Deeply Disappointed on My Birthday

I booked a table at Stephnie’s to celebrate my birthday, and unfortunately the experience was extremely disappointing. We started the evening with ****tails, which were lovely, but everything went downhill from there and the experience was nothing short of unacceptable.

Two of us ordered individual seafood platters and another guest ordered a fillet. Yet somehow only one platter arrived, and the waiter handed me a clean plate as if we intended to share it. The seafood platter is small to begin with — the idea that two adults would share it is absurd. This was a clear failure to listen and pay attention.

As a result, my guests ate their meals while I sat waiting for mine to be prepared. By the time my food eventually arrived, everyone else was already done. No one goes to a restaurant expecting to eat alone at their birthday dinner.

Then came the worst part: the fish on my platter was undercooked. I had to send it back and ask for it to be properly cooked. When it returned, it was rubbery, overcooked, and honestly inedible. I ended up barely touching the meal.

We ordered dessert afterwards, which was lovely, and they brought out a plate with a sparkle to acknowledge my birthday — a kind gesture, but sadly it did not make up for everything that had already gone wrong.

The manager and waiter apologised repeatedly, and I remained polite because I refused to cause a scene and to ruin the evening even further. But let me be clear: the situation was NOT okay.

What shocked me most was the complete lack of accountability or effort to make things right. No discount, no compensation, not even a small gesture to acknowledge the ruined meal and entire evening — and this was meant to be my birthday celebration. For a restaurant of this supposed calibre, this was incredibly disappointing.

This experience ruined what should have been a special evening. I walked out feeling frustrated, let down, and honestly stunned that a restaurant could mishandle a birthday dinner this badly.