Damian Buczek
It's an absolute shame. Please note, I’m not a huge Italian food lover. I visited this place once many years ago (around 2017) and returned yesterday as I had a gift card from a friend to use. Unfortunately, nothing has changed my mind about this restaurant. The interior is lovely,very cosy with a nice atmosphere but that’s where the positives end. You don’t go to a restaurant just for the vibe. We decided to mix the lunch menu with the à la carte options. The starters were a mix of good and bad. We ordered Bruschetta Marie Rose, Tortino di Patate, and Spicy Chicken Wings as an extra. The Tortino di Patate was absolutely lovely and highly recommend it.I would happily order this as a main if it were available.The chicken wings were edible,just okay: four pieces, very saucy and tasty, but nothing special. Unfortunately,the Bruschetta Marie Rose (with a £2.50 supplement for the prawn cocktail topping) was tasteless, lacking garlic, very soggy, and served on cold bread. There was also no balsamic vinegar, and the prawn portion was inadequate to the price. For mains,we have ordered Penne Dell’Amore and Fish and Chips (as I’m not a fan of pasta or pizza). The penne was just okay, which is quite embarrassing for an Italian restaurant.The ingredients seemed fresh but lacked flavour and seasoning. The fish and “chips” were the worst I’ve ever had, and the £3 supplement felt like a complete robbery.The fish was very thin and overpowered by thick, tasteless breadcrumbs with a horrible bitter aftertaste.The fries were extremely hard, so much so you could damage your teeth. The tartare sauce was smooth with no texture and tasted awful.I left nearly the whole dish untouched, and no one asked if anything was wrong. We only ordered one dessert,a lemon tart,which was served warm like an apple cake.Again,completely tasteless. At the very least,some sugar could have helped.A lemon dessert should be sharp and refreshing, but this had only a faint, artificial lemon flavour. The atmosphere was lovely and very cosy with a true Italian feel. The staff and service were good overall, except for the fact that no one checked on the food despite a full plate being left.When we asked for the bill, we waited ages to pay and this was on a Thursday evening.I can’t imagine how long it would take on a very busy weekend. Btw service charge should not be added automatically and it should be left up to me to leave you tips. I wouldn’t recommend this place for food unless you’re looking for low quality dining. There are plenty of great restaurants to choose from in Glasgow’s Merchant City. It’s such a shame,as this place has huge potential. I honestly don’t understand why it’s so busy here at weekends.






