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Dinner: Behind the Wall vs. Danny's

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Parent Category: Nanjing blogs

Category: Food & drink

Created on Wednesday, 21 April 2010 08:35

Published on Wednesday, 21 April 2010 08:35

Written by Anil

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The other night I met friends for drinks at Behind the Wall. After most had left, one friend and I decided to stick around and have some food.

I like Behind the Wall. The staff are friendly, they have good beer on tap, the space is cosy, and their outdoor patio is one of the best places to hang out during the warm months. However, I've always found the service to be quite shaky, and on that night it was no exception.

My friend and I ordered the 48 RMB Chipotle rosemary chicken salad (the menu description said that it came with cheese, grilled vegetables and creamy spicy chipotle dressing) and an order of quesedillas.

When the salad arrived, it was just lettuce topped with 5 strips of grilled chicken. We asked where the cheese, grilled veggies and dressing was, and asked them to take it back and fix it.

A few minutes later it came back with a sprinkling of cheese and a few bits of tomato and onion. I asked where the grilled vegetables were. The girl said: "They are hiding in the lettuce."

So I poked around in the lettuce and couldn't find any. Finally I told her that I didn't want the salad any more. She took it back and I could hear the cook cursing in the kitchen. I lost my feeling to eat there, so I told them to cancel the food and give me the bill.

When the bill arrived the salad and quesedillas were on there. I said that since I didn't eat those, I didn't want to pay for them. They pressed and told me I should take take the food home with me. I said I didn't want to pay for those, just pay for my drinks. They pressed. I held firm. And so on and so on, until I paid for my drinks and left.

Next I went to Danny's and ordered the same things. The food came out exactly as it was described and the service was crisp and efficient. Chicken salad, quesadillas and two beers cost me 125 RMB. It turned out to be a pleasant evening, with decent food and a comfortable atmosphere.

In conclusion, while I like hanging out at Behind the Wall, their food service (in my experience) has been consistently poor. On the other hand, I've been going to Danny's for dinners a lot recently and keep going back because the whole experience there is consistently solid.