(crostini de romesco and gordal olives, almonds and Jerez)So let's start with the "soft" side of the meal because that was their biggest failure. Marcus Wareing, Gordon Ramsay (here), Marcus McGuiness or any of their ilk who do similar "big" tasting menus like Viajante is offering guarantee good service. Napkins magically return to your lap. Chairs migrate in and out of the table in time with your movements and plates appear and disappear without you thinking about it.
Now I really really don't care about good service. For me the best (cheap) meals come where it is warfare with the waiters. You sit unloved and ignored in the corner. But then the food. The juxtaposition between the brilliance of the food and the obnoxious service (and cheap prices) make those kind of meals something even more special (see Antpeliler here). Viajante wants to be more than that though. It wants to be haute Bethnal Green cuisine but it is striving to be so with shonky so so service. What is even more strange about this is when Nuno Mendes was at The Loft he oversaw an experience that was both fantastic on the food front but also had pleasant and paced service (here).
Posts
