3. Byblos

Good food, pleasant ambiance, but the service ...
My girlfriend particularly enjoys the feta omelette, so we decided to have breakfast at Byblos this morning. I chose the feta, halva, bread & nuts. Chocolat chaud for her and a bowl of espresso con leche à la café au lait for me. We were not disappointed by the food, and the ambiance was open and airy despite the rainy weather. Unfortunately the service was somewhat disappointing. We were seated promptly and were brought water and menus within a couple of minutes. But nearly 15 more minutes passed before the owner took our order. I was expecting our beverages to come first and then our plates. But we were served the beverages and one plate (mine), and my lovely companion had to wait about ten more minutes for her omelette. Of course I was happy to share my plate with her while she awaited hers. When a server came to take away our empty dishes, we requested water and she replied 'tout de suite' and apparently forgot. So I picked up our empty glasses and re-filled them myself. She saw me and said something like 'oops, I forgot. sorry'. Not a big deal. My overall impression after observing the comings and goings of the wait staff is that they appeared disorganised and not brilliantly trained. For example after serving a table, they failed to look around at nearby tables for items that could be cleared or check for empty water glasses, and returned to the kitchen empty handed. They were busy indeed, but were clearly lacking in efficiency. At no time during our meal did anyone ask how everything was. Finally we had to get up to request l'addition, and were simply given the total verbally, so I asked for a written one, s'il vous plaît. To be fair, I have observed this very mediocre level of service at many restaurants. And I'll admit that I am a perfectionist and am even less tolerant when I am hungry. But I've also enjoyed wonderful service at many places and from experience as a bus boy and waiter, know that the management must properly train its staff. All it takes is a few well applied principles and constant attentiveness and patrons will notice and will leave better tips.