The Milestone Restaurant - your opinions.

[Stebbil 10]

I find the Milestone a bit hit and miss. I once went for Sunday lunch and the slices of beef they served were a laugh. I've had some nice food though at lunchtimes.

 

I usually go for a pint with a pal after work now and then. Since their TV appearance they seem to have disappeared up their own posteriors. We were asked 3 times if we wanted more drinks because it was going to get busy (Friday at 5.20pm, it never did). I asked the barman if it was now policy for staff to hard sell to customers. Of course he denied it and then I overheard one of the managers tell the waiter to go and see if table 8 wanted more drinks!

 

And if it had got busy, and they hadnt offered you more drinks, and you struggled to get one due to it being so busy, you would then have probably moaned about it. Is the milestone the first restaurant where they have offered you more drinks? Personally I dont consider that a hard sell, I consider it good service.

[HarrietStar 10]

I find the Milestone a bit hit and miss. I once went for Sunday lunch and the slices of beef they served were a laugh. I've had some nice food though at lunchtimes.

 

I usually go for a pint with a pal after work now and then. Since their TV appearance they seem to have disappeared up their own posteriors. We were asked 3 times if we wanted more drinks because it was going to get busy (Friday at 5.20pm, it never did). I asked the barman if it was now policy for staff to hard sell to customers. Of course he denied it and then I overheard one of the managers tell the waiter to go and see if table 8 wanted more drinks!

 

What was wrong with the beef? I haven't been for sunday lunch but I was thinking of going, so would value your opinion on what was 'a laugh' about it?

[MazR 10]

And if it had got busy, and they hadnt offered you more drinks, and you struggled to get one due to it being so busy, you would then have probably moaned about it. Is the milestone the first restaurant where they have offered you more drinks? Personally I dont consider that a hard sell, I consider it good service.[/quote

 

I mostly agree...although I'm sure it could get annoying to be asked three times on the trot...and I'm not sure what the problem with this is: I overheard one of the managers tell the waiter to go and see if table 8 wanted more drinks! Isn't this just normal practice??

 

Re the menu issues; I think it's a commercially limiting idea to have the same menu upstairs and down, and could turn out to have longer term damaging effects. Surely the point of being a "gastropub" is to have some upmarket pub food at least somewhere on the menu - preferably in the "pub" area - and not a fine-dining menu throughout (barring a couple of cheaper, more casual items on the lunchtime menu, of which I'll come to later). I think they have lost some diversity doing this, and have therefore reduced options; both the customers' in terms of choice, and their own in terms of long term profitability.

 

This is then compounded by the fact that the lunchtime menu is just a reduced version of the evening, fine-dining menu, with a couple of lunch-style dishes - a Croque Madame (fried cheese and ham sarnie) and a lamb burger - added in. These are 9.50 and 11.95 respectively. The next price upwards is 15 quid - a fair lunchtime whack by anyone's standards. (Incidentally, I have friends who've recently moved down to Bank Street to work and, with the Wig and Pen gone, we would have considered the Milestone for regular lunches, but we can't justify spending for lunch what we'd pay for a nice evening meal out, so it will be a special occasion venue only...).

 

Gordon Ramsey said last night that he thought the Milestone may have expanded too much - with the restaurant, cookery classes and outside catering - that they could be getting too ambitious, and that could put strain on the core parts of the business. I don't agree. I love that kind of vision and ambition; and as long as they work to keep standards up, good for them, I say!

 

What I would say to the Milestone is that you should be careful not to let all of this go to your heads too much. If you want to be a fine-dining business, then be one. But if you want to be a top-rated gastropub, then don't run the risk of screwing up your core business by imposing your own grand ideas on your customer. Put on a proper, good-value, quality lunchtime menu (if I hadn't seen how hard you work, I'd think you were being lazy by having basically the same menu ). Move back to fine-dining upstairs, and gastro in the bar. Gives it more of a mixed, interesting vibe and makes it accessible to more punters. There will come a time when you have to get by on your food and service alone, when all the hoo-haa has died down, and, if you haven't got a solid, regular, loyal customer base, you will struggle.

