It had been a long day of travelling, so we made a last minute decision to test our luck and see if there was an open seat without having made reservations. We lucked in and got hidden away upstairs in this small room by ourselves. However in a few minutes it was filled with other diners who had the same game plan. The ambiance in this small room was great. Cozy, intimate even though there were several other tables, that was until the waiter decided to hit the light switch and turn it into daylight. Oh well.
We thought there would be a big delay with our food as we had gone from a table of two, to a virtual table of 12 counting the other guests. Surprisingly our dishes came out with great efficiency. We did have a bit of a wait for our Primotivo, which was a great accompaniment to our meal and the basket of breads to nibble on; however they arrived and quickly after that came our salads. Huge! We failed ordering as they were a meal in and of themselves. The salad Nicoise was nicely presented, generous portion of tuna and the house yoghurt dressing was not over-powering and brought out the flavours of the crisp, fresh veggies.
The main courses came out (a tortellini and calzone). I asked for the calzone to be 'kicked up a notch' with garlic and seasoning. The chef did an excellent job; however the center was warm. At first I suspected it had sat there for some time, but I think it was a matter of note being cooked through properly. The presentation was quite interesting. First time I've had a round calazone. As I said, great taste but undercooked.
The tortellini was also on the under-cooked side. The sauce was very rich but with the pasta being a little 'chewy', it took away from what could have been a great dish.
The service for the most part was very attentive and efficient at the start. However, when we started eating the main courses there was no follow-up on how our meals were tasting. That would have been nice so we could have given them a chance to 'address' the issues.
We've eaten here several times in the past and have had a memorable experience each time. Perhaps they were just over-whelmed as it was quite busy. Had this been our first visit, we might not go back, but we still believe it could be better, so we'll see. read more
