Savour in the Garden - Chamcook

We were excited to eat at the Garden Cafe and reserved a table during the time when the alpacas were around. The person who showed us to our table was very friendly but that was the extent of the good service we had there. Of the 3 or 4 different servers that came to our table throughout the meal only he was polite at all. They were all abrupt, rushed, and rude. The girl who brought us our food had a look on her face like we were ruining her day by being there. Even though I have rarely ever seen a restaurant so over-staffed they treated us like they were in a hurry and did not have the time to give us any respect. And the restaurant was absolutely not busy at all. The reason we came to the restaurant at that time was to watch the alpacas. Our view of the alpacas was ruined by the fact that the ENTIRE meal there was a table in front of us full of dirty plates. It was there when we sat down and it was not cleaned off until a few minutes before we left, an hour later. And that only happened because an elderly couple sat down at the dirty table wanting to eat. Even then it took staff at least 10 minutes to come to them and clear the table. When we finally were served our food the servers then disappeared right before we noticed only two of our party of four had cutlery. We waited to see if we could get someones attention but no one of the staff was around, so we had to go find other tables that were empty to get cutlery from. I have to say that the food was very good. The portion sizes are quite small for the price, but that is not abnormal for eating at a tourist attraction. I would not have minded spending that amount of money for the food if there was even a small amount of polite service that went with it. But the service was so bad the whole experience was uncomfortable.The terrible service does the delicious food an injustice.

Despite a lengthy wait ,I found the setting to be relaxing and the alpaca/goat parade was a delightful amusement whilst waiting for our meal. I ordered the quiche of the day, which happened to be pancetta/parmesan. Despite the unfortunate fact the crust was brutally overdone, the filling itself was divine. The accompanying fresh salad greens were grown on site and lightly drizzled with lemon juice and olive oil. Our waiter Kyle was keenly attentive and made sure our every need was met. His recommendation of the lemon cheesecake was spot on. The first bite was pure bliss. Plating was exquisite. I look forward to a return visit sometime in the future.

We really enjoyed our luncheon on the patio at Kingsbrae Gardiner. The food was good, the setting delightful and the service excellent.

There were only 18 spaces available at the tasting dinner offered by Savour in the Garden. The chef chooses the menu and that's what you get. Someone in the room had something different for one course due to a food allergy. They ask questions about that at the time that you make a reservation. The dinner took about three hours. The other diners were middle-aged couples and there was a low-key, pleasant musical soundtrack playing. There were two servers for the dining room. Each course was a work of culinary art chosen from local sources. There was a lot of seafood, which was fine by me. I loved it.

We were fortunate to be able to have a wonderful lunch in the garden with fresh local food well prepared. Then, we had a "Tasting Dinner" that was a showpiece. Be aware that it is a bit pricey at about $85CAN per person + drink, tax and tip... but what an elegant wonderful experience. Took about 2.5 hours to complete the feast, but each dish (we lost count) was wonderful. If you are a foodie, and get the chance, this is well worth the time and money.