The Acapulco
There used to be an all you can eat Mexican place in Finchley Road of the above name.

All you can eat Mexican food was sort of dire anywhere in North London back then to begin with but this place was shabbier than most.

It was filthy, the food was just in big dishes on a table, they didn't even bother with heatlamps to egg the salmonella along. What food there was was cold, fairly tasteless, and quite greasy (mind you, I would have probably been ok with it if it had been cold and greasy but spicy).

Being more than a little shabby myself at the time, the option of going somewhere else didn't occur to me (how stupid is that?)

So after forcing down whatever amount of food we considered we had paid for, we went to leave. We then got hit by a 20% service charge. Wee bit ticked off to be charged service in a self service all you can eat restaurant so we didn't pay it (after a really long argument). Never write discretionary service charge on the bill if you don't understand that that means people can choose not to pay if the service is rubbish, or in this case non-existent by design.

Another time, in a slightly better all you can eat Mexican place in West Hampstead I mistook a bowl of very hot chilli sauce for chilli con carne. I heaped loads onto a plate of rice, took a big mouthfull, couldn't understand why it was stone cold, took another big mouthfull and then the chilli heat made itself known (had been concealed for a few seconds by being stone cold). I'm told I looked a bit like cartoon characters do when they do that stereotypical turing red hot and blowing smoke out of the ears thing.

I sat there in utter agony for a few minutes but was pleasantly suprised by the incredible endorphin rush that kicked in to compensate moments later. I could see through time...
(Wascally Weasel now with 100% fewer jokes., Thu 27 Apr 2006, 14:29, Reply)