TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums St. Maarten - St. Martin Oualichi - Board walk

A couple of weeks ago I gave Oualichi restaurant a very good review. We returned today for lunch and had a quite different experience. We ordered the same meals but decided to add an ap which we would share. It took around 25 mins for the ap to arrive, even though when we ordered there were only a few table occupied and they were customers who were just having drinks.

After the ap, we waited and waited for our entree. When at last I thought it was coming the waiter took the food to another table who had obviously ordered the same things. When I questioned our waiter he said that he had to forgotten "to push the button" to tell the kitchen to send out our order. Don't you think an attentive waiter would know when his customers were ready for their food. He passed by our table several times while we were waiting so he could see we did not have our meals.

My salad was just as good as last time but Larry's ribs were almost inedible. The meat just did not want to come off the bone!! A waitress (not our server) asked how things were and when we told her about the ribs she wanted us to send them back but we did not want to have to wait again.
When our waiter collectd the plates he asked if everything was good an when we told him about the ribs he just laughed. Then when he brought our bill, we saw that the 15% was already added, but when he handed the card machine to Larry he said " press this button if you want to leave a tip". We exclaimed that the tip was already on the bill. He gave no comment.

Rant over, thanks.

Maureen,

Ranting is a good thing now and then - you're allowed!! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Grin.gif" alt="" />

Thank you for sharing your story. It helps prove the case that things can and do change and what was the case yesterday might be a very different situation tomorrow.

We only had lunch there once a couple of years ago and we weren't impressed one way or the other. When we're in town at lunchtime we've pretty much learned to stick with our old favorites.....Antoine's, Chesterfields, Barefoot Terrace, Pasanggrahan........or even Marks on the way back home. We pretty much know their consistency record and haven't been disappointed at any of them yet and it seems that too often of late when we step out of our normal comfort zones we end up being disappointed.

DH says we're just getting old and crotchety.....actually, he says I'm getting old and crotchety and who knows - maybe hes got something there! <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

I agree Pat, I find I am not a patient as I once was <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/jester.gif" alt="" />

Sorry to hear that Maureen. Had it been me, I would have made the server remove the 15% from the bill before I would pay. That type of service does not warrant a tip of any kind!

Sorry you had that experience, but you know it seems it really is a crap shoot sometimes. If you had had that experience the first time, you wouldn't have gone back. It's so odd how experiences can be so different in the same restaurant, even relatively close together in time.

Carol I agree. The only consistent good point was that my salad was just as good the 2nd time, but unfortunately everything else failed. I guess I am just so disappointed because it was such a letdown.

We usually go there for breakfast on Sunday. Order the breakfast eggs and bacon special. Love the view of Great Bay!

They are OK (we keep going back)! Service is not bad, we are there around 10:00 AM. Before too many cruise ship folks get around.

Based on your first review, I was planning on lunch there on our next trip to Philipsburg. Now, I'm not sure! It's a place that has always piqued my interest.

Give it a try Georgia, perhaps yesterday was just a "bump". As I said our first visit was wonderful.

Good point, Maureen!