PRICE WATCH/Conor Pope: A "very cross" Mary Young from Newbridge, Co Kildare, has been in touch about high prices in the Brown Thomas restaurant in Dublin.
Young and two friends stopped off for lunch on the top floor of the department store earlier this month, and two of them ordered the vegetarian pasta special, which she says was "very poor food" at a cost of €15 a plate.
It wasn't the food that angered her so much as the price of a glass of lemonade. Two of the party had a glass of wine each at a cost of 4.50 each, while the abstemious third had a lemonade "which arrived in a long thin pompous glass".
The soft drink was made with "diluted lemon, a slice of lemon, a slice of lime, half a strawberry and a sprig of mint". Floating in the lemon were four blueberries. This fairly elaborate concoction came to 4.70, "dearer than a glass of wine".
She says she did not realise how much Brown Thomas was charging for the lemonade until she got home, at which point she telephoned the store to lodge a complaint.
We contacted the store ourselves to find out how it could justify charging nearly 5 for a glass of lemonade.
A spokeswoman said that while the restaurant had "received many compliments" about the vegetarian special - made from fresh pasta, courgettes, tomatoes, shiitake mushrooms, red onions, leeks, carrots and a Parmesan cream sauce - our reader's complaint was "the first time we have received negative feedback on this popular dish".
In connection with the lemonade, we were told it was "made freshly on the premises each day using 100 per cent pure freshly squeezed lemon juice". The statement added that it was "extremely popular and we have never received a complaint on its quality or price". Brown Thomas said the store and restaurant would of course welcome the opportunity to invite our reader back for a tour of the kitchens. "There she will see the chefs preparing the lemonade from scratch."
What's more . . .
Price Watch reader Geraldine O'Rourke was in Spain recently where she did a price watch of her own. She saw 100g jars of Nescafé Alta Rica selling for less than €2.50 in Carrefour and Auchen supermarkets in Marbella. The same size jar of exactly the same coffee retails in our main supermarkets for 4.75, while the price can rise to 5 in convenience stores.
"The jar is exactly the same design except written in Spanish, and the coffee tastes the same too," she writes. "I can't see why there is such a big price difference. It is also much cheaper than Dublin in Sainsburys in Newry."
Value4Money - Umbrellas
Totes Umbrella €22
Highs: Totes is probably the most widely recognisable umbrella brand and can be found in department stores all over the world in a range of colours, styles and prices. The model we tested was almost identical to the Tumi umbrella except, at a quarter of the cost, was much, much better value. It opens and closes automatically, has air vents and is remarkably sturdy. It is a breeze for this umbrella to withstand fairly ferocious weather conditions.
Lows: Hitting the automatic close button by accident - surprisingly easy to do - in the middle of a blizzard is not recommended unless you enjoy having pools of freezing water dumped on top of your head.
Verdict: Great quality, great value.
Star rating:*****
All Craft Irish Umbrella €4.99
Highs: For the day that it is in it, this green, shamrock-bedecked offering bought in the palace of plastic Paddiness, Carroll's, has a certain timeliness that the other umbrellas lack. At just €4.99 it is also the cheapest tested.
Lows: You do get what you pay for but even though it only cost a fiver you'd still expect it to last longer than 10 seconds. This broke the moment we opened it, although in fairness we did open it indoors so maybe we were asking for bad luck. Once introduced to the elements its incredible flimsiness became ever more apparent. The metal spikes were a bit sharp and could have someone's eye out if you so much as brush up against them.
Verdict: Cheap and fairly useless.
Star rating:*
Fulton Tiny Umbrella €20
Highs: This dinky little umbrella is perfect for a handbag or even a pocket which should increase the chances of you having it about your person in the unlikely event that it ever rains in this country. It is very lightweight but seems sturdy enough to withstand some pretty gusty winds.
Lows: Sometimes opening it took a couple of attempts, not something you want when caught in a downpour. It will also be too small for many people. Not only does it offer limited protection from the rain but also the handle is a tiny and quite difficult for the big-handed to grasp.
Verdict: Top of the morning to it.
Star rating: ***
Tumi Umbrella €80
Highs: This is undoubtedly a good quality umbrella and one which is not blown to bits in a breeze. Cleverly position hinged air vents stop it turning inside out in a gale and it offers good coverage. The nice moulded plastic handle makes it easy to grip and the spokes have moulded metal to protect passers-by. The sturdy rubbery wrist band makes it easy to swing about the place.
Lows: But no matter how sturdy it is and no matter how natty the automatic opening, €80 is just a ridiculous price to pay for a little umbrella which you'll leave in the back of a taxi. At this price it should not only protect you from the rain but bathe you in tropical sun as you walk. Apart from the price it is a bit heavy and also tricky to close unless you press down hard on the top of the brolly.
Verdict: Stupidly expensive.
Star rating:**
