Well, with bragging like that, I’ve got to ask … has anyone been there? Is it true?[/quote]
I don’t know about Lisa, but I would have to say that Donnabelle from Saints & Sinners would give her a run for her money. That woman would intrude on a conversation in a confessional booth, and tell both priest and confessor why they were wrong. Keeps me out of Saints and Sinners, that’s for sure. 
Hi Maoman - update on Saints and Sinners - DBelle is no longer with the organization …
Meant to post this a while back…
Last week: petulant, rude, surly service… One hour to “cook” two chickens which came out bloody and half-cooked. Response - put 'em in the microwave !
Usually the place is bearable. Why did the normally friendly staff turn into rude and argumentative wankers that night ? Was it because we brought our birds ? Has anyone else noticed that the service in there goes to pot if you bring along your gf / wife / flossy ?
Hexuan, I brought a model in her early 20s there a few months ago. No service problems, but the food was so-so. Must be a fluke.
hexuan, did you speak chinese to them? That usually pisses them off.
Oh yes, they didn’t like that ! Especially the little stroppy one who tries to mimic a foreigner speaking bad Chinese.
One of my friends is British. His wife is Taiwanese (maybe lived here until age 7 or 8) but grew up in the States and has lived in England, I don’t know like 10 years of something. Every time they go to Saints and Sinners, apparently, she is ignored completely while the staff flirt openly with her husband, even though he discourages it by constantly referring questions and comments back to his wife to “include” her in the conversation. Apparently, even this does not work and they continue to focus solely on him. If they deign to notice her at all, they speak Chinese to her, and abruptly go back to speaking to the MAN. She even has to have her husband order drinks/food for her because she cannot get them to look at her long enough to take her order. Incredible no? Of course, they no longer bother to go there, but still there are times when international organizations have events there…
Exactly!!! We went in there, three of us, with our wives / girlfriends, and they were completely ignored - I had to order a pot of tea for them. Amazing stuff. The three girls couldn’t get served ! But it will come as no surprise to those who have been blatantly ripped off and have had to suffer rudeness in My Other Place that the owners are the same.
Many years ago barmaids in pubs were friendly, served both men and women, didn’t treat your bird like shit, and didn’t try and patronise you or pretend the chicken bleeding all over the bar was in fact cooked. What was wrong with an ice-cold Castle Beer or a Bass for 80 or 100 NT ? Are the bars so much more enjoyable now that they’re charging London prices for crap lukewarm beer ?
I don’t think so.
COOL! I’m paying a visit with Jojo this week for sure! I can’t wait till they (try to) ignore her in the way you guys describe! Oh boy oh boy oh boy! This is going to be such FUN! Sparks will be FLYING!
Bass for $80? You’re showing your age, Hex.
Erm, no. But its usually the other way around. I should think it would be quite a relief to have the roles reversed for a change. I can’t remember how many times waitstaff refuse to look at, address, or otherwise acknowledge my presence, other than to ask THE wife: “And what does HE want?” (To which she invariably responds: “How the hell should I know. Why don’t you ask him? He only bites when he’s really hungry or is feeling ignored.”)
I see your point. The old “a foreigner could not possibly speak Chinese thing.” However, there is a big difference between assuming that a foreigner does not speak Chinese because that is truth be told often the case, the next level would be to find out that they do, but then continue to assume that they do not because the mind cannot accept the fact, but the final straw regardless of how you look at these things is to know that
a. the WIFE speaks English and of course Chinese
b. to ignore the wife while openly flirting with the HUSBAND
and as to the two above points, no matter how you look at it, the waitresses are flirting with the HUSBAND or let’s even assume at worst the boy friend. What the hell is up with THAT?
Went last week with friends to Carnegies but wasn’t up for the crowd so stopped by Saints and Sinners for a beer before going home. Everyone was very nice to me and the service was prompt. I also mainly spoke Chinese with them and had no problems at all, and in fact they seemed more than happy to converse in both Chinese and English. I have never taken a lady there though, so I don’t know if the service would be any different. Guess I have been lucky so far, but I wouldn’t mind stopping back again if I am in the neighborhood.
I went there recently and the place was packed. I had to wait for a seat at the bar, but overall I had a good experience. The staff was attentive, I had my draft within two minutes (it was a bit fizzy), and my sandwich within five. They checked on my every 5-10 minutes to make sure I was okay. I noticed that there were quite a few women in the bar, including a few groups of women, and they seemed to be content. This is in contrast to my previous experiences, say, when Saints and Sinners first opened, when I did see the wait staff openly flirting with a man who were in the accompaniment of other women.
