tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post9097055561659821989..comments2024-03-14T13:58:46.869+11:00Comments on I Eat Therefore I Am: Alpino Restaurant - How To Lose Patrons In One Mealthanh7580http://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-55156441755495965692015-02-15T22:50:46.931+11:002015-02-15T22:50:46.931+11:00Really, really, really BAD 'restaurant'.
H...Really, really, really BAD 'restaurant'.<br />Horrid food.<br />Looked at the receipt and there is an additional $15 misc fee which we cannot workout what it was for. <br />This place is an embarrassment to Melbourne.<br />We feel violated for eating there, thats how bad this place is.<br />Very disgruntled and one that rarely complains.Winzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13739287476828416703noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-25933326798226787692013-02-19T10:56:18.636+11:002013-02-19T10:56:18.636+11:00Upon hearing of your experience, we, the RMIT newi...Upon hearing of your experience, we, the RMIT newintstudents team will not dine hereRMIT Newintstudentshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16080502678259979920noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-39943591424033891742012-04-02T10:41:34.358+10:002012-04-02T10:41:34.358+10:00Had a shocking experience there, thought its worth...Had a shocking experience there, thought its worth putting up here. We went with some friends (so 2 couples in all) and of course they're very friendly when they're trying to drag you in, once you're in they ignore you and you already feel jibbed.<br /><br />We ordered a porterhouse steak, cannelloni, pesto chicken & a parma.<br /><br />Porterhouse was mostly veins and chewy stuff you Don't put in a steak.<br />Cannelloni was frozen inside.<br />Parma had no flavour, unsalted (evil owner lady said "well there was salt on the table"...)<br />Person who ate the pesto chicken <b>ended up in hospital that night.</b><br /><br />After much arguing they agreed not to charge us for the Canelloni and the Steak, both of which were hardly touched. The guy who ate the Parma was hungry and finished it so they refused to refund, and of course we didn't yet know about the pesto hospitalization because she only developed the stomach ache in the hour after we left.<br /><br />Bastards! <b><i>This restaurant should've been shut down years ago, I've heard others have bad experiences there too.</i></b>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-61922581558741955822011-10-01T03:12:08.205+10:002011-10-01T03:12:08.205+10:00The guy at the front says he's the owner but h...The guy at the front says he's the owner but he's not as admitted by the waiting staff. I had great service by beautiful girls but the higher echelons where just creepy and more interested in having Their own coffee. I got the most expensive And unimpressive Greek salad and my risotto was grainy and undercooked. The garlic bread was good but was but one little slice and the whole thing cost me 35 bucks. The management was creepy.repeatAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-17170881908714742462009-02-08T18:11:00.000+11:002009-02-08T18:11:00.000+11:00Xanthia, I'm sorry to hear you also had a terrible...Xanthia, I'm sorry to hear you also had a terrible time there. In your case, it's even worse since it was a special occasion.<BR/><BR/>I know I will never go back to that place, and always tell anyone that goes to Lygon Street to eat never to eat at Alpino's. They way they run their restaurant, they will never get repeat patronage.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-5229188986383877422009-02-08T15:36:00.000+11:002009-02-08T15:36:00.000+11:00Absolutely terrible. Disgusting. We went with a la...Absolutely terrible. Disgusting. We went with a large group of people for a very special occasion - the imminent wedding of a close family member. First it started with one of our group bringing BYO wine and beer. Not friendly, "sorry, we're licenced" but a short, sharp "Your table won't be getting any bruschetta if you open that".<BR/><BR/>Next, we were left waiting for about two hours for our meal. When our meal finally did arrive, three of our group were not given anything. Those three meals arrived when everyone else had finished.<BR/><BR/>Finally, the staff appeared totally dismissive of any wrong doing, were happy to be argumentative, and demanded the entire bill including the three meals that were served when others had finished.