My other half had booked a table for two for 6.30 on Sunday the 24th of October. He booked this as a surprise for my birthday and had mentioned to the restaurant as such. As it happens we have been to the restaurant on four previous occasions and enjoyed beautiful food and copious amounts of wine and whiskey. Not only this but I have taken a couple of my female colleagues to the restaurant as I had experienced such excellent service from the likes of Paul (picking out fine wine choices) and Mark (all round pleasure) and other members of staff and the food had always been of a high standard, so much so that myself and my partner were considering the venue for our wedding reception and had mentioned this to Robert late one evening after dining there. On Sunday the 24th we had experienced a little bit of bother and was running a tad late, my partner asked me if we should call the restaurant but as we were only minutes late and the restaurant had my partners mobile number and I had the mobile in my hand whilst he drove I didn't feel that we needed to, afterall a restaurant would have the decency of calling the customer had they any concerns, or so I thought! We arrived outside Cabbage Hall at 6.37pm and noticed that it looked closed, and indeed it was. The fact that the restaurant had closed early when there sign outside clearly states that it is open until 8pm was the first surprise, the fact that we were only 7 mins late and they had already closed was another, the lack of communication from the restaurant given that they had our mobile number; all of this I found shocking enough but then came the worst experience I have ever encountered from a member of the hospitality trade..... My partner knocked politely on the door of cabbage hall as we could see that Robert was stood at the bar and he just ignored us, my partner knocked on the door again and gestured to his watch and to us but Robert just shrugged. At this point I told my partner to call the restaurant so that he can at least speak to the manager because maybe they had had a flood etc, I was giving them the benefit of the doubt at this point, trying to remember at this point the high esteem in which I held Cabbage Hall. My partner spoke to Robert Kisby himself and Robert stated " Im not being funny, im running a business, your late so im shut, your a no-show and i can't keep the kitchen open for people who can't turn up ontime". Now, don't get me wrong, we were 7minutes late but if Mr Kisby runs his business like this going forward he runs the risk of losing customers, the place is situated in a 'destination' area of which we happened to have travelled the 30mins to and had booked an overnight stay, just to dine at Cabbage Hall!!! Word of mouth in that industry is paramount, peoples experience is imperative and return custom only comes from fantastic attention to service and food. now, I can't comment on what the food would have been like the night of my birthday as I obviously didn't dine at Cabbage Hall but the service I/we experienced from the owner himself ensured that I, along with every cheshire based person/business that I know will never return to Cabbage Hall. Mr Kisby could have, and should have dealt with this in a professional manner, a manner in which he would ensure our return custom and thus keep spreading the positive review amoungst friends etc. If it had been my restaurant I would have invited us in from the cold, asked for the reasons why we were late, said the kitchen was all turned off because we were late and offered us a complimentary drink in way of making it up to us that we weren't going to be able to eat there, albeit that the restaurant was due to close at 8pm. If he had done this I would have had a very different opinion of him and his establishment. In this economic climate Mr Kisby must be making an abundance of money, so much so perhaps that he does not need to uphold good service and relationships with customers who live within his catchment area.good on you Mr Kisby.
Jayne Doban
Worst restaurant in Cheshire. Food average and over priced. Staff trained far too much, like robots. Service, fake and unwanted. Total disappointment.
Tazbabes
Fantastic place... staff amazing... food incredible ... Go there.
We had one of the 2 people platters - what tasty treats .
The service is great, someone takes your drinks and escorts you to your table, the table service was impeccable and then retired to the lounge for after dinner drinks. No rush to leave and ended staying for several hours. A delightful place.
Pinsley
We recently dined at the Cabbage Hall restaurant for my husband’s birthday, as we were intrigued to sample the menu since the new ownership.
I firmly believe that the food was very over rated.
We both had the chicken broth to start which we both agreed was taste less. We were absolutely shocked as the Head Chef Robert philosophy is to use local produce so were completely disappointed when the vegetables in the broth were tasteless. So we can only assume that the vegetables were over cooked.
My husband ordered the steak for his main course (medium/well) and it was presented to him rare.
We highlighted this to the head waiter and he quickly returned it back to the kitchen. 15 minutes had past and my husband was presented with a new steak. At this time I had completed my main course so we both ate alone and my husband at that time had completely lost his appetite and only ate a small amount, commenting that the Steak was tasteless. Shocking that such a renowned restaurant could get something as simple as cooking a fillet steak completely wrong.
We then decided to call it a night and requested for the bill, the total charge with a bottle of wine was £130.00. Which in normal circumstances if the food is of extreme quality is a reasonable sum to pay? In our instance this was not.
I did question the bill and suggested it would have been a nice gesture if they had adjusted the bill for the shortcomings. To our dismay the Head Chef (Robert) cam bolting over to our table, and aggressively said to us "Do you have a Problem" we explained the situation but he seemed to get even more irate and began to shake. "What a fabulous Birthday experience"
My husband paid the bill and we left promptly. So I suppose my recommendation is that we would never eat there again and perhaps people should travel that little further to Restaurant 1539 where they ooze excellent hospitality.
Hopefully a member the Cabbage Hall staff will read my posting, if so please pass a recommendation to the Proprietor/Head Chef (Robert) as the old saying states "stick to your knitting". In other words stay in the kitchen and don't do front of house as he obviously does not have the skills to do this with panache
Jo & Shane
Love the new refurb! Subtle but a lot softer and lighter. New menu was huge, so big we had trouble making our minds up! When we did we were not disappointed, the Rib eye was wonderful, obviously sourced from a really good supplier. Although very busy the service was fantastic and the atmosphere vibrant. All this just 2 miles down the road!!
Len Cooke.
Cabbage Hall is simple, good quality food, expertly cooked and presented to a very high standard at competitive prices. I have eaten there many times and have never been disappointed. You are always made very welcome by Francis and his staff.
ms
The food is very good, however the lack of attention by staff was disappointing. The price is very expensive which spoiled a very nice evening. Over £90 per couple for small portions. wine and water particularly expensive and any vegetables were a pricey extra.
Ladies who lunch
Try the set menu for £10. It is excellent value for 2 courses and coffee. It was nice to be able to take coffee in the lounge by the fire on cold dismal afternoon. Great service and attention to detail.
cheshire foodie!
Recently refurbished - Moroccan theme. Opulent and up market. Great wine list and good range of food. Lamb was fantastic. The owner and staff are very attentive and eager to do well. We've been there three times for lunch and dinner and the standard is consistently high. Its nice that they remember you-says a lot about the place. Good deals on lunches and early suppers. For no holes barred dinner its about £35/40 per head.