3 /5 Alice Gee: Maybe it is unfair to review a place during their soft launch. I am sure a lot of the front of house problems during our visit are teething issues that will get sorted out. Staff seemed overwhelmed by how busy it was during the discounted soft launch period. There was one waiter who was really good, and concerned about reporting problems to management or the kitchen. But most of the girls were just indifferent to the customer experience. We waited a long time standing beside the bar before anyone asked about our booking. And I am on crutches because I had a knee operation a few weeks ago. When a waitress brought my companion’s main she just plonked a wonky plate of fish served in broth on top of the empty salad bowl his starter had arrived in. She had to be called back and persuaded to take away the salad bowl his main was balancing on.
Portion sizes are a little weird. The protein based dishes seem to be very dainty, whereas as the carb heavy ones are really large. I started with the octopus skewer which consisted of two pieces of octopus, maybe 3 cm square each for £10. It was delicious and tasted of charcoal though, and came with salsa verde and grilled pepper. I ordered the sea bream crudo which never arrived. The neighbouring table had an order which looked quite small. My companion’s fish of the day of lemon sole was small too. On the other hand, the portions of pizza and pasta arriving at other tables looked enormous. I had a pizzette which was generously sized and tasty. Unfortunately I could not discern any of the mussel pesto that was listed in the menu as one of the toppings. I loved the thin but soft crust. My companions starter of summer salad would have been good if it hadnt been so salty as to be almost inedible.
When I complained about not getting the sea bream crudo, the waitress who took my order just shrugged and said she thought I had cancelled. I complained again to the decent water who checked, noted it had arrived to the dining room but had been sent back and offered me a slice of complimentary tirami su by way of apology, seeing I hadn’t gotten much to eat. This was a very generous portion, like all of the carby dishes. It was let down by the quality of the espresso used in its construction, which was very sour. This surprised me for a restaurant where the head chef is from Naples. I mean, the espresso could have been an Americano boiled down to espresso strength--thats how sour it was.
After I got home I notice we had been charged for two pizzettas when we only had one. So definitely check your bill before you leave.
