I joined some friends for a party here, which means that we were in the basement seating area for a…read moreseparate event, but the menu, prices, and employees were all the same - so I can only assume that my experience was similar to that of someone sitting upstairs.
Most of the reviews so far for this place have been fairly negative, mostly referring to poor service. I think that either their customer service has improved since then, or we simply have different impressions of what good service is. The girl who served our table was very attentive, was constantly looking for something helpful to do, always asked if we wanted more water or wine, and was friendly, if slightly confused at times.
The man in the cash register was not particularly friendly, but I wouldn't say he was unfriendly either - he just did his job. So while the service here in general doesn't get any extra stars from me, I wouldn't subtract any either.
The venue itself is great. I have been to Middle Eastern restaurants with very simple décor, and I think it's much more fun when the go all out. Café Corniche is cosy indeed, dark but vibrant with colourful rugs, decorations, and candles.
And the food! Oh, the food. We had Menu 2, the 12 mezze dishes with grilled meat after.
And the mezze. Oh, the mezze. Simply out of this world! I'm trying to remember everything we had - it seemed like they never stopped bringing dishes. Unlimited pita bread, Ajvar sauce, Batata Bel Kezbara (fried potatoes with coriander dressing), halloumi, Rakkakat bel Jibneh (feta pastries), Sambousek bel Lahme (beef pastries), Jowaneh Mouklieh (marinated chicken wings) spinach pies, baba ghannouj, hummus with tahini, labaneh, dolma, spiced chicken, tabbouleh...You get the idea. You can look at their menu online and see all of the mezze dishes; the majority of them (other than fish) were on our table.
It was all delicious and irresistible, and I just kept eating. Bad idea really - because then the main dish platters came out, with lamb kofta, grilled chicken, and fries. Mmm, it was also delicious - but by then I was way too full to eat much of it!
Honestly, I ate more at this restaurant than I eat on Thanksgiving. I was painfully full for more than an hour afterwards - which is a testament to my stupidity perhaps, but also how good the food was!
Café Corniche is pretty expensive, however. Menu 2 is 200 SEK, and then a single glass of wine will set you back another 70 SEK - so it's certainly not a place you can go every week. But for a special occasion, I recommend it!
