It is really a 3.5 stars. We went there for the last meal in Rome during this trip. The expectation was high as they were featuring the white truffle pre-fixed menu. We got there on time at 6pm and left after 10. The service was indeed SUPER slow, considering we are fast eaters.
We sat at a 2-ppl table by the hallway. There was this serving station next to us. You can feel the chaos and pressure from the kitchen that translates on waitress and waiters faces. We later on noticed that there were 2-ppl tables by the window and in other rooms. Since we are the first customers, I wonder why they didn't give us better seats.
The meal itself was OK. The 3 way Carbonara was a let down. The white truffle pre-fixed was just OK. I guess when you wait for SO long and pay this money, you expect much more. Don't get me wrong, they did get us lots of truffle. But all we tasted was truffle. The flavor of the food itself was lacking.
Just an idea on how slow they were. We asked for hot water in a cup. It took them 30 minutes to finally give me some hot water to drink. Refill took longer than normal as well. I know this place has really high rating over Tripadvisor, but if they don't figure out a more efficient system, it's challenging for them to get repeat visitors and/or maintain high ratings!
After the meal, all shops were closed. All we could do was to go back to our hotel. For tourists, time is money!! Unfortunately, we "spent" too much in this place.
Ok, so you are wondering why I still give them a 4 star!! Well, that's because... they gave us a free bottle of white at the end of the meal!! Yes, I was bought! Our spirit was not on the high side at the end of the meal. But they gifted us a bottle of white wine at the end -- which was quite a surprise, as we've never got a gift like this from a restaurant! I guess they knew what they had to do to win the heart of their customers. Well, we've got free dessert or free drinks in the past but that was it. Honestly if they did offered to give us another free dish, we would probably have said no. We simply had enough of long wait.
Anyways, that was my story at Ad Hoc. We probably will not go back. But I appreciate their effort at the end. read more