Customer's outrage over 37,000 bill at Salt Bae's London steak restaurant

[demmiblue]

The guests splashed out at Nusr-Et - paying £400 for desserts and £9,100 alone on a bottle of vintage wine

A Londoner who reportedly splashed out on £37,000-worth of food and drink at Salt Bae's restaurant in Knightsbridge was left outraged when the bill arrived.

The meal for four people cost an eye-watering £37,023.10 in total, with a receipt shared to Snapchat showing the full expense of their indulgence, according to MyLondon.

The guests had visited the first UK steak house by chef Nusret Gökçe on Friday, October 8 - Nusr-Et - which has been widely talked about since it opened last month.

A caption alongside the photo of the shocking receipt, that listed every item the guests had ordered that night, said: "That's just taking the p**s".

They had ordered a Golden Tomahawk - an £850 steak covered in gold leaf - and 16 Nusret Baklava's - a traditional Turkish dessert typically served with Matei Radulescu, a Turkish ice cream - for a total of £400.

Other items included pricey sides such as one sautéed broccoli (£14), a portion of asparagus (£18), three herb-crusted fries (£30) and one side of mashed potato (£12).

But the bill soon added up when the group ordered their drinks.

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/food-drink-news/customers-outrage-over-37000-bill-21853642

Link to tweet

[Dave says]

18. It was the bottles of Petrus that really got them

[marble falls]

24. In the '70s we had '49 Petrus at around $100.00. We LaTache for $25.00. Mouton Rothschild ...

with early '60s vintage, around $125.00 - $135.00. Tangier's in Akron, OH.

I could afford the LaTache then, but sure can't now - it's almost 10 times what it used to be, and for bottles that need to sit another 5 or so years before decanting.

During a renovation, they found a case '26 Margaux under a stair. I got a bottle that had lost its label, but the cork had all the information on it. It was a shame my palate didn't really appreciate what it really was.

[Demovictory9]

60. Yep

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

2. Do they have a discount for seniors? nt

[PoliticAverse]

6. You gotta catch the Early Bird...

[PoliticAverse]

3. "They had ordered a Golden Tomahawk - an 850 steak covered in gold leaf"

They saw you coming.

[frazzled]

19. And 3 bottles of ultra-premium wine and 2 bottles of expensive champagne for 4 people?

Petrus and Dom Perignon. The customers deserved every pence of this bill. Don't know why they're complaining when they go to a ridiculously overpriced restaurant and then order all the most expensive things on the menu.

[WA-03 Democrat]

37. They were smashed on good drinks

5 bottles for 4 people
They are just attention whores.

[gldstwmn]

52. I bet the Petrus was wonderful. I've never been a fan of rose'.

[Retrograde]

41. "Tomahawk steaks" are a marketing gimmick

It's a way to get people paying prime rib prices for bone. And the gold leaf just adds to the pretension. Does the diner get to keep it? Or does the restaurant somehow recover it and use it for the next sucker, er, customer?

[hunter]

44. I suppose they could recover the gold from their shit.

I'm not sure how they'd go about that.

[Retrograde]

49. I was thinking scraping it off the meat

after it was presented to the customer. Does gold have any actual taste? Or is it just there to make the food look tacky?

And why hasn't TFG demanded that he be served this - well done, of course - at the White House or at one of his resorts?

[shanti]

66. I saw some Tomahawk steaks at Costco

~$85 each. That's as close as I'll come to one of them.

[gldstwmn]

53. I thought heavy metals were bad for you. Lol.

[luv2fly]

4. So assuming the menu lists prices...

... their outrage is unwarranted. You eat and drink and then you pay.

If it doesn't list prices, ask.

[LakeArenal]

33. If the had to ask, they couldn't afford it

[gldstwmn]

54. If they ordered Petrus and Dom they knew what they were doing.

[Carlitos Brigante]

5. Ha! This whole time I'd thought this was made up :

[Progressive Jones]

46. LMAO !!!

[Midnight Writer]

7. I don't think the customer is complaining so much as bragging.

Like a guy who drives up in his new $100,000 car and complains about how much it set him back.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. That would seem to be the entire purpose of the experience, rather than good food

Despite the international fame, early professional reviews in 2018 of his New York City steakhouse were generally negative.[10][11] The New York Post's Steve Cuozzo called the restaurant "Public Rip-off No. 1" and Joshua David Stein writing in GQ called the steak mundane and the hamburgers overcooked.[10] Other critics described the dishes as "over-salted as they are overpriced",[12] the "meat was tough with globs of fat and gristle, and severely lacking in flavor",[13] and that "finishing a meal there constitutes some kind of personal victory over your own body and instincts and mouth".[14] Reviewers described the dining experience as "overpriced".[9][15]

However, for entertainment, reviewers were more positive.[16] Eater's Robert Sietsema states, "If you are intent on judging New York's new branch of Nusr-Et only as a steakhouse, you'll probably be disappointed ... If, on the other hand, you appraise the place as dinner theater, you will find it satisfying—but only if Salt Bae is in the house".[16]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Bae

And that's not exactly the menu for fine dining - among, apparently, 4 people, 1 steak, several plain side dishes, loads of desserts, and 5 bottles. It's more like "we'll eat whatever's in the house, to soak up the booze", but with three zeros added to the cost.

