Author: nasocuvi1970

Let's get one thing straight -- my wife and I love House on Parliament. We're not locals (central Etobicoke, actually) but HoP has quickly become our go-to dine-in spot (I've written several glowing reviews on various platforms in the short time we've been dining there)....It was the last place we dined before Covid and the first to which we returned when things opened up. What keeps us coming back is the combination of delicious food prepared with skill and innovation, a terrific selection of drinks, and most importantly, the excellent service. Which is why our visit yesterday left us slightly out of sorts. The food, as expected, was excellent and although the beer selection was a bit smaller than usual, I was able to find something to my liking. Where things fell down was on the service, specifically with our server. I won't mention him by name as I'm not out to embarrass or humiliate him, but we were extremely disappointed by his almost aloof attitude, his lack of attention to our needs, and his relative disinterest in our dining experience. Seated between a table of his regulars (with whom he seemed to make the time for idle chatter) and a large family group (which perhaps offered more in the way of gratuity) we were able to witness that he was indeed capable of conviviality when the mood suited. But for some reason, we were grossly overlooked (it's not as if the restaurant was overly busy). Other than taking our drink orders (in a rather rushed manner) and delivering the drinks and taking our food order, we barely interacted with him. I'm sure he's a decent fellow but as far as customer service goes, I think he's lost sight of the customer in the equation. And as I think of it, my first review back in 2019 mentioned that the service was a bit lacking and I'm almost sure it was the same person. Thankfully, he seems to be an anomaly. The saving grace was the exemplary service delivered by his colleagues. The server who brought us our food (we didn't get his name) was friendly and polite, engaging in short but genuine conversation. The standout, however, was Julia, who not only noticed that I was trying to get the attention of our official server, but approached me and asked if I'd like another beer (even noting the specific brand I was drinking). We were quite impressed and wished we could have directed our tip to her alone. She also cleared our plates and checked in a couple of other times. Now THAT is superior service! For the casual reader of these reviews, don't be put off. House on Parliament remains a stellar establishment for all the reasons I mentioned in the introduction and is well worth the trip. But for the management, if you're interested in discussing this matter further, I'm sure we can arrange a private chat. Having said that, keep up the great work. We WILL be back.