<BR/><BR/>Add to that a kitsch, dirty environment (air conditioners with sticky tape all over them, kitsch murals, etc) and it made for extreme disappointment on what should have been a very special occasion. Shame, shame, shame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-48168744178435233212009-02-08T15:35:00.000+11:002009-02-08T15:35:00.000+11:00Absolutely terrible. Disgusting. We went with a la...Absolutely terrible. Disgusting. We went with a large group of people for a very special occasion - the imminent wedding of a close family member. First it started with one of our group bringing BYO wine and beer. Not friendly, "sorry, we're licenced" but a short, sharp "Your table won't be getting any bruschetta if you open that".<BR/><BR/>Next, we were left waiting for about two hours for our meal. When our meal finally did arrive, three of our group were not given anything. Those three meals arrived when everyone else had finished.<BR/><BR/>Finally, the staff appeared totally dismissive of any wrong doing, were happy to be argumentative, and demanded the entire bill including the three meals that were served when others had finished.<BR/><BR/>Add to that a kitsch, dirty environment (air conditioners with sticky tape all over them, kitsch murals, etc) and it made for extreme disappointment on what should have been a very special occasion. Shame, shame, shame.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-33523120855223213122008-04-27T23:55:00.000+10:002008-04-27T23:55:00.000+10:00Anonymous, you are yet another person to have expe...Anonymous, you are yet another person to have experienced terrible service at Alpino. I wonder what type of restaurant they actually run. It seems like they don't think customer service is a requirement at their restaurant.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-77622398191446159742008-04-27T20:45:00.000+10:002008-04-27T20:45:00.000+10:00Fully agree - we had what should have been a wonde...Fully agree - we had what should have been a wonderful experience ruined by that horrid "woman owner" - whoever she is - and a night filled with poor service and disgusting attitude.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-1536089977246459422008-01-04T16:25:00.000+11:002008-01-04T16:25:00.000+11:00Scotland, I cannot agree with you more. It is a wo...Scotland, I cannot agree with you more. It is a wonder how they are still able to operate in Lygon. Through bad food, rude customer service and expensive prices for small servings, they will only catch unsuspecting customers like us once and never get repeated patronage. And I make sure I let all my friends know to not go there when looking for dining options in Lygon.<BR/><BR/>It's amazing how badly they could do pasta. I've had pasta sauces from a jar that taste better. <BR/><BR/>As for the customer service, they are very rude. When I told the lady owner our gripe with the extra $4, she just became angry and rude. It must happen often as another customer before me had exactly the same problem with the extra $4.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-30550626890129767882008-01-04T09:53:00.000+11:002008-01-04T09:53:00.000+11:00How gratifying to see that it is not just me that ...How gratifying to see that it is not just me that has had an appalling dining experience at Alpino.<BR/><BR/>The Amatriciana I ordered was totally flavourless, incredible considering the combination of ingredients. There was almost no sauce on the pasta, which was certainly not fresh.<BR/><BR/>It should be criminal to charge $19 for a dish that poor. Nobody at our table was happy with their meal, and when we were asked by the waiter how everything was, we replied that it wasn't that good. <BR/><BR/>Sadly, the waiter didn't take this opportunity to get valuable feedback from unsatisfied customers, but instead became rude and defensive.<BR/><BR/>Food: 2/10 (when you can cook a much better pasta in no time at home, there's a problem)<BR/><BR/>Service: 3/10 (no charisma and little interest shown in our dining experience at all)<BR/><BR/>Value: 1/10 (at almost $20 a dish, with small portions relative to many of the other places on Lygon, there's little value here)<BR/><BR/>Total: 6/30<BR/><BR/>I am happy to say I will never return to Alpino, at least while it is owned and run by the current people. It's sad that a restaurant like this can sit on Lygon Street and continue to peddle mediocre fare to unsuspecting diners.Scotlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04172368539739097650noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-88025901662692402152007-06-22T22:16:00.000+10:002007-06-22T22:16:00.000+10:00Dean, I was offered entrees three times when the w...Dean, I was offered entrees three times when the waiter asked specifically if we wanted some bread or something, to which I said no. I will definitely elaborate on the size in future. It's just that at every other restaurant I've been to, you order whats written on the menu and you get that size. They may have options for other sizes which cost more, but when you don't specifically say you want those, you don't just get given the larger size. Even at McDonalds, they ask if you want to upsize without just giving you that one and expecting you to pay for it.