Listowel Writers Week. Very pleasant. Went to see Dancing at Lughnasa, Paul Durcan, Joseph O'Connor and the championship of Storytelling - which by the way, was bizarre (that's a different longwinded story) but does play a part so to speak in this review.
Back to the important part. So on the second last day of the even I was invited to a meal in Cliff House Hotel in Ballybunion. The first thing that unimpressed me about the place was minor - I suppose but; when it came to ordering pre-drinks at the bar, (I ordered Captain Morgan and coke classy eh?), the barman poured my mixer straight in without me asking. The same was done for my mother's bcardi and tonic. Now, I guess it is personal thing but I really don't like when barmen do that - though it is a rarity. My pen was already docking points.
We sat down at a window table over-looking the beach which was beautiful and were given our menus. For some weird reason the chairs weren't matching, which I thought at first may have been a character thing of sorts but it just looked a bit out of place...
I ordered tiger Prawns in a sort of broth with a coriander risotto - less than impressed. When the dish arrived there weren't tiger prawns sitting in it, just prawns. 'Tiger'? Also no risotto in sight... Hmm...
'Excuse me isn't there supposed to be a risotto with this?'
'...isn't there?'
(Honestly, would I be asking?)
'I'll be back with it in one minute'
Sure enough the 'risotto' did arrive promptly - that is the plain white rice did. I didn't bother complaining again, too much effort. I sat quietly nibbling at my depressed looking 'tiger' prawns and my overly white rice.
All in all - I had a seizure when I saw the bill.
