary of food and wine adventures in KL. Through travel, this got subsumed into a broader global context. The blog looks to document food, wine and travel experiences mostly in Europe and Malaysia, also Japan, Scandinavia and India. I try to call it as I see, eat and drink it; if it's tasty, value and worth a return, I will look to say so. Type a city, country, restaurant, wine in the search box, see if I've been there?
Mission
Mission: To respond thoughtfully and responsibly to my experiences of drinking and dining at restaurants with regard to the quality, service, preparation, presentation and overall experience received thereat. The standpoint is one who respects the crafts of the chef and sommelier and who seeks to understand their choices in the kitchen and cellar and grow in knowledge. In this, I will seek to be fair, reasoned, direct and constructive and aim to keep my ego in check on our mutual journeys through the worlds of food and wine.
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