Taverna Mandragola — Restaurant in Cervo

Alhoewel ik wat laag zat (en niet heel lang ben) kon ik dineren met uitzicht op zee en de zonsondergang. Echt heel mooi. Although I sat relatively low (and I am also not very tall), I had a beautiful seaview during dinner, and could also see the sunset. Very pretty.

Besides the big plus, there were also points for improvement. The staff didn't seem to be in a happy mood en did not ask our table(guests) if the food was right or if we wanted dessert. They just didn't came at all to check on us after serving the plates, although they did came by the other tables around us many times.

Sidedishes of multiple people were conjoined to one bigger portion. The sauce we also ordered, was barely a portion for one person.

I found the dishes relatively expensive compared to other restaurants and their similar dishes. The salad that I had, wasn't really a salad. It had lettuce on the plate with the most minimal (neutral) dressing I ever had. The meat was supposed to be medium (like ordered), but it turned out to be a very very rare version. The outside was charred (black) on the grill stripes. Didn't really like it, although expensive.

Because of this experience and the lack of opportunity to order dessert, we decided to head home and get dessert elsewhere.

Staff also did not spoke English (or refused to do so, dont know), so keep in mind that making a reservation over the phone has to be done in Italian. Despite a reservation and a correct confirmation, they weren't clear about our presence (where to sit, knowing about the reservation etc.).

Finally: the menu is also strictly in Italian and some dishes can only be ordered for two, others can be ordered individually. That was confusing for some of our table guests, and the slightly irritated server did not help with making a decision about that :).

I see a restaurant with opportunities and good reviews, but also alot of room for improvement. Those improvement points can easily be fixed with training of staff...

Big disappointment since last time! After an anding experience 2 years ago, I decided to go back with 8 friends, but what a disappointment :-( They were expensive and seem to be even more than before. The quality price doesn't reflect such a steep price for the reasons: The sauce aigre-douce on the fish was definitely something from a bottle from the Chinese store. I can do that at home too in that case!!! The beef tartare was the worst tartare I have ever had. I understand that it's not made like a French or British tartar with the egg yolk and the condiments, but rather like the "Battuta al coltello di fassone piemontese" but still...it was disgusting really! I love battuta but this was just plain meat with very little oil on it and zero spices or anything to bring flavour. The Capon macro was OK but I had way better and for less than 18 euros! It was made in a big dish and then cut into pieces. A good restaurant would make it more like a nice tower and specially for this price! When someone orders a starter with Zucchini trombette, you should tell them that the main course they ordered also comes with Zucchini trombette, specially when it doesn't say what the side dish is with the main course on the menu. What a lack of professionalism!!! Service was...just friendly. A smile doesn't cost much! It went from 5* to barely 3* for me!...

Prima di andare leggete bene qui. Arriviamo e la solita accoglienza da maleducati, ci fanno sedere in un tavolino in mezzo ad altri distanti fra loro esattamente 10/15 cm...non si può parlare, è vergognoso. La cameriera zero disponibile: abbiamo ordinato un piatto a testa come antipasto e poi a seguire un piatto solo il mio compagno perché volevo (nel caso mi fosse piaciuto) fare un bis del primo; lei stizzita "ah no ma se ordini dopo il piatto ti arriva dopo ...ecc...eh non so ..." Disagio a mille. Ho risposto non c'è problema aspetto e le va via scocciata. Arriva l'acqua..del rubinetto ..del depuratore ...depurata..a parte che faceva pena, ce l'hanno anche fatta pagare ben 3 euro!!! L'ho fatto presente, risposta: "lei l'acqua a casa sua non la paga?" Mezzo litro di vino della casa 9 euro. Arrivano i piatti: la pasta al pesto genovese cruda, le patate dentro crude come i fagiolini. Era buono solo il pesto. Il mio branda non sapeva di granché, passabile. Nel frattempo ordino quindi arrivano i due altri piatti: baccalà fritto imbarazzante, crudo dentro, e molle fuori. I calamari alla griglia, sapevano solo di bruciato, assai, di un amaro immaginabile, come loro anche le verdure annesse ahimè. Mi è venuto su al secondo boccone. Ce ne siamo andati senza caffè né niente. Porzioni abbondanti si, ma male male. I prodotti sono di qualità ma cucinati malissimo Allego foto del conto a riprova. 4 euro di coperto...non ci stava nulla sul...