[yardwork]

45. It really is a nauseating menu.

Beef, baklava, and too much champagne. I feel queasy just reading it, never mind the prices.

[dsc]

8. At today's exchange rate

That is 50k

[NurseJackie]

11. Glad to see that a %15 gratuity was automatically included!

That's a whopping £5,550.00 ... whoever the server was will be able to pay rent this month.

[Tetrachloride]

12. The restaurant can take the credit card first

[NoMoreRepugs]

13. 37k bill for a meal where 35k is drinks n gratuity

says u came for the chance to drink some fabulous wine and had some food with it.

[Celerity]

35. $50,888 at current FOREX

[bluecollar2]

15. To be fair...the restaurant is in Knightsbridge

Overhead can be high in the West End.

[Dial H For Hero]

16. Shrug. They ordered it, now they can pay for it.

[smirkymonkey]

69. Seriously, didn't they know what they were getting into while they were racking up the bill?

They might not have know they exact cost of the final bill, but they must have had a ballpark idea of what they were going to have to pay.

[FSogol]

17. Rich people suck. Have fun shitting out the gold leaf!

[Docreed2003]

20. Could someone please enlighten me?

What's the purpose of the gold leaf on the tomahawk steak? Is it decorative? Does this aid in preparing the steak? Seems like an extravagance for extravagance sake

[Devil Child]

25. Rich types or those wanting to look rich spending rich-money to eat and shit gold

Seems an appropriate activity for the wealth-obsessed. I'm sure the steak is tasty, but the gold is just there to allow the wealthy a moment to chuckle at us scraping by down-below.

Pure gloating extravagance.

[AZSkiffyGeek]

34. After four years of hearing about TFG's lifestyle...

I think I know exactly the sort of person this is marketed towards.

[eShirl]

43. so when they shit later it sparkles

[meadowlander]

58. So you can post pictures of it on Instagram complaining about how expensive it is?

[womanofthehills]

63. Eating gold

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/is-gold-safe-to-eat.

Instagram has recently turned gold sushi and doughnuts into extravagant, viral sensations, but humankind had long had an appetite for the glittery, malleable metal. While you’re being dazzled by sparkling gold flakes suspended in your cocktail, or the delicately laid leaf surrounding your bonbon, one thought may cross your mind: “can I really eat gold?” Or, if you’re like me, the question is just “why eat gold?” Afterall, it's basically flavorless.

[multigraincracker]

21. I stopped eating out when the

dollar menus when up to $1.39.

[Turbineguy]

22. I'll stick to more plebeian haunts.

Like Morton's

[lindysalsagal]

23. My wine costs the same, with 3 zeros removed.

[Ilsa]

26. Does the gold really make it taste better?

I'll take a big dose of McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning over eating gold. (I might scrape it off, wash, and sell it, though.)

[Hav]

29. I like how that article enumerates the still reasonably overpriced priced items

like fries and broccoli for a 37k bill. Further, is that a bottle of water for 9$?

And nothing against the waiters but 3000 service charge alone for bringing two bottles to a table seems a bit silly.

[stopdiggin]

39. all true. but - why are you going to this restaurant?

isn't the whole point - silly (and ostentatious) extravagance?

And then you complain. Publicly. Because - you're a loud mouthed braggart - and a jerk? And, again - isn't that more or less the point?

[MineralMan]

30. No sympathy from me.

Guy goes into an expensive restaurant and orders the most expensive stuff on the menu, along with one bottle of red wine that costs almost 30,000 pounds. I can see him now: "Bring me your most expensive bottle of Bordeaux."

Didn't ask the price, so they brought him what he asked for. Why wouldn't they? Of course they overpriced that bottle of Petrus 2003. Restaurants always overcharge for wine.

Gold-leafed steak? Adds nothing to the flavor of the steak, but lets rich guys pay more for their ostentatious order.

Then, he gets the bill and is "outraged." Screw him! If he was concerned with the cost, he should have asked how much that wine cost, since two bottles of wine make up most of his bill. But, he was showing off for his dinner guests and playing the wealthy host.

Who cares?

[Ocelot II]

31. It's all just performance. Guy goes to the most expensive restaurant in town,

orders a steak covered in gold leaf (seriously?), which AFAIK adds nothing to the flavor but is entirely for show, then orders some of the most expensive wine (with the price probably at least doubled because that's what restaurants do with wine), then has a hissy fit about the bill. If he'd just quietly paid it, though, he wouldn't have been on social media showing off how much he had to pay at the most expensive restaurant, but of course he could afford it, which was the whole point. Obviously they didn't make him wash dishes.

