Let me start by saying I really wish I wasn't writing a negative review for this place. This is my 4th visit to Terrone but my 1st visit to have a full meal rather than enjoy more than their drinks menu which is what my previous visits consisted of. Having always enjoyed the atmosphere and having even sat down an enjoyed a drink with the owner/manger last year I decided to make a booking and take my parents an aunt to have a nice evening and enjoy the full menu.

I will say I visited last week just for drinks and felt slightly unwelcomed by a staff member who made me and some friends feel like we weren't welcome to order a 2nd drink (because they were closing in 30 minutes!!) even though they were continuing to bring food to other patrons. Still their lovely staff member Simon/Sion was very welcoming and sweet so I put this experience down to a one-off staff attitude issue.... HOWEVER and here comes the negative feedback...

My opinion of Terrone and feel towards this place was completely ruined this evening. Everything was going well until my Mum an aunt who had ordered the chargrilled octopus found it to be chewy and not to their taste. My Mum loves octopus and did mention she specifically wanted to order it because she only eats it when going out for a meal.

Now perhaps this octopus was cooked differently to how she and my aunt are used to it being cooked... and maybe other people may have eaten it (I will say my father tried a bit towards the centre and he too said it was too raw and chewy). Regardless my mum politely told the lovely and attentive waitress that she wasn't enjoying it and the waitress apologised and said she would get it changed. What happened next is what ruined the rest of our evening and for me as some who has worked previously for years in hospitality and still have family that run restaurants in London I would say is the number one DON'T DO when running a restaurant. The man who I can only assume is the owner/manger as he was the same Australian fella who I'd enjoyed a drink with last year abruptly arrived and started to tell my mum she is wrong and the octopus was cooked perfectly and that he wanted her to come inside so he could show her why she was wrong.

Now regardless of whether he agreed with her or not the fact is you DON'T come to a table of your patrons whilst others are still eating and start an uncomfortable, rude and awkward atmosphere with an older lady thus ruining EVERYONE'S meal not just the person that wasn't happy. I was enjoying my food and so was my father but this man's attitude towards my mum put a sour taste in my mouth that wasn't there before.

My mum wasn't rude to the waitress nor to this guy even though he made her feel very uncomfortable and afterwards upset. It wasn't until I stepped in and asked for a resolution to this that he finally stopped telling her she was wrong.

Rule number one of hospitality: make your customers feel welcome.

Rule number two: if the customer is not happy seek a way to make them feel better.

Now don't get me wrong I have come across MANY rude and aggressive customers in my years who are trying to pull a fast one but even after this we continued to order dessert, coffees and cocktails with no issue so the least the owner/manger could have done was to return to the table to chat with us and at the very least appease the situation. He did not. For the rest of the evening he cowardly avoided our table at all costs. Which in my opinion is unforgivable.

What I will say is that yet again the evening was only made better by the brilliantly attentive and welcoming service of Simon/Sion who chatted with us and apologised for any awkwardness we had been made to feel. He even politely dealt with the bill at the end of the meal when I respectfully pointed out 2 extra cocktails had been added that weren't ordered.

My advice to the owners is sit down with this young waiter of yours and let him give you, your managers and the rest of your staff a lesson in good hospitality service... I think you'll learn a thing or two.