On a package deal as it was a special occassion 3 nights with one dinner. What a disappointment - We were asked how we would like our steaks, 3 opted for steak medium to well to be told you can only have it "RARE" "MEDIUM" or "WELL DONE" you cannot have a bit of both ways - we never heard of this before and were stunned! Our other member had opted for Duck. Starters arrived 3 again opted for duck - a lonely overcooked shriveled duck leg was presented on each plate - how sad . Pigeon arrived tough/over cooked like rubber. We were wondering if there was a chef on duty or reheats from the night before. Manager was busy looking after a table of 4 and spent majoirty of his time entertaning their table with wine and plenty of food large bowls of chips and potatoes were on that table. Our mains arrived BLACK steaks no veg just with sauce and large lardons (which got stuck on ones throat) on a plate - awful accompanied by a side dish of 4 chips each - Duck was rubbery reheated and served with a supposed potatoe cake yuck..... we gazed at the table of 4 and their bowls of chips and potatoes and wondered what/who they were to get such treatment..... (did we see one of them in uniform next day???)Tthe memory was so bad one left the table and her steak without finishing our her wine... we did have desert by 3 and one cheese board these were OK but our overall experience was disgust We did complain to Duty Manager on departure who took complaints on board and did not charge us for the wine... a small gesture but one we acknowledge. Beautiful place and grounds but we have a bitter taste in our mouths.

Response:
Dear Seanchailleach, Thank you for taking the time to post your review of Carton House. Please accept my apologies for the delay in acknowledging your review. It is disappointing to see that your visit to the Linden Tree was not a positive one. I am very sorry for the shortcoming in service which you experienced on this occasion. It is most unusual for us to get such negative feedback and I would welcome the opportunity of discussing it in person with you to ensure that I can follow up on my end and give our team the opportunity to improve in any areas of weakness that you may have encountered during your stay with us. Our chefs take great pride in ensuring that we provide local sourced seasonal produce, but obviously on this occasion we didn’t deliver to our usual standard. Also I am sorry that there was confusion over the side dishes and that you weren't offered to order these when placing your dinner order. Thank you once again for your valuable feedback which I look forward to having the opportunity of discussing with you so that I can identify where the errors were made. You can contact me by calling the hotel on 01-5052000 alternatively you can email me on pjoy@cartonhouse.com. Kind Regards, Paul Joy

Posted by: The Linden Tree @ Carton House  on 08/05/2012

food was top quality all round. for starters we had pigeon and scallops. then for the mains we had fillet steak and lamb. everything was perfectly cooked, excellant presentation and very tasty. the accompanying sauces were abit too sweet with the mains but it was still great. excellant service too. prices were abit expensive but given the setting and the occasion it was worth it!

We were staying in the hotel and had a dinner included as part of our package. We had an absolutely amazing meal. The food was excellently presented and tasted superb. The waiting staff were very attentive. Its lacking a bit in atmosphere as its such a huge restaurant but we had a fab table by the window and didn't mind too much. Wish we lived closer so we could return more regularly. Definitely worth checking out.