"This was a curate 's egg of an evening and, judging by other reviews, a bit of a one off. I hope, for their sake, that it was. We were a late booking. When we arrived we seemed to be expected and were shown to a table, but then waited for a quarter of an hour for someone to bring us a menu or ask if we wanted a drink. I then followed the lead of others in the restaurant and went to get our own drinks form the receptionist. After we had been waiting for nearly 45 minutes, and after several waves, the waiter finally came to take our order. We had been planning to have the tasting menu, but that was off. There was no apology for the wait. After a further wait, our starter arrived and then after another delay the main course. Both were outstanding. Yes, that 's right, the food was great. I had a prawn starter and a chicken main; my wife a carpaccio starter and veal main. All four dishes were innovative and excellently cooked very far from the standard Italian you get. Desserts were good too. I had to go to reception to get the bill it seemed to bear little relation to what we 'd had, but seemed about right and we just didn 't have the time or energy to argue. So, all in all, a mixed evening. To be fair, it was a fairly busy restaurant, but there seemed to be only one waiter and a receptionist. The waiter was very busy and so not as attentive as he might have been. I can only assume that they were 'man (or men) down ' front of house and, perhaps in the kitchen as well. Had they told us that when we arrived there 'd probably have been a bit of a Dunkirk spirit and we 'd all have laughed about it and accepted that they were doing their best. But they didn 't, and most people around us were getting quite frustrated. As I say, judging by other reviews, this was a one off. I really hope it was, because the food was really, really good. But if I go again, I 'll take a book."
