The location is beautiful, right by the water. Today was also a gorgeous sunny day, so the setting was perfect.
The food was very salty across the board. We were left alone for the meal which wouldn't have been bad if the food was okay. While my pasta with beef filet was just slightly saltier than I prefer, the fish stew most of my party had was so salty that it tasted bitter to me. I would have said something had I known it was that bad. But perhaps it is the local culture to eat what is served without complaints? (I'm from the US, and I realized today that I have a certain level of expectations regarding service). Usually, a waiter would come to the table to ask how is everything after the food is served but no one came today so I didn't get a chance to offer timely feedback. I also had to go find a waiter to ask for more water to offset the amount of salt I was ingesting. And I was under the impression that bread should have been served after we ordered but nothing came. Normally I would not bothered by the lack of bread, but it would have been a godsend with all the salt we were licking.
It's interesting that before our meal, my Swedish friends and I were comparing the culture of tipping in the US and here and they were very proud of the fact that it is not part of the European culture because the waiters are actually paid decently. I fully support waiters making a living wage but in cases when the food is not seasoned correctly and the service is neglectful, what's the European protocol for diners to feel like they are not paying through the nose for subpar food and inattentive service?
Going out to eat with friends whom I haven't seen in over a decade should have been an enjoyable event, and we came away comparing notes on our worst culinary experiences and wondering where this one ranks. read more
