Those who have read my reviews knows I'm all about service, even when the food is amazing but if the service sucks, it ruins the meal that much more. So here goes the story of this dinner; would have given half a star higher if the girl on the phone and our waiter took the time to actually remember what I said - THREE times.
Food was okay but not amazinggg; if you come on Thursdays their apps are half off, which is a great deal. Their bellinis are also very popular. Service 'was' okay until...
So their patio isn't that big but it's a good size. Once it gets dark the lights come on so it's kinda pretty. Because they are located right beside the road, the noise level does get a bit up there, but not so loud that it covers your convo. Their indoor seating is actually quite spacious, and they have a separate bar area on the right hand side. Once it gets around dinner time though, it does get very busy. So, either try to book a table or come early.
The calamaris are lighter in flavour, but imo it was still okay as the mild coconut flavour complimented it well; the sauce went well with it also. Another app to try is their artichoke dip; veryyyy cheesy if you're a cheese fan; it also comes in a general serving of tortilla chips, perfect for sharing. The portobello chicken was surprisingly tender, but just a bit on the salty side. Their miso cod is worth a try; fish was tender and not dry and the rice was well flavoured. If you're wondering about the beef bolognese, you're probably better off making it at home... it wasn't bad but there's nothing too special about it, even though they say it's their 'signature house-made sauce'.
So... the service. Came here for a friend's birthday so I specifically asked the girl on the phone whether she put a note into the system to have their cake brought out when I ask for the bill. She kindly assured me that it is in the system and our server will bring it out when we ask for the bill... for some reason there was this part of me that said nope, not gonna happen. When the time came for the bill, I asked my waiter not once, not twice, but THREE times 'where's the cake... I need to leave soon'. It was super awkward to keep waiting for it, without having to ruin the surprise. At one point, the bill was paid so we thought it was coming, but the cake still didn't arrive... so I had to 'pretend' to go to the bathroom meanwhile to hunt down the waiter and ask him where the heck is that cake. After a total of 3 attempts to get the cake to our table, he finally came out with it all decked out with giant sparklers and stuff. Pretty and good as it was (it was I believe the white chocolate cake from their dessert menu), a customer shouldn't have to physically hunt down their server in search of something, or to ask for it multiple times.
I wanted to give this place a better review, especially when one of the kids at our table wanted different bellini toppers to play with and our server actually took the time to bring them to us, but damn, getting that cake was just so frustrating.
All in all, I would come back to this place for drinks, food maybe (on Thursdays), definitely not for any celebrations as it clearly requires too much effort. read more