The most family unfriendly?

We went out for a meal to celebrate me passing my exams tonight. we had all the kids with us, but I didn't fancy just another chain place, so we wandered down to the local Italian. Mstr A adores pasta, most kids eat it happily, Italians are noriously loud, friendly and family orientated. It seemed likethe perfect solution.

We went there for lunch when it first opened, shortly after we moved here, and found it friendly enough if not specifically orientated towards young children. We'v been for a couple of lunch-time meals since then - mostly in the winter when it's quiet:-) Aggie and Nanny A took mstr A there for lunch last week for his birthday, and he was enamoured. So when we arrived at The Mask of Venice at 6.05 this evening (just 5 minutes after it opens) we expected much of the same.

The waiter was a bit flustered that we hadn't booked. I looked arund the completely empty restuarant and wondered why, but h soon recoverd and we were seated at a nice table at the back of the restuarant. We sucessfully ordered srinks, including an expensive (for me) bottle of wine for me and Aggie. We asked for the starter Mstr A had a few days ago at lunch time, but despite it being a particularly asy dish to make (mozarella chesse on toast) and the menu specifying "if you do not see what you want on the menu please ask your waiter and our chef will do his utmost to assist", we were told that was impossible. But we managed to find another suitable starter, and main course for everyone.

While waiting for it to be cooked LMD fed her stuffed Tasha doll some bread. She asked me to cut Tasha her own piece - I didn't understand quickly enough and she wailed "cut it mummy". Immediately the chef sormed out of the kitchen, and asked us to make her quiet. By the time he arrived at the table she was already calming down as I cut her piece of bread up! I reckon she wailed for maybe a maximum of 30 seconds. there were NO OTHER customers in the restuarnat at the time.

i thought it was a bit rude, but ignored chef, and soon the food arrived. It was nice. maybe not £60 worth of nice, but nice.

A few more customers arrived - one other family with two small children, an older couple and two men drinking at the bar. The waiter came over - I thought he was asking of the food was OK, as it had been served only 10 mins earlier (and his English was not good), but infact he was asking if he could take the plates away. LMB had decided not to eat hers, and Aggie had finished as I was busy sorting out LMD I had barely started. he cleared LMB's & Aggies plate away while we were still eating. then came back for the glasses - almost snatching them out of LMD's hand, and loitering until I I shovelled the rest of my food in and let him take my plate too.

Once her plate was gone, LMD gt down from the table, and promptly bumped her head. She cried. Obviously. She's two! I picked her up and gave her a cuddle. By the time she made it onto my lap chef was there telling us to shut her up and she was disrupting the whole restuarant. Again, she cried for a maximum of 30 seconds. As far as I could see, no-one else noticed.

Overall, I never been made to feel so unwelcome in any establishment, ever. The Mask of Venice is a place to be avoided at all costs if you have children, or even just want to chat and have a laugh with a group of friends. I am amazed they are so keen to get rid of their local trade! And their main summer trade - weston is a family resort! Perhaps that is why it was so empty considering this is as high season as we get! I will certainly never go back, I would recommend any visitor to the town does not go, and I will be commenting on every website/review that i can find! as I said to the manager when we left, they should put a large sign in their window saying "family unfriendly". At least if they were truthful about it they might get a few customers who were looking for an adult only restuarant!