Cuisine - American Bar & Restaurant
Price Range - Medium/High - On the menu the price ranges from the lowest being a £8.99 which is a spicy pasta dish and a Caesar salad, a few other items pose around the £10 mark which are burgers. An average for a meal will set you back about £14 like the chicken and faijitas but the high end of the plates are peaking at £21.49 being a sixteen ounce steak. Drinks in TGI's can be expensive if you opt for the alcoholic side with 330ml bottles of beer emptying your pocket at £3.99 a punt and pint sized ciders being £4.39; cocktails are obviously costly depending on your choice. Finally the soft drinks settle at £2.69 and are of unlimited refills, proving a real bargain if you're a thirsty person.
Service - 8/10 - The service within TGI's was overall, pretty much faultless. From the moment me and my party stepped in the moment we left, we were looked after brilliantly by the waitress who chased down all our needs; throughout the meal the young lady was chirpy, smiling and enthusiastic about her job, leaving us as comfortable customers. When it came down to the delivery speed of food and drink, again faultless as it was all out and ready for chowing on in unassailable time. The staff do make you feel extremely welcome and the fact that one waitress looks after one table makes it that extra bit more personal. An element I did notice was that ninety percent of the waitress were female. My final point is how I noticed a few ladies were walking round making balloons for people, upon which they then got to keep. A negative I did find, also reflecting on the food quality, was how they didn't ask one of our party how he wanted his burger cooked, this showing not the best attention to deal or food quality.
Atmosphere - 9/10 - Being a massive worldwide brand, TGI's has a high end reputation to live up to, so I didn't expect no cuts in the atmosphere department. The place seemed alive at all times as the murmur of customers buzzed, the background music played out and the multiple flat screen tv's ran out clips of a variety of videos which also links with it's US diner theme. Within my hour and a bit visit the staff must have had a birthday celebration boom as they had to deliver, what sounded like a ritual chant. Each customer who had a birthday had their table approached by multiple members with a dessert, then proceeding to sing a birthday celebration song/chant which can be heard throughout the diner; this is quite an awesome touch which adds to the overall experience.
Decor/Theme - 8.5/10 - In a few words I'd describe this eatery as glittery, glamourous and in your face American. Most of the things you associate with the modern Hollywood lifestyle you can find here alongside the charm of the world famous New York diners. It's as though the creators of TGI Fridays took the best of the west coast and mixed it with the east to create a restaurant shaped love child. The bijou booths scattered around the building settle nicely alongside the bolstering bright lights that replicate those you see round dressing room mirrors, also the open kitchen and rounded middle bar are real positive USP's. Customers can even sit around the bar on cute stools to share cocktails if you didn't fancy sampling some of the food on offer. My two favourite things in the restaurant were firstly the TGI/Jack Daniels Harley that's in the window and secondly the fact that nearly every spirit you can think of is placed above the bar on show, leaving me admiring the huge selection of liquor.
Food Presentation - 7.5/10 - Upon reflection of the look of my plate, presentation wise it's neat. The meal had been delicately sectioned in a trio, dividing the protein, carb and veg into seperate areas with the sauce placed in its own little pot. An aspect that could be improved is if the sauce pot was much bigger as I would argue that it was far too little for the amount of grub I had to dip into it. As for the prawns, the fact that the fantail was left on marries well with the attraction element and often makes the fish look more genuine. The dish served it's purpose properly being the perfect size for the meal, my chips looked rustic with the slight skin on which I enjoyed but the veg was thrown together on a side of the plate, not giving off any fanciful feeling at all.
Food/Value for Money - 6.5/10 - Disappointing overall, my meal walloped the wallet at a £14.99 price tag and consisted of mainly frozen produce. I opted for the jack Daniels cajun battered shrimp from the menu which, when it arrived, had a total of eleven battered fantail prawns, a jack Daniels bbq dip, skin on fries and a small portion of vegetables. First of all the veg was cooked nicely as they still had a bite to them, however it was few and far between as I had minimal greenery on the plate. The fries were flavoursome with a potatoey, crisp, rustic skin on them, not to mention the seasoning was decent and their was a pleantiful amount to get through; my main concern here though was that the chips did tend to get cold quick. Moving into the prawns and they were about average to sum them up; the batter was bubbly and crisp with an acute spicy flavour but the actually fish itself was lacking somewhat. The prawns flesh was plump and tart but it just didn't pack the cajun punch I craved from the menu, also the fish flavour really wasn't their, however you cannot argue with the quantity as eleven prawns tops up the tummy tightly. Finally onto the sauce which was one of my favourite items from my meal, it was delicious. With a hint of smokey bbq flavour concocting beside the sweet JD taste, this sauce just works perfectly when anything is dunked into it; the whiskey flavour was subtle yet noticed and also it contained small pieces providing texture, overall giving off a sweet, tangy taste that tantalised the taste buds. Everything but the sauce could be bought elsewhere cheaper in my opinion but the portion size was filling.
Overall - 7.5/10 - As far as restaurants go, this place is more of a tourist attraction than a exclusive eatery as TGI's itself holds a big brand reputation worldwide. Many people will know that the franchise only normally establishes restaurants in larger cities, as it grew out of New York City, so it's a unique experience to Norwich to get such a place. If I ever recommended anybody to go to TGI Friday's it would be for the atmosphere and service as after my visit these were the things that made me want to go back. With friendly staff that make each customer feel special and a shibaz, showbiz American theme, the place has a shining persona, attracting people who pass by. Sadly the food and value really let the hype down because not only can you find the meals at any other "American" restaurant, you can also find them a lot cheaper also; more than anything here you are paying for the brand as the food doesn't take incredible skill to cook and replicates any high street diner out there. I'd like to mention that they do offer a wide range of decadent cocktails here and the variety in drinks is second to none, these are something I certainly come back to shuffle through. TGI's is one of those places you visit to say you've been, just don't expect nothing out of the average food wise, not to mention the prices are too high for the quality; portion wise, you'll leave full.
https://m.tgifridays.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment