Just had one of the weirdest experiences of my life, wondering if anyone can shed any light on this. This was in the West End of London btw.

I recently stumbled into a bar establishment that was having a pirate-themed night. Everyone was rowdily singing some kind of sea shanty, and there was a really tall guy (on hidden stilts maybe?) in pirate fancy dress. I bantered with him a bit, saying “you look tall mate!” and he gave me a fist bump. Then, the front-of-house man ushered me inside. He then offered me a delicious-looking plate of potato croquettes with sauce on. I said “is this for me?” He nodded, and I gladly accepted. Later he charged me £27 for the meal (!) I guess rent was due, and their middle-class customers were being squeezed! He asked me if I wanted to look at the dessert menu before I left, and I did. The desserts had vulgar names like “Chocolate Tits”.

Are places like this common? How can I know to avoid them in future?


13 comments

  1. I’ve no idea what I just read. How were you scammed if you were fed and paid for said food?

  2. Inb4 “were you on acid” comments, just to get that done.

    What was this place? Name? Street?

    It’s probably not so much a scam as a tourist trap.

  3. Why didnt you turn away the food ? If something randomly appears most people would tell the staff they didnt order that

  5. Not common at all, and being tricked into paying nearly 30quid for some potato based plate does sound like a bit of a scam to me – if the price was not made clear from the start. Name and shame so we can avoid…

  6. So to confirm…

    1. You went into a bar
    2. Chatted to some people
    3. Someone offered you food
    4. You assumed it was free?
    5. But then the bill came
    6. And instead of saying “I didn’t order that”, you paid and looked at the dessert menu

    £27 does seem high for a plate of potato croquettes, but I’m struggling to see what the scam is here.

  7. You just need to refuse any food you didn’t order, especially if you don’t know the price.

  9. You want to avoid places like this in the future?

    You sounds like you had an amazingly memorable night.

  10. Did you miss the bit at the end where you woke up? Or did this really happen?

    In terms of avoiding places like this in the future, I guess walk out when you see everyone is dressed as a pirate and rowdily singing 😂

  11. I swear I’m missing the joke. 

    On the other hand, a restaurant opened up on Deliveroo near us recently with obnoxious names for things – “make your own whore” for pick-your-toppings pizza, a meat-based one called “juicy Italian slut”, “chocolate bitch” for a similar-named pudding. Very weird.

    Edit: Lusty Slices, Surbiton.  Bet it’s not listed anymore.

  13. Have you ever heard the phrase “theres no such thing as a free lunch”? As I feel thats relevant.

    It could have been a misunderstanding (someone else had ordered it) or it could have been an extention of a restaurant putting a plate of bread on the table but not specifying it costs extra if you eat it.

    Either way, if a business offers you food, expect to pay for it.

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