Carnegie's - Food & Service

[jambobwana]

The rack of venison is great. I had it a couple of times recently and thought it was delicious. Even the creamed cabbage on the side was tasty for this carnivore. Can recommend it to anyone wanting a change from steak or lamb.

[914]

Finally I had the honor of actually dining here.

Why don't any restaurants carry tzatziki for the deep fried calamari here in Taibei? They all use tartar sauce. The horror! If it came with tzatziki it would have been much better.

Lots of clams in my pasta. Good!

Creme brulee was too "eggy." It was a nice big portion, maybe too much, hence the watery and eggy taste? But nice, topped with tons of fruits.

Were my margaritas VIRGINS? Dang, if I wanted virgins I'd have a Pepsi or coffee.

It's nice. Pretty cheap, I was pleasantly surprised.

[Erhu]

Do you have to have a penis to get good service at Carnegies? Been there twice in the past week and both times the service was subpar. Here's a summary of last night:

Sat down, had to get up to go ask for a menu. Asked if there were any drink specials and was told "no" (found out from my tablemate that it was HH until 9pm). After my food arrived I asked for water. 15 minutes later -still no water. When I inquired about this I found out she'd given it to the wrong person at our table. So, I again asked for water. The server told me that I should just take the water from my tablemate (even though she'd already started drinking it). I insisted she bring me another water, and she got an attitude about it.

Aside from that, other people at our table had trouble getting a server's attention when they wanted to order. They never came by to clear our plates after we'd eaten nor did they ever stop by to see if we needed anything.

I know that Taiwan isn't exactly renowned for its customer service, but the treatment I have received at Carnegies was by far the worst of any restaurants that I typically frequent. Based on my less than satisfactory experiences there, I plan to give Carnegies a miss in the future.

[Taverncaptain]

Hello Erhu,

Be not surprised it is me reacting to your post. I have informed Uncle Bob of your post and he is very concerned about your comment but he has no Internet Access up in the lake district and will only be back next week. He hopes you could call his cell phone, I will PM you his number.

Cheers!
Michel, Chairman of the AFSPHH

[Roach]

Last night was the first time I've eaten there in a very long time... Can't say I was too impressed with the All Day Breakfast... Twas ok but for the money, not what I would call good value. My friend really liked his Steak and Kidney pie though...

I was also dissapointed that you weren't there Bob! I'd kinda built myself up for meeting the legendary tpebob...

[TpeBob]

I was also dissapointed that you weren't there Bob! I'd kinda built myself up for meeting the legendary tpebob...

I'm back now. Roach: erm...thanks for the epithet; little overblown but an interesting one nonetheless.

Also want to thank Taverncaptain for letting me know about some service issue-related posts whilst I was reading Wordsworth on the shores of Ullswater. Trampled a few daffodils when phoning to find out what that was all about.

Erhu: I gather that Olivia has contacted you with regard to your post and she (and I) will be most happy to meet you at your convenience in order to hear from you first hand what happened. I hope that you will attend the Happy Hour next week.

Best Regards,


Bob

[fred smith]

Erhu:

My advice is to give Carnegie's another chance. I have had nothing but good service there and the staff is extremely capable and friendly and more importantly the food is fantastic (I still am licking my chops over that last ribeye!). Also tried the venison. Very good! Also, very much liked the Greek salad and the fish n chips though they aren't as good as the Tavern's.

Notice that while Tetsuo keeps complaining about the service, he keeps going back and back and back... haha

[elektronisk]

Erhu:

My advice is to give Carnegie's another chance. I have had nothing but good service there and the staff is extremely capable and friendly and more importantly the food is fantastic.

I agree with Fred. I've never had anything but the best of service and food quality. Wednesday night and Sunday afternoon when they are extremely busy you might wait a little bit. However, at other times everything is exceptional.

One thing you should notice is the quick and considerate responses from Olivia and Bob (and TavernCaptain). That should tell you something about how dedicated they are. If you have any comments about the food or service they are eager to hear about it so that they can improve. This is something that isn't easy to come by here.

You would be missing out if you didn't give them another try.

[Comrade Stalin]

Rio Ayu (my 2 year old daughter) and I just returned from lunch at Carnegie's. Neither Bob nor Olivia were there. Service was great. Beer was great. Ayu liked her cookies. Yes was played on the sound system.

We were both pleased.

And Bob's mom received a pleasant surprise.

[WH]

I have been going to Carnegies for a few years now. My last visit was last Sunday. I sent Bob a pm telling him that the delivery of my orange juice and coffee was slightly tardy. On Sunday I had a fillet steak with creamed spinach and mashed potatoes. It was fantastic. It was ten pounds sterling.

I am a regular, and I know Bob personally. I am the Worst Customer. Bob buys me more free drinks out of pity than I spend money in his establishment, so the cynics may like to take my praise with a pinch of salt, but on the converse, I urge them to listen to how I got to know him.

One day, three years ago I told him his breakfast was crap. I had never been to the place before, but let's just say I know an English breakfast when I see one, and I told him that he should be ashamed of himself as an Englishman serving margarine (amongst other cardinal sins) with breakfast. This was late on a Saturday night. He and I had a drunken exchange, during which he told me he would endeavour to provide in future the best breakfast known to man. Well, in Taipei, at least. I said "yeah, right". He said " I will have freshly squeezed orange juice". I went to the toilet.

I went back the next weekend and Bob had installed a proper English breakfast. Pretty much what's on the menu now. This was revolutionary at the time and I enjoyed a size 8 3/4 Panama with English mustard.

Since then I have been present at various tastings, (such as the venison trial) where Bob sent stuff back to the kitchen umpteen times because it's "not right".

Why is this important? I have a limited budget the same as everyone else. Most of the time, I get a decent feed, in a decent amount of time at Carnegies. This Sunday I had to wait a bit. Actually, my steak was cold in the middle. Did I complain? Well, I said to the server "It's a bit cold in the middle". And it was whisked away and re-grilled. Was I upset? No. Let me tell you why.

I've eaten in most places in Taipei. Sometimes they get it right, and most of the time they don't. The difference with this place is that they actually give a shit. If you have a problem, ask for a manager if you feel the wait staff haven't satisfied your request. Why do I say this? Well. Look at how many people regularly eat there. You can be guaranteed that sometimes the regulars (including me) get iffy service. Such is life. But the regulars keep coming back because on balance, the food is good and the atmosphere is good.

Which is another important point. Now, for those of you looking at the clock and thinking "why would someone write this sort of shit at two o'clock in the morning if he hadn't just come back from Carnegies and been given twenty camels and a young wife" let me just explain that I have just come back from another pub where someone else's food was put on my bloody bill! Which brings me back to atmosphere. Why do you think the place is full of regulars? Because, you can run a tab with confidence you're not going to get ripped off, the staff are honest, and both the staff and managers care about the quality of the stuff they're serving. That is all I ask in a pub. Or a restaurant.

For those of you who have come in and had bad service: So have I. But the point is, you have just been unlucky. In my humble opinion, about seven times out of ten, it hits the mark in the food and drinks stakes.

Shop around. I do. I have been universally disappointed. If I don't like something at Carnegies I tell one of the managers. More often than not they take any suggestion seriously and make changes. For example, I am going to tell Bob tomorrow that I am not happy with the muffin that comes with the eggs benedict. And you can be damn sure there will be an earnest discussion about what constitutes a proper English muffin. I am prepared to be proved wrong, but.....(!)

WH