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Coffee at meals

lovetotraveltx

By lovetotraveltx,
in Cunard Line

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VintageCCG

VintageCCG

Posted
Posted

I struggled last summer to persuade my table's waiter to bring the after-dinner coffee in a timely manner, so as to enjoy it while awaiting and enjoying dessert.
On most occasions the coffee didn't arrive until after the dessert was almost finished, which - to me anyway - kind of defeats the purpose.

 

I tried requesting, I insisting, I tried escalating politely to the table captain, I tried characterizing it as "this may not be to everybody's taste but I prefer it this way" (notwithstanding it has been the practice at all fine restaurants I have frequented, and it appeared also to be the preference of my tablemates). Then oops no cream. Seldom any refills.
Maybe I should have asked for coffee at the same time I submitted my dinner order!

 

Over the span of two weeks aboard, I was lucky if the waiter got it right even twice.
Sadly, that seemed to be the common theme with many of the MDR elements ... the wait staff just didn't seem to get why anybody would not be delighted with repeatedly sub-par service.

 

Pleasant and friendly ... just kinda clueless.

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ToadOfToadHall

ToadOfToadHall

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I find the standard coffee tastes of nothing and is more akin to warm water with brown grit in it.

 

And I recall once commenting on how bad it was one lunch time in the MDR and someone overheard me and said I was correct and he was going to complain. Which he then did, quite forcefully, and then several new pots arrived at his table as the waiter and the Maitre'D went into customer service overdrive.

 

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exlondoner

exlondoner

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, VintageCCG said:

I struggled last summer to persuade my table's waiter to bring the after-dinner coffee in a timely manner, so as to enjoy it while awaiting and enjoying dessert.
On most occasions the coffee didn't arrive until after the dessert was almost finished, which - to me anyway - kind of defeats the purpose.

 

I tried requesting, I insisting, I tried escalating politely to the table captain, I tried characterizing it as "this may not be to everybody's taste but I prefer it this way" (notwithstanding it has been the practice at all fine restaurants I have frequented, and it appeared also to be the preference of my tablemates). Then oops no cream. Seldom any refills.
Maybe I should have asked for coffee at the same time I submitted my dinner order!

 

Over the span of two weeks aboard, I was lucky if the waiter got it right even twice.
Sadly, that seemed to be the common theme with many of the MDR elements ... the wait staff just didn't seem to get why anybody would not be delighted with repeatedly sub-par service.

 

Pleasant and friendly ... just kinda clueless.

 

I think this is just the universal European approach. Coffee after - not with - dessert. And there we all were thinking Cunard had been thoroughly Americanised. This doesn't, of course, explain their unwillingness to fulfil a request for coffee to arrive with desert.

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Slugsta

Slugsta

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I have never been anywhere, on shore or at sea, where it is the done thing for coffee to arrive before dessert. On the odd occasion that my coffee has arrived before we have finished dessert, it has been sent back. It seems that this must be a cultural difference of which I was unaware.

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peter pan

peter pan

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We also prefer coffee with our dessert.  Our family from South Jersey always had coffee with dessert.  They once commented to me that above the Raritan River (Central/North Jersey) it was impossible to get coffee with dessert.  It was always served after.  Interesting.  Guess it depends on where you live.

Bottom line....your cruise, your choice.

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Gwendy

Gwendy

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Posted

I like my coffee with my meal.  Once in a French restaurant in Noumea I ordered my meal and coffee and asked for coffee to come straight away.  “Non Non Madame, only after meal”. Oh well when in Rome, or Noumea do as they do.

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ToadOfToadHall

ToadOfToadHall

Posted
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11 hours ago, Gwendy said:

I like my coffee with my meal.  Once in a French restaurant in Noumea I ordered my meal and coffee and asked for coffee to come straight away.  “Non Non Madame, only after meal”. Oh well when in Rome, or Noumea do as they do.

 

I suspect you will find it was just the waiter's use of English as opposed to him refusing your request.  This can often seem the case when someone is speaking in a language that is not their first (not that I can speak a word of anything other than English), they can come across as rude or to be refusing your request when it's not the case at all.

 

For example, two years ago now we were in Madeira. Mrs Toad ordered a sweet Madeira as an aperitif in a restaurant.  The waiter said "Sweet Madame ? Are you sure ? "Yes" she said. "That's absolutely fine, only it's traditional to drink dry before the meal and sweet afterwards. But if you'd like a sweet Madeira then of course I shall be happy to serve it to you".

 

His English was superb. But if it had not been as good as it was, he may have said something like "Non Non Madame, only after meal". 

 

Either way he would have simply been expressing his surprise. I'm sure if you had simply said that you know coffee is normally taken after the meal but you would like yours with the meal then he would have happily brought you a coffee.

 

 

 

 

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BigMac1953

BigMac1953

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Not being a dessert person normally, I would tend to have a selection of cheese and biscuits. Our sommelier then brings my bottle of port to wash the cheese down.

 

After all that, then it's coffee and brandy (which seems a better pairing to me).

 

Stewart

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Gwendy

Gwendy

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Appreciate your comments but he was quite  ok with English, he was just not going to serve coffee before or with my meal.  

Had a laugh and moved on, not worth making a fuss. Travelled all over the world, each country has their own way of doing things, I try to blend in.

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Se1lad Great Review Rare

Se1lad

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, BigMac1953 said:

Not being a dessert person normally, I would tend to have a selection of cheese and biscuits. Our sommelier then brings my bottle of port to wash the cheese down.

 

After all that, then it's coffee and brandy (which seems a better pairing to me).

 

Stewart

Sometimes I like to have both - though I prefer cheese first followed by dessert ... then coffee then brandy ! 🙂

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exlondoner

exlondoner

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3 minutes ago, Se1lad said:

Sometimes I like to have both - though I prefer cheese first followed by dessert ... then coffee then brandy ! 🙂

 

Yes, of course, that is another debate. Cheese first or dessert first.

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Se1lad Great Review Rare

Se1lad

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, exlondoner said:

 

Yes, of course, that is another debate. Cheese first or dessert first.

I find going straight from cheese to coffee and brandy doesn’t work for me

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