[Paladin]

32. Bottoms up! (In more ways than one.) (nt)

[csziggy]

36. I feel as though I have read this sotry before

And yes I have, but the other time was in Florida:

Florida man refuses to pay for gold-plated steak he didn't order, Salt Bae calls cops
ByAllison Robicelli
1/10/20 1:28PM

Florida man Duane Miranda visited the Miami location of Mr. Bae’s Nusr-Et steakhouse, fully aware that dinner was going to cost a pretty penny. (In fact, in speaking to the Miami Herald, Miranda stressed that he’s “no stranger to four- and five-figure checks.”) He had no issues with paying $50 for his sea bass entree, thought the $30 burrata and $35 beef tartare appetizers were reasonably priced, and didn’t mind the $25 baklava one bit.

After his party of six enjoyed their food, a Copacabana Mule ($30), two Tito’s martinis ($56), a Casamigos Reposada tequila ($27), two Glenfiddich 12 Year Old scotches ($52), two Grey Goose martinis ($56), one Don Julio Blanco tequila ($25), one bottle of 2017 Caymus Cabernet ($275) and five bottles of water ($50), it was time to settle the check. When it arrived, Miranda was shocked— shocked—to see that he had been charged $2,000 for two 24 karat gold coated highly marbled Wagyu tomahawk ribeyes, and another $1,000 for a rack of lamb, which was also covered in gold. Miranda had indeed ordered two tomahawk ribeyes and a rack of lamb, but he ordered the economy versions, priced at $275 and $210, respectively. He absolutely did not order the gold versions that his table was served. Miranda told the Herald that when he received the gold entrees, he thought the embellishment was simply part of a standard presentation.

It wasn’t until the bill arrived that Miranda figured out what had happened, and he was pissed. After he disputed the bill and declared that his group wouldn’t leave until the golden upcharge was removed, restaurant management responded by calling the police.

>>>>>>>>>>>>

In his Yelp review, in which he refers to the Salt Bae as a “communist loving, piece of crap,” Miranda said he believes the waiter was trying to take advantage of the situation, and that “apparently, [Nusr-Et Miami] have contacted law enforcement 11 other times over billing disputes since the opened less than 2 years ago.” The Herald writes that police reports confirm this claim, though only three reports were actually filed, and none have been pursued further. The general manager, who would only identify himself to the Herald as Oguz, provided further clarification, saying that he had to call the police “only twice” last month.

More: https://thetakeout.com/salt-bae-gold-steak-police-1840931391

This case looks like bait and switch if the man didn't actually order the gold covered version, but apparently people go there to be seen and thought to spend exorbitant amounts of money for over priced food so why is he surprised the restaurant would do something like this?

[stopdiggin]

38. let me be clear

I DON'T CARE - about either your totally ridiculous dining experience - or the bill you were presented with at the conclusion. And could we maybe arrange for at least one of these wankers to be hit by a bus as they're leaving?

[dalton99a]

40. No 24k solid gold silverware?

What a dump

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

59. If it was solid gold, would it be called "silver" ware?

[roamer65]

64. It would be called "pocket ware".

[Crunchy Frog]

42. Better open a GoFundMe. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

47. Those with more dollars that sense

Trump's kind of people.

[edbermac]

48. 850 GBP for a steak???

If I was a billionaire I wouldn’t even order that.

[LisaL]

51. Steak is covered in gold.

That's what makes it so expensive.

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

55. I wonder if gold foil makes your fillings react when you chew, like aluminum foil.

After some consideration, nope, this ain't getting on my bucket list.

[Retrograde]

50. To be fair, the UK includes VAT (value added tax) in listed prices

VAT, roughly equivalent to our sales taxes, is about 20%. So taking off the service charge and VAT that meal was a bargain at only ~27,000 pounds!

Still, 25# for a baklava does seem a bit steep

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

56. 20,000 for a couple bottles of something-or-other.

Must be pretty good stuff.

[struggle4progress]

67. The sad tale's a-bringin salty tears to me rheumy old eyes, it is

[Vinca]

57. I'm confused. Are you supposed to eat the gold leaf on that steak? If so,

I'd be inspecting my poop for days to come after getting a bill like that for more than $50,000 US. Proof (once again) some people have more money than brains.

[dalton99a]

73. Gold is chemically inert and safe to eat

I'm still waiting for it to go down to $14.99/lb

[alphafemale]

61. I'm wondering why there was only one entree

When there was obviously a group, and they had all that money to spend on drinks.

At least I hope it was a group drinking that much.

[Chellee]

68. Those Flinstone steaks weigh between 3 and 4 pounds.

The waiter probably carved it at the table for all four of them.

[alphafemale]

71. lmao Flintstone steak

I remember that thing flipping over their car.

[IcyPeas]

62. so in dollars that's over $50,000

[Straw Man]

65. I'm still pondering ...

... £11 ($15) for a Red Bull. Who ordered that?

[Chellee]

70. The water was 9 pounds.

That's $12.37. For water. Granted, it's filtered through quartz. Which means absolutely nothing, it's still just water.