Oh dear. Really, oh dear. I was desperately hoping to be able to write a different review to the two immediately below this, but sadly I just can't find the words, or way, to make this sound anything other than woefully disappointing with the most god awful service I have experienced anywhere.

It used to be that Automat did great burgers, a decent steak, baked halibut and a mean steak tartare. They also used to have a brilliant team of staff who were attentive, hard working, dedicated and very friendly and courteous. How big a change is it then that now the staff are just simply the rudest people I've encountered in a restaurant. Totally uncaring, verbally rude and offensive in the way they simply talk over you, talk down at you and dismiss any query you might have with a shrug of the shoulders, a shake of the head, a scowl and a turn of the back, despite you being mid-sentence. Unbelievably rude.

Obviously with such a poor experience already last week, I was probably not in the mood for things to go wrong. So when the burger turns up the cremated side of crispy, rather than medium rare as I had requested, I was not amused. Even less amused when the manageress turned up and said “Well what do you want us to do about it?” in the rudest, most disgusting tone I've heard.

My answer? “Take it back, before I throw it on the floor because of your disgusting attitude. I'm leaving”

The funny thing is the manageress didn't even care. She just said to another waiter, whilst standing in front of me, “Get him his bill”.

All I could do was laugh, and all this in front of other bemused customers in a packed restaurant. Needless to say I didn't pay – the first time ever I've refused.

Says it all really.