After reading positive reviews of the new Neroteca, we were hoping for an evening of great Italian dining (after all, there's hardly any 'non-halal' establishments around KL). Unfortunately, both service and food standards were much below par. There were a number of waitresses on the floor, however we suspect they were tasked to "bus" tables only. We waved a few times and managed to place an order for a bottle of wine after 3 minutes. The house pouring Chianti from Sangiovese was served way too chilled. Then, we had to wave again for attention to order our food. Twice, we caught the attention of two waitresses from afar, but they hesitated and walked away. Seems they were unsure of what to do (shows lack of training). A waiter came, named Jay approached our table and smelled of ashtray. We must have just caught him in the midst of his cigarette break. Is this permitted during service? We ordered Caprese with Buffalo Mozzarella to share and individual main dishes. When we finished the Caprese, each of us were presented with an empty dinner plate. Not sure why when we did not indicate sharing for main course. My husband ordered grilled Iberico ribs which came smothered by burnt char - obviously overcooked in strong flame and the meat was tough when it should fall off the bone effortlessly. It was a shame to see how such prime meat not handled with care and was allowed to the dining table. My husband had two pieces of ribs and gave up. I had Gnocchi with Gorgonzola Sauce finished with a few slices of speck ham. Gnocchi was overcooked, too soft and no hint of semolina in the mix. Perhaps it is the chef's recipe... We returned the grilled Iberico ribs to the Manager, Arvin and shared our overall feedback of our disappointment, from food to service. The Manager was not seen supervising the operation around the dining area, which was evident through hesitation by the waitresses. Although continuous apology was expressed while charges for the ribs were removed, however effort in service recovery fell short. From service standpoint (in his capacity especially), he should have asked if there is anything they can offer to make-up for our unfortunate experience, but none. This is another example of lack of leadership skill training from the top. We hope with this feedback, the team in Neroteca will look into their operational standards seriously, which can detriment your brand promise.
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