 

But then again, you might be fine if your customer base consists largely of solicitors with hefty lunchtime expense accounts (which I suspect it may do, especially with the demise of the W&P), in which case feel free to ignore everything I've said!!

 

Whatever...I love seeing my city so well-represented, so I wish them the best of luck.

[HarrietStar 10]

When we went on Saturday the upstairs seemed to be closed for some sort of refurb/building work - maybe thats why there's only one menu for now?

[ian123 10]

Well I went last night for a 5pm post-work pint and all the tables were reserved but on asking I got one! The price of (well-earned?) success!

 

I usually eat downstairs. My only experience upstairs was with a Portuguese visitor: a main of fish and one of venison + 2 glasses of wine for £60! Local folk not only want quality but VFM! Downstairs is VFM more than upstairs IMO.

[mickey mouse 10]

i've been there a few times it's great with good atmospher.

[JPFQ 10]

Been there a few times. Lunch was crap. Dinner was nice but service was too slow. worth a try but can't believe all the hype! best thing they have is lots of good wine!

[taxman 12]

I can't see what all the fuss is about really.

 

It's a shame I never went when they first started out and they had the fine dining upstairs with the experimental stuff and the gastropub downstairs with the more usual fare.

 

Now its all gastropub, an unadventurous menu and a strange concept that is neither a special fine dining experience nor a relaxing pub meal.

 

The downstairs bar area was dimly lit and loud with piped music and people stood around drinking. The starters were nice but £8 for 3 scallops really is extracting the urine, I enjoyed my leek, chicken and mushroom pie...but it was a pie, there was nothing original or interesting on the menu.

 

Both the pie and Rivelin's risotto suffered from the perennial restaurant problem of too much salt.

 

What is this obsession with putting salt in food? I hardly ever use salt in anything at home so it stands out a mile when people overdose food with it.

 

 

IT IS NOT NEEDED! STOP BEING LAZY, HERBS, SPICES AND GOOD INGREDIENTS ARE ALL YOU NEED!

 

Stand out dishes were the desserts. Someone on this thread earlier said they were a let down but we had the white coffee panna cota which was beautiful and the chocolate and hazelnut brownie with citrus ice cream which was lovely.

 

We were in and out within an hour, which to me seems a bit rushed. And I know it's a technique waiting staff are told to do to sell more wine but I don't appreciate my wine being topped up every time I've taken a couple of mouthfuls.

 

We've all watched TV shows about restaurants, chefs and fine dining and we know it's nothing about service and all to do about trying to sell more wine.

 

All in all ...... won't be rushing back.

 

Compare with The Blue Bicycle in York. Miles better atmosphere, more relaxing, more interesting menu, and a really memorable touch, the free individual loaf of bread and the whole roasted garlic bulb, free when we took our seat.

 

A little thing, but crucial and it set the tone for a great evening. Tonight's tone was set by a bunch of loud braying people at the bar, over loud music, dim lighting and 3 scallops for £8.

 

Am I missing something?

[bluemonday 10]

I enjoyed my leek, chicken and mushroom pie...but it was a pie, there was nothing original or interesting on the menu.

 

Was there really nothing more interesting on the menu than chicken pie? I went about a month ago and there were several quite interesting dishes, for example using different cuts of meat and mixing flavours up a bit.

[taxman 12]

Was there really nothing more interesting on the menu than chicken pie? I went about a month ago and there were several quite interesting dishes, for example using different cuts of meat and mixing flavours up a bit.

 

This was the menu

 

Nothing startling on there. I thought before we went that there may have been specials on the night but there weren't.

 

I have seen menus in the past with more interesting stuff on, I may well go again when the summer menu comes out.

 

They were doing an early bird menu which looked very good value but still a bit....meh.

[swissheavy 10]

Taxman... I've had similar experiences, so you're not alone. But the desserts have always been a let down for me really.

[Claret 10]

Fear not people. I went to the opening night of the wig and pen and was assured by chefs and waiters that the menu there will be more interesting. I hear ramsey told them to concentrate on one area at a time. Hence milestone just went for gastro pub and w and p will let them do the a la carte stuff. The sample menus I saw look better. Pigeon, sweetbreads, beef skirt and rabbit are on there. May be worth another chance.