| rev:text
| - I have been eyeing this restaurant for a long time and finally decided to give its $38 three course Summerlicious menu a try. Unfortunately I had a disappointing experience where the delicious food was overshadowed by less-than-stellar service.
We had an early reservation so were immediately seated when we arrived. The restaurant is small but is smartly decorated. I especially liked the big fishing net hung on the wall.
The food was consistently excellent. Highlights include the Swordfish Crudo app and the Grilled Octopus main. Both were fresh, flavorful, beautifully plated, and came in a good sized portion. The Panna Cotta and Polenta Cake were also delicious and more filling than they first appeared.
We also sampled a couple of their cocktails. Both were good and at around $15 each they were consistent with cocktails I've ordered from other restaurants of this caliber.
The service, on the other hand, was a big let-down and does not reflect many of the positive reviews that I have read here. One of our mains arrived a good 7-10 minutes before the other, which resulted in a lot of awkward staring between my dining companion and I. It turns out the same thing happened to the next table as well. After the second dish finally arrived, our waiter explained that the orders of our two tables were somehow mixed up on the same ticket. While mistakes do happen, it would've been nice if this was communicated to us earlier.
Later, one of the two-top tables next to us was removed and we were told they wanted to spread the tables out so that everyone could have more room. As I stood up thinking that this was very thoughtful, the staff walked away and it turned out we were expected to move the table ourselves. Not a huge deal, but I can see myself knocking glasses over and dropping cutlery on the floor had I had a couple more drinks in me.
While the servers were sometimes attentive, I had trouble trying to get their attention because they were too focused on their conversation at the bar. My water glass was consistently filled but my companion found it weird that her's was not. I will second Jennifer K's observation of the staff's "Bohemian vibe". It felt like they are doing and saying everything on the checklist but they weren't 100% mentally present.
To cap off the evening, we were charged for wine that we did not order. This was quickly corrected when I pointed it out.
According to Yelp, 2 stars is "meh, I've experienced better" and this perfectly describes my experience at Ufficio. I have had better service at hole-in-the-wall joints in Scarborough and I certainly expected more from a much hyped restaurant in a trendy neighbourhood.
Some may say underwhelming service a symptom of the Summerlicious program and things will go back to normal after it is over. I won't be coming back to find out.
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