La Campagnola, Bryanston
Where do I start? This Italian of some repute does have a comfortable bar for pre and post dinner drinks. Dinner, however, is ordinary. From the crockery and cutlery (all well-worn catering quality) to the waistcoated service without too much clue - but worse - to the attitude of the owner/managers. The food is poor, ok call it plain (but at a fairly high price). Dishes like veal limone (a staple) are treated with no respect, as with tiramisu. Sauces are crass, but not inedible.
For some reason, a financial manager’s card is in the billfold. When I challenged this, I was told anyone can leave their card for inclusion. So go for it all you corporates (let’s see if someone’s friend is not implicated). I also complained (after sending the tiramisu back) about the dessert, the chef (who claimed the credit card machine could not work in the lounge where we were having post-dinner drinks) said it was off the bill. It was not. He said he would take it off. I said don’t bother, I’ll write about it. He said “whatever”.
The tiramisu had no soul, and no flavour. No coffee flavour, no spirit lift. Just dry biscuit, cream and a heavy sprinkle of chocolate. This restaurant is run by matchstick men and women.
Re La Campagnola
June 26th, 2008 at 4:36 pmCan only say I agree. My experience on 30 May was worse. Except we did not get to ample the food. Arrived with a confirmed reservation. After 20 minutes in the bar we tried to find where our table was. Only to find the restaurant full, the waiters unwilling to say anything and the manager totally unavailable. Left after anothe 15 minutes. I can assure you wewill not be back
Thanks John, it corroborates what I experienced service-wise.
Meanwhile, a certain Andrew Millar was in touch with me to say the following:
“As a regular patron of La Campagnola, I was made aware of this complaint and felt compelled to challenge the writers’ feedback as ‘utter nonsense’.
My rejoinder to this is that he back it up with some qualitative information, lest he comes across as being merely a friend of the owners.
June 30th, 2008 at 12:52 pmAndrew Millar has asked me to post this fuller comment of his, with my response below:
As a regular patron of La Campagnola, I was made aware of this complaint and felt compelled to challenge the writers’ feedback as ‘utter nonsense’.
Furthermore, I was in the restaurant the night of the complaint and had
insight into the complainants’ antics. While ‘blog reviews’ indeed give
consumers the rights to air their views, they frequently become the domain of uneducated, frustrated and jealous individuals who simply have a chip on their shoulder. Indeed the writer and party were very vocal about their lofty status as restaurateurs and one as a food critic. When a restaurant as successful as La Campagnola stands the test of time it does tend to attract the more menial who as opposed to enjoying the great wines, prefer to partake in ’sour grapes’.
“The food is ordinary” says the writer - La Campagnola can indeed be
ordinary as patrons often pop in for a beer and quick pasta! The restaurant is able to cater for variable markets; being unpretentious and relaxed, through to catering for the upper crust of corporate and political formal functions with exquisite cuisine. The complexity of the food is proportionate to the individuals taste.
“The crockery and cutlery are all well worn catering quality” - As a
customer of over ten years and having seen everything from movie stars to statesmen frequent the restaurant, this is a first.
The writer attacks the veal limone, the sauces and drones on about the
tiramisu which in itself, frequently receives comparative adjectives to a good orgasm!
The professional party of restaurant vocalists were not happy with their
service - the walls are adorned with more awards than I have had hot
dinners, they had a dedicated waiter all evening and for my money the “waist coated service” as is referred to, adds a touch of class which makes a refreshing change these days.
Heaven forbid, there was a financial manager’s business card in the
billfold. The man, it turns out, works for a respectable financial
institution, is a trained classical musician and is in fact the guy who
tinkles the ivories on the most gorgeous baby grand from time to time. So shoot Anna, the owner, for trying to help the man with a lead or two! The writer makes reference to some sinister plot… get a life!
And the credit card machine does not work in the lounge - another La
Campagnola conspiracy - no, it’s the blue tooth connection between the
remote module and the receiver that drops the signal. Maybe much of this
pathetic commentary can be attributed to ‘too many pre and post dinner
drinks’ which is often the case and was indeed fuelling the loud and
obnoxious party on the evening.
