Kitchen Swell — Restaurant in Hengchun

We booked a table online and were told we'd only wait 10 minutes. But when we got there, we ended up waiting an additional 20 minutes, totalling a 30-minute delay. We ordered our food at 19:43 ahead of time to speed things up. When we finally sat down at 19:45, our drinks came fast, and the cheese plate we had ordered quickly followed. So far, so good. I ordered a second beer, and then the pasta arrived at 20:00.

At 20:12, a server informed us it was the last call, which I found amusing since I was still waiting for my steak. I pointed this out, and she mentioned that steak takes longer to cook but offered no apology. Finally, at 20:15, my steak was served, and my wife had finished her pasta by then. It tasted great, but when I asked for some sauce for my fries, I learned none was available. I also had to remind the staff I needed a fork to properly enjoy my steak, as it was initially missing.

Halfway through my meal, around 20:16, quite thirsty due to lots of dry fries and a big steak, I tried to order another beer. Initially, they said yes, but then they returned to say no because it was past the last call. This was confusing because no one clarified that last call meant no more drinks as well.

When we raised this issue, the server blamed the downstairs reception for not informing us properly. Perhaps they expected me to pre-order my beer to have it sitting at my table, getting lukewarm?

This restriction continued through the rest of my steak and fries meal, and surprisingly, into our dessert time, leaving us without beverage options for a significant part of our dining experience. The reason given was unclear communication about the last call, compounded by the server blaming the downstairs reception instead of directly addressing the gap in service.

Despite these service inconsistencies, a 10% service charge was automatically added to our bill. While we appreciated the culinary skill in the main courses and dessert, the mandatory service charge amid the evening's challenges made us question the overall value of our experience.

Reflecting on the evening, it's evident that better coordination between the kitchen and service staff, along with clearer communication about service policies, could have provided a more synchronized dining experience. Having experience in restaurant management, I understand the delicate balance between service and operations. However, the service missteps and the decision to apply a service charge without addressing our concerns highlight areas needing improvement.

The food quality is commendable, but our service experience suggests a need for a more customer-focused approach. I hope this feedback is received constructively.

Suggestions:

Note to the reception downstairs: If someone orders a steak, inform them it will take longer, and maybe ask if other dishes should be staggered. Last order policy: Yes, for the kitchen, but if someone's meal has not arrived yet, perhaps make an exception for drinks. Or, if you're serving a meal significantly later (15 minutes) after the first plates, allow for a late drink order. After all, it's only 20:16,...

*edit: after more than a year I have returned with another large group, the checkin was a little rocky, but overall service has improved. Wait staff was responsive and dishes came quickly. The quality of the food and presentation are still there.

I would currently recommend this spot, though I think you are better off as a lunch gathering. The menu adapts well to local produce and seasonality. Overall it is a worthwhile if slightly pricey experience.*

Very high quality ingredients and reasonably good food. Presentation and atmosphere are all there. The real disappoint is how reprehensible the service provided by the staff is. Having eaten at restaurants across the world at all levels this was among the worst service experiences I have had.

Examples of just how bad it was: from having a reservation nearly cancelled because we potentially would not be there precisely before our reserved time, to wait staff generally having a very poor attention to customer experience, ending in not including prices on the bill to allow for easy splitting.

I can not express how poor of a taste this service left. If the pricing were more reasonable and the service were held to a higher standard more commensurate with even an average service experience in Taiwan I would return.

There is no reason to seek out this restaurant when so much other equal or better quality food...

Excellent modern Italian place, I think amongst the best I’ve had in my years living in Taiwan. So good we ended up going twice during our stay in Kenting (then again, the bar is relatively low…). The highlights - the squid starter is excellent (simple preparation but grilled & flamed to perfection), both the handmade pasta dishes we tried were fantastic (pastas are perfectly balanced & cooked al dente, addictively good!), and the mango, litchi, and oolong sorbets were all impressive [downstairs cafe]. Quality pasta, in particular, I think is hard to find in the sea of mediocrity in Taipei, so definitely stands out. On the other hand, the pizzas were hit or miss - I first tried the pizza from their handcart and thought was a perfect balance of crispy/chewy crust with high quality ingredients - but surprisingly the brick-and-mortar pizza was not as good, lacking salt in the crust and thus just not being as tasty. Pizza inconsistency aside this would be 5 stars…

In terms of ambiance, the industrial chic is neat (if not hot, as the place is largely not air conditioned). Unfortunately, as others have mentioned, the crowd definitely trends towards the Taipei influencer-types dressed to their nines, definitely not matching the yip-ster vibes of the decor.

All in all an excellent find, will definitely go out of my way to come back here...