Sheesh, but people love a good moan on Facebook.

They’ll find a way to vent about anything and everything, but for many a restaurant rant will always come out tops.

There’s actually a certain Facebook group dedicated to the good, the bad and the nasty of Cape Town restaurants, and whilst I won’t link to it you’re looking at more than 20 000 members ready to pounce.

Yesterday morning saw a familiar punching bag take centre stage, and if you guessed Sea Point’s La Perla then you’re on the money.

Our own Seth had plenty to say about La Perla in his list of things to do in Cape Town story from a few year’s back:

Another Atlantic Seaboard mainstay is La Perla in Sea Point. Good seafood if you get your timing right. Reporting on your experience at La Perla is a local sport. The who’s-who of Cape Town Jewish royalty/mafia will look upon you with disdain is you dare book ‘their’ table – but they will spend their lives swearing never to return after a bad experience (food comes out too slow or too fast or waiters don’t give a stuff etc.), but then they always go back to ‘test it’ now and then. One of Cape town’s only restaurants with ‘career’ waiters.

That sets the scene for the latest review. I’ll protect everyone’s identities, but here’s what set the ball rolling:

A few sharp barbs in there, but then the comments section kicked into overdrive. Some of my favourites below:

• This establishment is the worst, when queried with the OWNER, his reply was “inherited staff, and nothing can be done about bad service”. I rest my case!!!
• Worst in CT
• It is well past it’s sell by date. The Fawlty Towers of restaurants in Cape Town
• The waiter was terrible at remembering our orders, the glassware was filthy, clearly over-used and old…Once we moved from a table to the couches, they were hideous. Cigarette burn marks, dirty couches, stains on everything…
• Very over priced, shit service, with added attitude. Managers and owner very rude. No care attitude.
• I do not know how they still survive. It is kept alive by up-country people and visitors. We live in Sea Point and will NOT go there because of the service, prices, etc.
• I’d rather get a bucket of KFC and go sit on a bench on the promenade.
• Overpriced drek

I could go on (and on and on), but of the roughly 60 comments only two offer any positive spin.

Every restaurant is going to get negative feedback now and again, but La Perla does seem to get people very riled up.

Anyway, I’m sure that view will still rope in the tourists wandering past, who will readily cough up that foreign dosh for a chance to stare at the ocean.

We’ll leave it there.