Winter Salad
Café Murano – Covent Garden Dining Counter

Café Murano – Covent Garden Dining Counter

36 Tavistock Street London, WC2E 7PB, United Kingdom

Fish • Greek • Italian • Desserts


"Disappointing experience after deciding to book here having read many great recent reviews. Maybe just caught them on a poor night. Arrived 8.45 for pre booked 8.45 table which wasn't quite ready. Front of House advised table not quite ready. Didn't offer any drink or menu to look at. Came back 10 mins later said if wouldn't be long, this time no drink offered but menus were provided. It felt a bit awkward waiting at entrance. Sat at table and ordered Oysters which were good, scallops and mini Moules which were good. A new waitress looked after us who although quite inexperienced was good fun and very pleasant. No issue at all with her service Ordered Monkfish and Lobster Thermidore and 2 sides. Monkfish was very average (i was asked if i was happy to have on the bone and it felt like they were low on stock, very little fish arrived and felt like they would have been better saying monk fish was off menu than trying to sell a portion that was inadequate) and the Lobster was rubbery and very chewy, the sides were forgotten and we had to ask for them. Complained to the manager and she offered a refund on the mains and sides which we accepted. Had to push to get the service charge removed which was pretty cheeky I would say. In summary the food quality of mains wasn't good, the welcome was poor but they did handle the complaint ok and were very forthcoming with amending bill to keep us happy which suggests to me they knew it was poor."

Balbirnie Bistro

Balbirnie Bistro

Balbirnie Park, Fife, United Kingdom

Pizza • Cafés • Steak • Pasta


"We decided to treat ourselves to a meal for our wedding anniversary's and wish we hadn’t. When we arrived we were told all orders had to be made through the app, so I downloaded the app. I ordered drinks and shortly after a waiter...arrived with drinks. I checked the confirmation email and checked that I had ordered another drink and, after asking for it, it eventually arrived. We had booked the Bistro Al Fresco which looks lovely in the little private gazebos. Again, everything had to be ordered on the app. Two of the other diners also downloaded the app and we passed the phones around the five of us to choose from the menu. A bit impersonal and obviously we couldn’t order drinks while making our choices. We ordered one soup and had tiny bowls delivered, we had to ask for glasses for the water, the music system kept turning off and on and changing volume and song, the ‘bread basket for was slices of plain white bread with some oil and vinegar, the ‘nuts and olives’ were a tiny bowl of olives and a bowl of salted peanuts, hardly award-winning fodder. When I politely asked the waitress what was happening with the music she returned with a ‘manager’ who was condescending, confrontational, patronising and frankly downright rude. She said that the music system was new and that, no sorry it can’t be turned off’ and that the poor bread selection was ‘reflected in the price’... for four small slices of white bread!? When I pay for two starters and five main courses I expect better. Fortunately the main courses were okay, not great but okay. We certainly won’t be recommending it to friends or family, or returning when we can get nicer food and far better service elsewhere."