The Scullery

Situated in Kennedy Way, facing the Westwood Centre (see my Westwood Centre review) the Scullery is a comfortable little café that seats around 30 people, give or take a few.
Standard sort of café menu — Frys (see my Biddy Duffy’s review), sandwiches, lasagne, pie… it’s a clean enough place, and the Frys are good. The service is pretty good too, when they have what you’re looking for. The Fry (a.k.a. all-​day breakfast) also comes with free tea before 11a.m.
This is a place that I would recommend to people, except for the fact that sometimes you don’t want to take a chance going here if you’re particularly hungry. Myself and a co-​worker went here one time (having been on several occasions) on a Saturday around 1:45p.m. We were greeted at the front of the shop by a member of staff informing us that they «have nothing». Perplexed, I said that we were just looking for a fry, which prompted her to repeat and expand, «we have nothing» and reel off a list of things (soda bread, eggs, and sausages, I think) that they had run out of.
I can understand them not having lasagne or pie and things like that. It was a Saturday afternoon and I’m pretty sure they don’t open on Sundays, so they presumably make a limited amount of food so they aren’t throwing food out, but to have no eggs or sausages? That stuff can be bought and stored in a fridge for weeks! I got the impression that the girl was quite happy that they apparently had no food to serve — there’s nothing like getting getting away early on a Saturday.
No matter what the reason, not being able to organise a system where food can be served at this time on a Saturday clearly shows some type of poor management, and a lack of organisation.
But this is also a problem that’s indicative of many establishments in Belfast. Places simply say that they’ve ‘run out of something’, and I’ve seen it in numerous places. It’s particularly frustrating when it’s early in the day and it’s something that is going to be popular. You wouldn’t believe the number of places that will tell you «sorry we’re out of that», and you’re thinking «it’s 11:30 in the morning — send someone to the shop 50 yards away and get some!»
It’s as if it’s illegal for these places to sell anything they didn’t buy from a supplier. Either the staff don’t care, the chefs don’t care, or management doesn’t care. There are at least two other places that that’s happened to me in the last few months and I’m racking my brains to think of them.
It happens in the small bakeries as well — «can I get a ham and cheese bap please», to which the reply has often come «sorry, we’re out of ham.»
I think «well, you’re in luck, because I happen to know that that shop across the street sells ham.»
Now I’m no ham expert, but I’d be willing to bet that if you buy the ham and don’t use it all between now and 4p.m. that it can be put in that big white thing behind you (it’s called a fridge) and it’ll be fine to use tomorrow. And the next day, and the next day…
At a time when small bakeries are struggling, you’d think they’d have a bit of wit.
Anyway, places like that are a huge pain, yet you never find out until it’s too late — you’re sitting there salivating and ready to eat, then you find out they’re out of something and are too hungry to leave and find somewhere else because it’ll end up being another hour before you eat.
Thank God for Unilocal