<BR/><BR/>Hopefully the next Italian place will be a lot better.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-19982572483430101922007-06-22T13:18:00.000+10:002007-06-22T13:18:00.000+10:00It's always sad to hear of this type of service, b...It's always sad to hear of this type of service, but after reading this I had the thought that you were offered entrees 3 times and so this may have caused the mix up in sizes??? I've always found it easier to elaborate on what size serving I want and not leave it up to the waiters' discretion. Better luck with the next venue.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00704125548012666706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-56853295650730631832007-06-20T21:11:00.000+10:002007-06-20T21:11:00.000+10:00Hi Ali-K, it was a very maddening experience. I wa...Hi Ali-K, it was a very maddening experience. I was trying to explain to the lady owner but she kept insisting that it was written on the menu. I kept saying I knew that but every other restaurant charges what is written as the main price unless you specifically ask for a larger size.<BR/><BR/>I guess I will be trying out Tiamo next time, that sounds very cheap and good indeed.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-70120443814155028432007-06-20T14:06:00.000+10:002007-06-20T14:06:00.000+10:00How maddening to have such an experience. I dined ...How maddening to have such an experience. I dined at Tiamo earlier this year, there were 4 of us and we had a main each (standard size) and paid corkage and the whole experience only cost us $50 or so! What's more it was enjoyable and the food great.Ali-Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09746047851798113286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-28468623031585495432007-06-20T09:12:00.000+10:002007-06-20T09:12:00.000+10:00Thanks for the very thorough details Truffle. I wi...Thanks for the very thorough details Truffle. I will note down these places and give them a try next time I'm in Lygon.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-4948644157288756192007-06-19T20:29:00.000+10:002007-06-19T20:29:00.000+10:00The two places that spring to mind are Tiamo and T...The two places that spring to mind are Tiamo and Trotters. I haven't been to either in the past year so can't vouch for the quality. The food at both is very basic. Tiamo used to have quite a limited menu and only charge around $11 but the recent review by Preston suggests that has increased.<BR/><BR/>http://www.theage.com.au/news/restaurant-reviews/tiamo/2007/06/04/1180809409827.html<BR/><BR/>Trotters regularly makes the Cheap Eats guide and you can read some reviews on mietta's.<BR/><BR/>http://miettas.com/Australia/Victoria/Carlton/Trotters.html<BR/><BR/>They do a mix of cafe fare and pasta and risotto dishes. You can see their menu here<BR/><BR/>http://www.trotters.com.au/menus1.htm<BR/><BR/>My must stop Italian spot on Lygon (albeit only for dessert) is Gelobar <BR/><BR/>http://miettas.com/Australia/Victoria/Brunswick_East/Gelobar.htmlTrufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12045183484202678148noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-79365058698354967882007-06-18T22:54:00.000+10:002007-06-18T22:54:00.000+10:00Truffle, can you suggest any cheap, good places to...Truffle, can you suggest any cheap, good places to eat Italian food on Lygon? I like Thaila Thai on the other end of Lygon but felt like some Italian this time.<BR/><BR/>As for the billing situation, they clearly falsely advertised and then did that sneaky thing with the menu. If you're going to give people the mains everytime, why not put the mains price instead of a cheaper entree price and then just assume people want mains size and charge them that.thanh7580https://www.blogger.com/profile/12101572834580539226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31835761.post-15114286782909963722007-06-18T09:54:00.000+10:002007-06-18T09:54:00.000+10:00Sounds incredibly disappointing although the stand...Sounds incredibly disappointing although the standard of food on that part of Lygon often is, in my opinion. I feel your frustration on the billing situation. Whatever happened to customer service and customer retention? With a few exceptions I'm always happy to steer clear of that end of Lygon.Trufflehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12045183484202678148noreply@blogger.com