To be avoided in its present form
If you feel tempted to eat here, avoid, at all costs, a winter Saturday evening. It’s bedlam; overcrowded, extremely noisy and with an atmosphere of desperation rather than joy.
Even under more amenable conditions, there’s still a lot to criticise. While the food stalls apparently offer an impressive range of the world’s cuisines, neither of the dishes I’ve eaten there tasted of more than vague shadows of the authentic. While my experience is only limited, I have the impression that most of the stalls use stunning displays to sell what can best be described as factory food.
The prices for the dishes on offer are reasonable: you get what you pay for. The prices at the innumerable bars, on the other hand, are extortionate given the venue. They are more like those in expensive restaurants or cocktail bats. Presumably these are the “cash cows” on which the Pakhus makes most of its profit.
It’s hard to find constructive recommendations that would improve the place.
The first, though, is to get serious about offering the clientele a worthwhile experience. That entails getting rid of all the “smart ass” placards which purvey in jokes to the savvy when in fact their laugh is on us.
The second would be to introduce food stalls run by dedicated chefs rather than food businesses. Doubtless, no established chef would dream of taking part, but there are perhaps younger talents who would jump at the opportunity. It’s a question of going out and finding them
Thirdly, replace the monopoly of the existing bars with individual breweries, cocktail bars, vintners et cetera who compete to provide their respective businesses.
It all requires a major reshuffle and the onus is on Storms Pakhus to raise the bar to create a place worth visiting.
