M at the Fringe

We had dinner at M at the Fringe at the weekend and, unlike the first time we visited, we were rather disappointed. Food excellent, service leaving a little to be desired.



We arrived slightly early and were seated at our table. The decor in this place is gorgeous and we were tucked nicely into a corner which was great. I started with a "head to tail" terrine of ox-tongue and ox-tail and the BF tucked into the torchon of foie gras. So far so good...



No sooner had our starter plates been taken away than we were served up our mains - we both plumped for the crispy suckling pig, which M is famous for. Again, this was deliciously crispy (and I've tasted a few crispy pigs), with melt in the mouth meat, tasty vegetables and not just "a good pig sauce" but a great one. The only niggle was that it was just served a little too promptly for me. I really like to relax a bit when I'm out at a nice restaurant and I felt like we were being rushed along.



The same story when we'd finished our mains...we were immediately served up with dessert. In fact the poor waiter was rushing so much to serve us that he knocked my pavlova over as he was sprinting over to serve us. He then tried to prop it back up, which quite simply wasn't happening, and then asked me if it was ok or whether he should take it back. Now, at this point I should have said yes, please take it back, but I didn't - I swapped with the BF who was also partaking of the pavlova! But really I think it should have gone straight back to the kitchen, without the waiter asking me if I'd put up with a collapsed version. Incidentally, the pavlova was delicious and probably the main reason for visiting M at the Fringe. The meringe was the perfect texture and was served up with lashings of fresh cream, tropical fruits and a passionfruit coulis. However, a bit more care on the part of the waiter would have gone a long way.



Finally, we came to order coffees. However, we'd been so rushed throughout that we hadn't finished our wine and to add insult to injury our coffees were served up before we'd finished.



I really enjoyed this place the first time we went and now I feel like we have to go back a third time just to give them a chance to redeem themselves! It's such a shame to have had such beautiful food ruined by a few careless slip ups on the behalf of the waiters. Come on guys, chill out, this isn't McDonalds!