Video
Read full review
2014-08-02
2258 views
My friends and I tried Isono for the first time yesterday on Day 3 after opening. Given it was opening weekend we were prepared to make exceptions for the experience. Nonetheless, it was devastatingly disappointing. Where to begin?- staff was generally friendly but very disorganized and haphazard. In the first 30 min, we had 6 separate wait staff approach us to take orders/serve and all claimed to be our waiter yet none took responsibility for our dinner. It was unclear who we should follow up w
- staff was generally friendly but very disorganized and haphazard. In the first 30 min, we had 6 separate wait staff approach us to take orders/serve and all claimed to be our waiter yet none took responsibility for our dinner. It was unclear who we should follow up with when our food took a long time in coming
- our first of two appetizers we ordered arrived quite promptly after 10-15 min. the other one arrived 30 min later by the way after following up with at least 4 different waiters. the odd thing about the plate of jambon cuts we ordered was that it didn't come with any bread. and when i asked for bread i was told it would have to be an extra charge. i can't remember the last time i dined in a Western fine dining restaurant that doesn't provide bread. if you are on an Atkins diet, then this place is for you!
- my friend ordered a beer and it did come in a cold bottle but with a warm glass. It's a minor thing but surprising for such a nice restaurant
- paella arrived cold. When we complained, Stephan the manager got very defensive and told us the chef intends for it not to be served hot. He did replace it but it was the defensiveness that really turned us off. A simple apology would have sufficed and perhaps some freebies to soothe the irritation
- soup bowls for the stew arrived 10 min after the stew. although the stews look very appetizing on the menu, i would advise against ordering it. the cod stew arrived and looked very unappetizing in its small bowl. in addition, the cod was very overcooked and chewy... A nostalgic throwback to cafeteria dining
I did enjoy the roast pork shoulder which was very tasty. It does come quite pink in the center though which might bother those who like their pork fully cooked. It didn't bother me and was one of the highlights in an otherwise bleak meal.
To cap it all off, the manager (Stephan) came by to offer a free (1) glass of wine for my friend who had done the complaining about the shoddy service we had received. Even though there were 3 others of us who were there. It was almost absurd, would have been better not to offer anything at all! He really did make it seem like he was doing us a grand favor by giving us this one free glass of wine after we complained about the service - all we really wanted was for our food to be delivered on time and warm.
We also got some free dessert in the end - even though it was free I would still say it was not good value for money. I swear the chocolate cake is the exact same recipe from my high school cafeteria dining, it was just as oversweet and rubbery.
I thought the food was average and not bad especially for Soho. But it's more about how the manager handled (or mishandled) the situation. Hopefully it does improve over time because the space is very nice - worth a drink to check it out!
Post