L' Essenza Bistrot — Restaurant in Olbia

A Disastrous Experience at Essenza Bistrot

Review: My recent visit to Essenza Bistrot was nothing short of a complete disaster. From the moment we walked through the door, it became apparent that this establishment was determined to ruin our dining experience. I strongly advise avoiding this place at all costs.

To begin with, the wine served was not only warm but also of subpar quality. It was evident that no attention was given to proper wine storage or selection. This lack of care set the tone for what would become an evening filled with disappointments.

As if the warm wine wasn't bad enough, the meat we ordered was shockingly unfresh. The odor emanating from the plate was repulsive, and taking a bite was out of the question. It became clear that the restaurant had no regard for the quality or safety of their ingredients. It's alarming to think that they were willing to serve food that could potentially make their patrons sick.

Adding insult to injury, the personnel displayed an astonishing level of rudeness. Instead of acknowledging their mistakes or attempting to rectify the situation, they treated us with disdain and even asked us to leave prematurely. It was a humiliating experience that left us feeling both unwelcome and disrespected.

In light of these appalling circumstances, I strongly urge anyone considering dining at Essenza Bistrot to think twice. The combination of warm wine, unfresh meat, and the utter lack of professionalism from the staff makes this establishment one to avoid. There are countless other restaurants in the area that prioritize customer satisfaction and uphold basic standards of quality and service.

Save yourself the disappointment and frustration by choosing a different dining option. Essenza Bistrot is a prime example of how a restaurant...

It's unfortunate: Michelin guide recommends this place, but the food and the experience are anything but recommended. Granted, I'm vegan, so, perhaps, I've no business in a predominantly seafood restaurant; however, in my stay on Sardinia, I visited Gusto by Sadler, Bacchus, and Dulchamente, each of which is a predominantly seafood establishment, but in each the chef took it upon themself to accommodate me because, after all, they are striving for excellence, and excellence often requires imagination and experimentation. Indeed, the menus that the other restaurants created for me were outstanding, and I gladly paid my bill and felt I had gotten more than my money's worth. This place, however, was a horror show from the start: the staff/wait crew were unaccommodating and continuously responded in the negative, claiming the chef would not or could not create something vegan. I even offered they make me one of their pizzas without cheese, and they refused; instead, they brought me a round focaccia drizzled with olive oil. If the chef is unable to or incapable of applying a bit of imagination to their creations and flexing their culinary muscles, they've got no business helming a gourmet restaurant, let alone one included in the Michelin guide's recommended restaurants. I would've paid practically whatever had they just created something worth my time and taste buds, but asking this chef to think outside the box is like asking a kleptomaniac to refrain from stealing: it's not worth it because it likely a lost cause. All around wasted experience and a big waste of my time. Skip this place and try Bacchus in the Jazz Hotel, or Dulchamente or even Gusto by Sadler; they actually value their patrons and treat you like a guest worth pleasing, not an inconvenience...

I have been to several fine restaurants. It was my boyfriend's third visit to a such restaurant. We had high expectation of this one starred Michelin restaurant.

I chose Essenza with two last dishes from an other tasting menu, and he L'orta. The prior dish with three different types of bread tasted excellent. The little croissant was sweet for us to see. The carasau (flatbread) was very good. The freshly baked brown bread with nuts was very tasteful.

I was shocked that his first dish was with crudely cut red onions that were very spicy that we both couldn't eat. I myself love red onions, and coulnd't eat it... I noticed that my first dish was without baby turnips. If you look at pictures of other reviews there were with baby turnips on the same dish. It would be acceptable if I got prior explanation on why they were missing or substituted with some other ingredient. My second dish was tomato soup with fish tartare that contained two hard bones. There was no sight or taste of myrtle in my two last dishes which was dissappointing. The suckling pig in my fourth dish was tasteful, and as well other dishes. His dishes tasted not anything special, crudely peeled and cut carrots that existed in all of his first four dishes.

The two waiters were exceptionally caring, and one of them had a pretty handwriting.

The food rate of my dishes is 3 stars due to some lacking ingredients and fish bones. It is 1 star for my boyfriend's dishes due to crudely cut vegetable bits, repetition of some ingredient and mediocre taste, which didn't deserve 85 euro. Our desserts...