Ironically amongst what the writer deems to be poor food let it be noted
that they ate everything! Upon management enquiring as to why they did not send back their food if it was not satisfactory, the party in question “were too hungry” and so ate the lot!
Really, how utterly sad… and shame on the writer. May you and your
‘wanna-be’ restaurant and food crit friends who seem intent on preying on La Campagnola go and eat, may I suggest, a box of Prozac!
In response to this comment of Andrew Millar’s:
I did not finish the tiramisu (as you suggest), but sent it back to the kitchen with the message that I found it unsatisfactory. Nothing happened, there was no intervention from management. I did explain this on my original post (above).
Regarding the business card, all management had to do was to say it was a friend of theirs, but they denied it when asked directly. Re the credit card machine, again, all they had to do was explain the problem, which they failed to do.
As to chips on shoulder, I would like to ask Mr Millar: are you a personal friend of the owner/management team? Are you perhaps professionally involved with the restaurant?
June 30th, 2008 at 3:51 pmIn what is hopefully the last salvo from Mr Millar - who now admits to his vested interests and seems not to understand the role of free commentary (versus publicity), he sent me this mail:
Dear Mr Rossouw,
Let’s not beat around the bush, you know and I know that La Campagnola is and excellent eatery and if there were serious flaws in cuisine, service, operations and management as your communication implies, it would not have stood the test of time. With a restaurant of this size, it is inevitable that customers will have differences of opinion, tastes and expectations, but that does not give you the right to market your website and guide at La Campagnola’s expense.
Yes I do have a long relationship with the restaurant; in fact it stems back fifteen years when Anna’s place was a humble Italian deli adjacent to the petrol station forecourt. Over time I have built close relations with Anna, Luca the chef and indeed many regular patrons. And perhaps that is why I find you and your groups approach to gauging the restaurant as sadly lacking. I run an advertising agency and can relate to the effect a controversial article will stimulate dinner table talk, the national press wouldn’t sell papers if they didn’t.
But when people like you make a big deal out of menial trivia such as
business cards in wallets and heaven forbid, you need to pay for your meal at the desk, any right minded person knows you’re just out looking for ammunition for your website! Have you ever run a 200 seater restaurant and had the time to explain such nonsense to clientele? I really doubt it!
Print this, post it, or if I may recommend, call it a day. Take down the
articles on la Campagnola and please refrain from publicising the
establishment in the future be it positive or negative feedback.
Andrew
I replied as follows:
Dear Mr Millar
To be precise, no, I do not know that La Campagnola is an excellent restaurant based on my recent experience. The “menial trivia” you refer to is not that menial, and our meal was below par on many levels. I will not remove any comment, as open discourse is healthy. This is not about publicity, poor or good, it is about opinion.
However, before publishing the printed edition of my next guide, I will
send other diners to eat here and take their comment with open mind, and
I will listen to what other diner-reviewers may say.
Thank you for finally being honest about your vested interests.
Sincerely
July 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 amMr Rossouw
Hi Jean Pierre
Have been quite an avid follower of your guide for sometime now, really comes in handy when in Cape Town, although you are pretty spot on i must say that on several occasions i have totally disagreed with your opinion.
To specify i eat at La Campagnola very often,and never once been disapointed, i find the food being top class, the wine list great and the service very professional. Perhaps you are being over critical,or just going out looking for problems, when really there are none.
Hence that being my opinion.
Regards
Mario
July 3rd, 2008 at 5:15 pmDear Mario
July 3rd, 2008 at 6:40 pmThanks for your mail, and for your use of my guide. I know that not everyone will always agree with my assessments - this is the nature of food, which is highly subjective. As I indicated to Mr Millar, I will make sure that this establishment is given another view before I go to print. Mario, your feedback on other places I may or may not get right would be greatly appreciated.
Regards
Jean-Pierre