The George Hotel, Dorchester

4.2/5 - based on 88 reviews

Susan

2/5 Published 02.09.2024

"A disappointing 2nd visit "

My brother, sister-in-law, friend & I chose to return to The George, as we all had such a nice meal on 8th May. My sister-in-law, who is coeliac & dairy-intolerant particularly had a nice meal, tailored to her requirements, with the batter removed from her fish & a baked potato instead of chips. This time, although they removed the batter, we were told that neither a baked potato nor plain boiled or steamed potatoes and could be provided. She therefore had undressed salad with the fish. My brother & friend had sea bass, with penne & samphire, which my brother had last time but it was luke warm, the samphire was in batter & the cabbage was undercooked & inedible. My friend & brother shared a side of sweet potato fries, which were almost burnt.The only decent dish was my whole plaice with provençal vegetables, which I had last time as well. The deputy manager, Saskia, offered to heat up the cold food but we declined.
We decided not to pay the 10% service charge when the bill arrived, & I went to the till to pay it & explained that it was because the food was awful, which Jasmine, serving in the bar said she totally understood. We were just about to leave when Jasmine brought in the cake I had bought for my brother & sister-in-law, as it was their 20th wedding anniversary. I had completely forgotten about it! We lit the candles, also provided by me, with my matches & it helped to save the day a little. The cake was specially chosen so that my sister-in-law could eat it. My brother gave Jasmine £5 as a thank you. You might want to check your calculating machine, by the way, as the bill before service was £108.85 & the '10%' put @ £8.98! I'm afraid we won't be returning to The George again. As before, we were the only people in the dining room, but there were people in the bar & bar dining area & only 2 members of staff available. We saw who we presumed to be the chef leaving the kitchen at one point. We booked for 1pm, & @ 12.45pm there was no-one serving anywhere.