Let down by service
Cafe Aurora
One potato sat on my plate. A little, plain boiled potato. It should have been one of many which graced a plate of Grilled Swordfish with olive oil and lemon sauce, boiled potatoes and vegetables – a part of the Cafe Aurora lunch menu at the 5-star Grecian Park Hotel, in Ayia Napa. That potato summed up the bland meal, served by indifferent or naive staff.
We walked into the hotel, ready to take in the five-star experience. At the pool-side restaurant we asked one of the waiters whether we could dine there, even though we were not staying at the hotel. Yes, of course, we were told. “And may we also use the pool facilities if we dine here?” Yes, you may, we were told with a shallow smile and a nod. So, we were seated and began to study the paper placemat menus. The items made from frozen are marked with a star, so I went for the presumably fresh Grilled Swordfish (€14), described above, and my partner chose the Escalope Viennoise (€12.20) – a pork escalope pane with lemon, served with French fries and vegetables.
It was a hot summer’s day so sitting in the shaded cafe made sense. The restaurant has a large indoor air-conditioned section too, where the salad and dessert buffets are. However, we were enjoying the outdoor sea breeze.
The bespectacled waiter who took our food order could have borrowed a few tips from Pizza Hut or McDonald’s staff, as he did not read back what we had ordered and, it was not until my partner’s main meal arrived, that we realised the order had not been taken down properly. From the Starters menu we selected a Fitness Plate (€10) – lettuce topped with smoked ham, carrots, cucumber, tomatoes, mozzarella, cottage cheese and melon, a plate of Grilled Halloumi (€7) and Tzatziki (€3.10). These had arrived as expected, were well presented, tasty and we enjoyed them with warm seed-topped rolls. The tzatziki – that garlicky mix of yoghurt, mint and cucumber – was the highlight of my meal and the Fitness Plate perfect for a health-giving boost. Even the cottage cheese was delicious.
While my partner was happily enjoying his starter a waitress carried out his main meal. Looking slightly confused he asked her why she had brought it out during the starter. She took it back indoors and once we had finished our starters she came over and asked him whether he wanted his main meal now. Strange method of service. The five-star experience was just not happening – an empty juice glass I had finished with my starter sat there until the end of the meal with uncleared, empty plates; no cutlery was brought out with my partner’s main meal. In their smart black and white outfits, waiting staff were unaware of our lack of table service, as they gathered and talked. Above us, untrimmed dead ivy branches periodically shed old, dried leaves onto our table and into our food.
My main meal did not surface so my partner asked why they had brought his food, but not mine. Oh, I did not realise you had ordered that, was the reply. I thought you only asked about whether it was filleted. After a 15-minute wait my food arrived. I hoped it would make up for the service, but sadly not. The one potato sat beside a boring piece of swordfish which tasted more boiled than grilled, and even boiled courgettes joined the bland selection. The missing potatoes must have been forgotten along with the “olive oil and lemon sauce”.
The gelatine-injected artificial taste of the berry cheesecake and sponge with cream and chocolate cake were the end of a disappointing experience.
VITAL STATISTICS
Speciality: Tourist fare
Where: Grecian Bay Hotel, Ayia Napa
Contact: 23 721307
Price: 3-course meal from €45
