I've been going to Del'Aziz regularly for the last several months and have always enjoyed it, even if the Moroccan food was less than authentic. It's good for brunch and the European-style desserts are fantastic. But my experiences there over the last two weeks have been so poor that I am convinced this restaurant is in serious decline.
Two weeks ago I was there for brunch with a friend and before we were even seated we were told the kitchen was overloaded and therefore we would have to wait for 20 minutes before placing our food orders. Certainly not the best welcome. I ordered scrambled eggs which, when they finally arrived, were mealy in texture and were surely made from powdered egg mix. I know real eggs when I taste them.
Then last weekend I took two girlfriends there for brunch on Sunday and left feeling disappointed by the whole experience. The restaurant wasn't even full but it still took over 45 minutes for us to get our starters, a green salad and a single order of hummus, neither of which require any preparation. It was another 20 minutes before we got our main dishes and while mine tasted fine, one of my friends was decidedly unhappy with hers and sent it back to the kitchen. We eventually asked to speak to the manager, who didn't seem to take our complaint seriously and had no explanation for why our meals were taking so long but did offer us complimentary dessert as compensation. Meanwhile a fire alarm went off in the restaurant, followed by the acrid smell of something burnt coming from the kitchen…
At the end of our meals we decided to have our coffee in the lounge area, which I normally really like but we were shocked when we saw the many large, obvious stains on the upholstery and bits of food scattered across the floor.
I was so disgusted with my experience there that I e-mailed the other restaurant manager, who I have dealt with before under more positive circumstances in the past. A week later I still have not received a response, nor has my complaint even been acknowledged.
If you're planning lunch or brunch in Bermondsey I suggest avoiding Del'Aziz until they get their act back together (if they ever do) and opting for The Garrison instead which is not only good but far more consistent.