Worst New Years Ever

<p>We attended Life Grand Cafe at the Waterfornt in Cape Town for the New Years Eve party 2016. The price was R1200 a head - not cheap, which meant our expectations were that we would be treated to a delicious three course meal and two drinks. The invitation presented the evening as one of celebration, music, entertainment and high quality service. The reality was bare tables (no decoration, no cutlary, glasses, nothing). The welcome drink was an embarrassment. Literally one sip, it was so miniscule and I doubt there was any alcohol in it. It was all downhill from there. The starter - Ceviche, which by definition 'is a South American dish of marinated raw fish' Life's interpretation was 4 California roles with a bit of mango and a barely discernible piece of fish resting on top. The main meal arrived at 11.45 pm by which stage, guests were irritated and starving. I made the mistake of ordering the lobster: a mountain of dry couscous and yet again a tiny portion of over cooked fish (one small mouthful). No sauce. While I was regretting my decision, I looked over to those in my group who ordered the beef and saw that they were equally dissatisfied. The beef was so overcooked it had to be sent back and half of the plates were missing the accompaniments that were stated in the menu. The late delivery of the main meal meant the countdown to 2017 happened in the middle of it!! So we all had to jump up and quickly wish everyone happy new year while our already bad meal got even colder. The dessert buffet was severely depleted by the time we approached it due to the unacceptably late delivery of the main co****. The final piece de resistance was the wet floor next to dessert table, which resulted in my falling hard and hitting my head! I have a nice big lump on the side of my head that throbs every time I brush my hair - a nice litte reminder of a very disappointing evening. We all left as soon as we could, and as hungry as we were when we arrived. Among our group were guests from Europe and America who were astounded at how bad the whole evening was. It was utterly embarrassing after we had boasted about how wonderful South African restaurants are and how impeccable the service is. After having forked out R1200, we all feel cheated. If you are planning on visiting Life Grand Cafe, do yourself a favour and dont. The food was bad and the service even worse. There are so wonderful reastuarants in Cape Town - pick one of them instead.</p>