The Clarence Bury - Carta

"This place has the vibe of that local haunt where they serve food only to qualify for a late license. You know the type the locals are entertained when someone unwittingly asks to order food and the barman looks around uncertainly. You see the regulars all casting glances to see what the food is actually like. You 'd probably be doing it, too. Except I didn 't expect The Clarence to be our local Star Wars Bar. It 's apparently under new ownership, but it 's still benefitting from the previous team 's ethics and reputation. It might be fun to chat with the new owners and have a few drinks, and it 's probably lively enough in the evening, but today I 'm here for lunch, and today lunch is not good. I 've been thrilled with the food service in The Clarence in the past the service and product both sang a happy song (so I 'll leave the original review below. Just for contrast . And now let 's get to lunch! To get straight to the point, I have a pretty quirky food allergy. I ordered something that shouldn 't contain that ingredient (a sandwich! but I checked with the wait staff first. She shrugged and said that she 'd put a note on the order. As you might have anticipated, when the plate is put in front of me, there 's that specified food nemesis, mixed into the mayo on the sandwich. I could smell it immediately. My companion happened to have ordered the same, so could they just have got two plates muddled? They could. We swap. It 's not just the mayonnaise. It 's also in the oil dressing the garnish is drenched in. The oil is, by now, also in the sandwich. I can 't eat it. A waitress is approaching the table just as I notice this. By the time I turn to her, she 's vanished, and she doesn 't come near us again. We don 't see anyone, actually, until it 's time to take our money, which they do. There 's no acknowledgement of the mistake. Now, I don 't expect the staff at The Clarence are deliberately poisoning customers for giggles and drama, and I can definitely understand how someone in a stressed kitchen can mindlessly chuck a dressing over a salad garnish. But, why were they stressed? There were only five customers in at that point, and one of those was off shift staff. Problems happen in every environment. You can minimise the risk of a serious mistake, but at some point, it will happen. It 's whether the business takes responsibility that tells you if they 're responsible. And whether you should go there again! Was it a one off, a bit of an off day? The way the staff skulk about the bar, the sticky tables and grubby chairs, the chaotic back bar, the refusal to let me talk to the management because they 're 'busy upstairs ' all these clues point to it 's a dive . You 're probably ok if you 're not ordering food. But maybe stick to the optics! 2019: Our waiter, Ryan, was an absolute diamond, looking after us beautifully and giving us the benefit of his fantastic product knowledge. The guy absolutely understands all his products and can tell you everything from provenance to flavour profiles. The food is well cooked and cleanly presented with good (but not wasteful portions, and while the menu is perhaps not varied enough to tempt some customers back frequently, it leaves you confident that all the produce can be freshly prepped ahead of each service. They 're using local suppliers, too. There 's a relaxed atmosphere inside, with gridded spotlights casting flattering pools of light on each table without the overwhelming brightness that often accompanies similar industrial interiors. Music seems to have been considered just as carefully; it gives you privacy but doesn 't make conversation difficult. The Clarence is a treat, the burgers are lush and they also serve Vimto (edit: no more Vimto! What a shame! . Bury needs this place! Give it a go."