Symbiose — Restaurant in Bordeaux

I want to start this review by saying it comes from fellow chefs. The service was excellent and the waiters couldn't have been more personal and attentive. However, the food fell short. The sweetbreads were undercooked and when sent back, the plate wasn't redone. The sweetbreads, that had been sitting at room temperature for some time, were taken back, cut in half and twice cooked and put back on the same plate. Sweetbreads are the most inexpensive item. It is not worth a poor customer experience at this level to try to cut corners like this. We could not believe the lazy kitchen's response to their own mistake. I couldn't eat them because it wouldn't have been safe to do so, having sat at room temperature for so long. When asked a second time by the waiter if everything was OK, we explained the dish had not been replaced, the same sweetbreads had just been sliced and recooked back onto the same plate. The waiter checked with the kitchen team and they said they were prepared fresh. As a chef, this is a horrible situation to put your waiters in - to lie to them is inconsiderate to the waiters delivering the message. We were offered a drink and the main was taken off the bill however this is not the response we wanted at all. I just wanted accountability from the chefs with the mistake corrected properly and dish redone properly. We all have off days / make mistakes and this dish was 60 seconds too short. Poor attitude from the chefs was quite evident. Service great, waiters lovely - this review is...

We read a lot of good reviews about this place, so we were really impressed and motivated to have dinner here during our stay in Bordeaux. We give 4 stars and not 5 because, at the end, maybe our expectations have not really being met due to a few details that (in our opinion as customers) would have made the difference (and made gain 5 stars). First thing to say: the staff is very friendly, everybody was nice, they speak English but we have noticed a bit of disorganization and a few basics missing (like a long wait to clear the table after guests finished their meal or a long wait to order - not just us, all tables). They were enough people to well serve all customers so it was really a matter of being disorganized. The menu is very attractive, original, amazing taste combination. Mise en place fantastic and creative (you can see the photos) but, also here, a few points to comment: we were two and ordered three dishes, it was clear we were sharing (nobody asked). They brought us the three dishes all together (and no side empty dishes to let us share). Two of the three plates we had were cold dishes (tartare and tuna) but the chipirones should have been hot and they arrived cold, that was really a pity. The dessert was absolutely amazing and we recommend the chocolate/whiskey cake. Also the cocktails amazing. So, give a try at this place, because in the end they have a great potential and we are sure they can improve this little details to reach perfection (we’d love to be back here to try...

Really wanted to like Symbiose, but it just didn't work for us. We left without ordering dessert, and we never leave without ordering dessert. It was a chilly evening when we visited, and I think an indoor table may have been more successful, however, that aside neither food or service lived up to our expectations.

Good things: everything was well presented, and some of the dishes were delicious (croquette starter and aubergine main were excellent), we had a couple of glasses of red and they were nice.

So-so things: cocktail (Grand Bleu) was ok, but was mostly just a massive ice cube; gnocchi starter was ok, but bland and arrived barely warm; lamb main was alright though meat was tough.

Really disappointing thing: weird and indifferent service. It took an hour for any food to arrive (we didn't order an "appetizer" and it felt like a punishment wait, as others who arrived around the same time as us were served their appetizers during this long wait), then main followed starter almost too quickly; it's a "keep your cutlery between courses" type place which I dislike - I don't want little bits of congealed starter on my cutlery, thanks; no offer to reseat chilly outdoor diners inside as the restaurant emptied (despite asking) - in fact it felt as though they occasionally forgot that they had customers outside, or having to trudge outside to serve us was something of a chore.

If you do go, and the weather isn't too hot, definitely book an inside table, and either order an appetizer or take...