1890 At The Met - Brighton and Hove

I attended Le Petit Chef in February, Valentine's Day. It was simply amazing, faultless and immensely enjoyable. What we experienced on our second visit was as so far removed from what I thought would be a similar event to Valentine's Day? It was explicitly clear that there is staffing problems. That's is not to say the staff presenting Le Petit Chef were in any way less amazing than my previous dining, they were as attentive as they could be, they were pleasant, very polite and would have been superb had they been allowed to perform their duties with the correct number of staff. They really did try their level best and I take my hat off to them because had I been expected to serve the number of guests tonight with their resources I'd have walked out! Thankfully they stayed and tried to make it as enjoyable as they could! Last time we had a compare, this time some poor girl who was clearly thrown in at the last minute was quickly announcing the courses, reading from a phone, then rushing of to serve guests and I actually assume she was involved in the preparation and cooking of the meals! Simply amazing but should not have been put in that awful position she was! The other staff, one of which hadn't worked in the hotel before did his best given everything was alien to him and his manner and friendliness were just perfection! Again I don't know how he kept his cool so much. The maitre d/ receptionist/waitress whatever her plethora of roles were, again amazing lady but for heavens sake should not have been doing five different roles. The animations began after a short announcement from the aforementioned staff member, afterwards the plates should be put in front of guests without any delay! This simply did not happen and in some cases you nearly forgot about the associated animation by time the food arrived! We were lucky not to be at the very end of the dining room as the couple of ladies there had excruciating waits before receiving their meals and were complaining quite a lot, and rightly so! Everyone had finished by time they were served in most instances. They even had a discussion with the waiting staff over the colour of their chicken and whether it was cooked enough, they opted not to eat it. However the constant complaining did spoil things for us especially as it was a special treat for my mum. There was sometimes very little time between courses as the staff rushed to set the tables, provide more bread rolls, serve drinks, announce courses then serve them. The serving was very slow due to staffing numbers. The delay in the plates being put in front of guests after the animation really did spoil it. We even had alcoholic drinks spilt over us as the poor waitress was simply run off her feet! She handled the situation perfectly but our hearts went out to her because she, like everyone else, was just overwhelmed by the workload. They are all a credit to the hotel due to their loyalty and dedication because I would have walked out as I said before. Time was clearly running beyond what it should have been because we were presented with our dessert then another animation was actually playing over our desert for the presentation of the muffins or celebration cakes to those that attended for a special occasion! I was aghast that I had this animation playing over my food, it was cringeworthy. It made us feel like we were being rushed! What's more I did expect one of those Devine muffins we received on Valentine's Day after the dessert, I appreciate they may be for special occasions but playing the animation and then not giving them to everyone is very poor considering the price we paid! I doubt it would have cost a lot just to give everyone one! The evening is by no means inexpensive! I'm not sure how much the night cost with the extra drinks and service charges but it definitely wasn't worth the money and more importantly I came away feeling let down, disappointed and a little jaded that I did not experience anything like my previous visit. I can not emphasis enough just how amazing the staff were but the hotel let them down as well as us who paid to endure that evening. I also have doubts about some of the items I was served being vegan as I was told previously they were not when I compared my partners plates to mine and as much as that would usually be a huge issue for me I was just so blown away by the mayhem that was happening around me. We were asked to review the evening on Tripadvisor if I recall correctly, I prefer to review directly when I experience a poor service but tried that and have received nothing in the way of a reply other then someone will get back to you! I came away on my first visit thinking how lucky we were to have this experience on our doorsteps but I really am disappointed that I've been put off attending ever again. For heavens sake get your act together and please treat your staff with the respect they deserve.

There is so much choice at breakfast time you are spoilt for choice, it is just what you need before spending the day exploring Brighton.

My daughter and I booked Le Petit Chef, after seeing it pop up on our facebook feeds and thought it looked really cool and it was! What a fantastic idea, an amazing 5 course dinner all prepared by the tiny chef on your table and then it miraculously appears in real life right in front of you just as he finishes preparing it. The chef is just sooo cute, this is an interactive tiny experience not to be missed. Don't be fooled by there being 5 courses and you think they are going to be small portions, they are not, all full sized and really really good so leave room or wear stretchy trousers lol! We had such a fantastic experience, one we would both highly recommend, yes its expensive but well worth it. Drinks are on top of the meal price.

Fabulous breakfast choice as usual from the Hilton it has everything that you want to set you up for the day, staff were quick to clear/clean tables for the next customers.

I visited Brighton for a long weekend to celebrate my birthday. I decided to have Sunday lunch at the Carvery in the 1890. The roast beef was honestly one of the best I have ever tasted, and I am very picky when it comes to food. It was perfectly cooked, succulent, and full of flavor. The roast potatoes and accompanying vegetables were also well presented and not left out for too long. I usually skip dessert, but I couldn't resist and I'm glad I didn't. The chocolate mousse was light and wonderfully chocolatey, and the pecan tart was delicious. The service was excellent, and the background Jazz music was a nice touch without being distracting. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and will definitely return. On a side note, I also highly recommend the cooked breakfast here.