Ambiance does NOTcompensate for substandard food and bad service

I hate dissing but this time I think I earned my right. This might seem superficial but I generally equate good ambiance with good food and good service. Afterall, why bother sprucing up your restaurant when you plan on irking your customers?

But as with any rule, there are rule-breakers... Bad apples, black sheep, call it what you like. I dined with friends at Moomba and upon arriving the place looked promising with its aesthetically pleasing design and lounge-y atmosphere. Felt like the perfect place for catching up with old friends. But as the cliche goes, looks can be deceiving.

The nightmare started early as soon as our attendant started taking our orders. She was impatient and didn't even assit us while we ordered. It felt as if she just to get it over with & was more intent on getting back to conversing with her co-workers. Add to that a generic and blah-sounding menu that didn't even whet my appetite. Though I must say it certainly reflected their food which tasted just as generic and blah.

I could've overlooked these had they been understaffed or charged cheap. Being understaffed is a more acceptable abeit (literally) cheap excuse for bad service. But there were plenty of servers, none of who seemed to be interested in serving. Also, charging almost 200 pesos for a wilted Caesar salad with anorexic chicken strips is a far cry from cheap.

I left feeling cheated and unsatisfied. We also barely left a tip (they even had the gall to charge for service!)

The only good thing was I was in good company else the evening would've been a complete waste.