RHAPSODY — Restaurant in Toronto

Rhapsody has a lot of good ideas but despite the polished aesthetic, it just doesn't feel polished, and it hurts the guest experience.

My fiancé and I had a reservation for a Friday date night, but when we arrived, there was no host, and a number of other groups of guests standing the cramped entrance way looking confused. Finally when someone came to take our reservation, they told us to wait and disappeared for several minutes, after which point another person came to ask if we had a reservation (which was confusing and annoying, I thought we were already being served by another host?). When we said that yes, we had one, he also disappeared in search of the iPad that the other host was using. By the time we finally we sat at our table, I had to confirm my reservation time and who I was a total of 3 times. It left a really poor first impression of this place.

The table service was no better. We had 3 or 4 different servers through the night. No one knew what the daily fish special was, and while we were waiting between courses, one of them tried to clear our table. The timings when our servers would appear were random, and I was ignored when I asked for more water.

The staff were so disorganized, it really ruined the mood of the evening. And I can understand why! The place doesn't make sense.

The restaurant is a narrow, long shotgun layout with a stunning bar on the left, and a weird little DJ setup on the right, which you have to squeeze through to get to where we were seated. The flow of service is just messed up from this, because there is no where for a single host to be, and wait staff have to get by the crowd of guests who are surrounding the DJ, blocking the stairs to the washrooms, and impeding flow from the front of house to the dining room and kitchen. Thank God we weren't sitting near the door.

When we were served, however, the food was excellent. It's a shame that it's not featured more prominently — We ordered a couple cocktails to start with, which were expensive ($20 ea.) and underwhelming, and we actually struggled to find the food menu, as its hidden at the back of the cocktail menu and wine list. Under pressure to order since we didnt know when or who we would see next, we ended up ordering the Tostadas Nikkei and the Filete de Pescado to share.

The wait staff should know and be pushing the specials... the (market price) Alaskan Trout fish of the day was incredibly delicious, and great value at $50 - it was the perfect meal for 2 and honestly rescued the night when it finally arrived. Contrast this to the tostadas, which while they were tasty, were just terrible value for $25 for 2 crackers with a mound of sticky rice and a small amount of tuna and roe on top.

If the owner is reading this: ask your chef to make the tostadas as 4 servings (instead of 2) with smaller crackers and less rice - your guests will feel much better about the $25 they just spent, and make less of a mess trying to eat them.

Maybe also move your DJ to the wider back dining room and ditch the second Tromba tequila bar. It didn't seem to be getting much use, and nor should it be, especially since the main bar is so STUNNING. It'll open up the front of house and make it easier to spot when...

Put auto-gratuity of 20% on our bill without mentioning it. This saw a large increase in tip from the $109 auto-gratuity to $239 tip on a $545 bill! A 44% tip!!!!!!

We had come in off the street without a reservation with 5 people. Two people left for a reservation down the street at one point, making the table only 3 people, later returning making us 5- people again. A 6th person joined at the end of our evening just before table service ended, placing 1 drink order with the server. The server then asked us to settle up as they were ending table service for the evening. She brought the bill and handed me a card machine with tip screen ready to go. I tipped well not knowing auto-gratuity had been built in as it was not mentioned, we were under 6 people for the vast majority of our time at the bar and usually restaurants skip the tip screen when they apply auto-gratuity.

The next day when I went to split the bill between friends I noticed the auto-gratuity and reached out to the bar. Someone named Dan E. responded to my email and asked for the receipts and said they would refund my card. I shared the receipt but did not receive a refund for a response. I followed up multiple times afterwards but was ghosted by the bar.

Restaurants and bars should declare auto-gratuity, especially when the 6th person only arrived at the end of our evening. They also should skip the tip screen on the card machine if applying a large auto-gratuity of 20% to the bill. This is how most establishments in Toronto act, they're clear with their customers and they either pre-skip the card machine tip prompt or clearly state as handing it to you that it would be an incremental tip if you chose as they've already applied auto-gratuity.

Overall I feel completely ripped off and mistreated by the bar I chose to go to on my birthday. You've...

The atmosphere at Rhapsody was truly amazing! The ambiance and interior decor, not commonly found in Toronto, were all unique and beautiful, making every corner picturesque!

We ordered Yuca Frita, Pulpo Parrillero, Karaage Picante, Tostada Nikkei, and Tres Leches for dessert. Overall, the flavours were unique and delicious, but slightly too salty for my taste.

Pulpo parrillero One of my favourite dishes, had tender octopus complemented by a bean? type of accompaniment that balanced its savoury taste well. However, the crispy pork belly that came with it was mainly fat and lacked texture.

Yuca Frita When yuca frita first arrived, its aroma was strong, causing some in our group to be put off, but upon tasting, the flavour wasn't as overpowering as expected. The huancaina sauce was Amazing! I really wanted to know the recipe on that sauce for sure!

Karaage Picante Karaage Picante resembled Korean-style sweet and spicy chicken (soysauce based KKANPUNGGI) rather than the commonly known Japanese karaage. Despite being a bit too sweet, it was enjoyable.

Tostada nikkei Tostada nikkei, served with crispy nori tempura at the bottom, had a delightful texture and taste.

The only disappointment was the Tres Leches dessert; it looked different from the photo on Google's menu and was smaller than expected, with a soggy, melted texture rather than the anticipated moistness. So, for those planning to order it, be prepared for the smaller size and potential variation in appearance and texture from...