Perhaps they have learnt their lesson. Bit too late though, for everyone I know who used to go in there all the time.
I hear you. On the other hand, the place was packed and, checking around with a few people, I understand that it does a pretty steady business. Maybe because it’s close to / cheaper than Carnegie’s?
just an update on saints & sinners and whether the staff there tend to hit on male patrons and ignore their female counterparts. i went there a few days ago and once again my female friends had no problem. in addition, i counted seven pairs or small groups of women. it seems the only major problem now is that they have but one toilet / urinal for the guys…
Does anyone like the “hamburgers” at Saints and Sinners??
Went there last night with a bunch of friend for someone’s leaving party. When I arrived, two others at the table had hamburger plates in front of them (untouched at that point). They looked good, so I ordered one as well.
None of the three of us could eat the “hamburger”. “Hamburger”? More like “sawdustburger” with the amount of breadcrumbs and other things they’d added. It was quite literally inedible – and I’m a fairly patient person with regard to Western food in Taiwan, and having been here so long, I’ve eaten a fair deal of it as well. Plus, I do consider that being an American, I have a certain degree of competence in judging what a good edible hamburger should be!
I told the waiter that it was absolutely inedible. He went and got someone else (“Mr. A”). Mr. A then proceeded to listen to my telling him the hamburger was too adulterated to eat, went away and came back and then said, “There are bread crumbs in it, you see.” Duh! That’s what I just TOLD you.
I was interested to “learn” that the bread crumbs are added to “make the hamburger soft.” Hmmm…in my world bread crumbs are added to stretch the meat and therefore make more profit.
After this exchange, Mr. A agreed to take it back and bring another entree. He walked off with “hamburger” and fries and gave me a menu. Eight minutes or so later, he came back and said, “Oh, you still have to pay for the first entree.” (This after he’d said he was replacing it). I gave him the menu back and said “Forget it.” Went back and forth for a bit about a) customer service b) customer orientation, c) quality expectations, etc. He said they’d had the same chef for the past 3 years and had used the same recipe for “hamburgers” and everyone just loved them. Well, there were three, count 'em, THREE uneaten ones sitting on our table… 
At the end of the evening, of course, another person came over and asked for money, including payment for the “hamburger”. I explained that I was happy to pay for my beer, and even for the “Hamburger” if they were going to demand that I pay for it, but I was certainly not going to pay for the plate of fries they made off with and never brought back when the offer for a replacement had been suddenly withdrawn. Since fries were NT$150 and a “hamburger” and fries was NT$250, I told them I’d be happy to pay NT$100 plus beer money. Yadda yadda yadda, Mr. A comes back out, our policy, we’ve had the same thing for 3 years, yes well you Chinese used to bind women’s feet for several centuries too and you finally stopped THAT and it doesn’t seem to have been a change for the worse, yadda yadda…finally I did not pay for the hamburger, but sheesh, I made a vow on the spot to spread my dissatisfaction with this kind of argumentative “customer service” far and wide.
This solemn duty I have now accomplished.
Just wanted to know – I have met 4 people so far who had these “hamburgers” and hate them. Is it really true that everyone else loves 'em?
I had one years ago that kinda sucked, but I ate it just to keep from having to talk to the hostess/waitress there, the infamous Donnabelle. I always thought Saints & Sinners was more a COmbat Zone kind of place…
When you’re there with a group for a leaving party, you have to try to be charming and accomodating. I didn’t want my mate’s last impression of Taiwan (although an accurate one in some ways) to be of this sort of piss-poor service and mile-thick attitude from the management.
In future, all leaving parties will be conducted at Alleycat’s. The food’s better and it’s closer to home anyway, plus far less bad attitude!! 
I was in S&S once and a friend of mine asked for a slice of cheese to be included in his burger. The helpful manageress indicated this would be entirely out of the question, and why didn’t he have a burger made of a different meat but which had a slice of cheese included ? My mate suggested they simply place the slice of meat on the burger he actually wanted to eat. Again it was explained that this would simply be impossible as the burger in question does not come with a slice of cheese. My friend, having regained his composure, gamely mimed the action of placing the slice of cheese into the burger and asked why they couldn’t just do that.
The response was astonishing. The manageress said it could be done, but they would charge NT$80 extra for it. My friend, who previously worked for over 10 years in the hotel industry, just had to laugh. It was surreal. He didn’t have the slice of cheese of course !
Basil Fawlty - eat your heart out !
Given what’s been written here though, you’re mad going into S&S for any other reason than to be bewildered by their concept of how a pub should be run.