Amadio’s Vino e Cucina – Kangaroo Island — Restaurant in South Australia

We really wanted to review this place better however the service combined with the food led to a lesser than anticipated experienced. There were two waiters on tonight - one obviously new and very nervous, one more experienced and blunt.

Our experience began with a short, sharp and shiny (minus the shiny) phone call to make the reservation - the person who answered the phone seemed disinterested and cold. She did not repeat the booking, in fact I had to repeat the booking to her myself to ensure it was correct.

Upon arriving we overheard a couple who stated that they had booked not have a table reserved for them, and were then asked to confirm that we were there for a table of 4 (we booked for 2).

To begin our seated experience, we waited 20 minutes until the table was cleared of the previous guests mess. Drinks arrived quickly however were spilt all over the table by the shaky waiter. We had to ask to receive menus (given one between two). The newer waiter proceeded to take the menus despite not taking our food order. We then waited 60 minutes before we had to flag down a waiter and state that we would like to order. During this time we observed three tables who had arrived after us reviewed their food and leave, with complimentary drinks to say thanks for the wait.

One hour and 30 minutes after arriving we received our food - overall the food was “okay” however was on par with a home cooked meal, store bought pasta and all.

After finishing our meal we decided to cut to the chase and head to the bar to pay. The senior waiter stated that they were understaffed and put our meal through with no compensation, even though other tables had received free drinks.

We totally understand that busy nights and few staff makes things difficult, but our overall experience was quite poor and I feel as though the excuse of being understaffed/having new staff on doesn’t...

Thought we’d give it a chance considering the recent reviews after the new management - what a mistake.

I should have taken it as a sign to leave when looking over the menu and seeing “clums” as an ingredient the seafood dishes. I usually believe if you aren’t going to spend time proofreading the menu, you aren’t going to put much thought into the food.

To start, we got an antipasto board and veal meatballs. The antipasto was okay - the prosciutto was flavourless and the pickled cabbage had a strange, lifeless texture. The mortadella and salami was good, along with the olives which were buttery and not too salty. The bread was also warm and crusty.

The veal meatballs were the point when the meal took a real downturn. They were too soft and mushy, like they were mostly made of breadcrumbs and then left to sit in the sauce to slowly disintegrate. 2 out of the 4 meatballs we had were burnt.

For main, I had the seafood pasta and my partner had the lamb shank with mash. The seafood pasta was edible. The seafood itself (especially the clums) also had a mushy texture, seemed like it was frozen which I thought was bizarre considering we’re on an island surrounded by fresh seafood. The prawns weren’t deveined. Also, considering the plate was about $36, there wasn’t a lot of pasta. The sauce had a kick of chilli that was nicely balanced.

My partner’s lamb shank came with a pile of roasted potatoes - not mash. They had been seasoned in rosemary and the cheap pre-grated parmesan cheese you get in a container. The lamb shank itself didn’t have much lamb flavour either. Once again, almost like it had been frozen.

The only reason this is getting a star is because the wine was excellent. Overall it was an overpriced TV dinner, that carried no finesse or passion of true...

The food was quite OK, but this was one of the strangest, poorest service experiences I’ve ever had, and it seemed directed specifically at my international guests and I. Upon arriving and enquiring as to whether there was a table available, the male server in his 30s advised in a deadpan fashion “well have a look and see if you can find anywhere to sit”. We located a spare table with no chairs and asked where we might find some chairs and if it was OK to sit there, and were told patronisingly, “I don’t know; if you can find chairs, you can move them there”. From then on, things continued to decline with this server who, when he deigned to attend our table at all, didn’t speak to us. At. All. We THEN watched as EVERY OTHER table around us, in the grand tradition of Italian-style restaurants, was offered a grappa after their meal. This offer wasn’t extended to my guests and I. I’ve never felt so belittled and poorly treated in my life. Anywhere. Yes, we were speaking in German amongst ourselves, but I’m Australian so communication was certainly not the issue with the server. We are all exceedingly friendly people and were very happy and pleasant, so I can only draw the conclusion that non-locals, especially those from overseas, are not welcome in this establishment. Best steer clear and try one of the other places in town if you aren’t a...