Piccolino Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

I asked for the dish of the day and asked to change one of the ingredients. The lady who took my order was very accommodating and agreed with no problem. She and the man who seated me were both very pleasant and made me feel comfortable immediately. When my dish arrived, however, it was disappointing as the pasta was still undercooked. I politely called the waiter and explained to him that I could still see raw pasta in the middle and even showed him it. The sauce was also cold, but I didn't complain about that, but the pasta was undercooked, and I didn't want to risk eating it like that. He took it back and when he told the cook (in Italian, but I speak it so understood what was being said) the cook dismissed it and said 'doesn't she understand it's al dente?'. They continued the argument and after that I called the lady over, as she was the person who took my order and politely explained that I known what al dente pasta is, but that it should not have raw dough left, it should have a bite to it, but not be raw. I spoke in a low voice so that other customers didn't overhear me. The dish was re-done, yet when it arrived, the pasta was still undercooked, and this time, the salmon, which was part of the original recipe, and which was there in my first dish, was not included in the dish. I chose not to complain again, but when the lady came to ask me how the dish was, she could see on my face that I was disappointed again. I explained to her what had happened and that I had chosen not to send the dish back because although the pasta was undercooked, it was a bit more cooked than the first time, and also because I was very hungry and didn't want to leave to look for another restaurant. I suggested to her that the chef might want to try the pasta when he's cooking it, and then he'd know when it is cooked to perfection. She apologised and told the chef who, again, did not accept the criticism. The manager offered me a discount when I asked for the bill which was nice gesture but unfortunately, did not make up for the dish. I am staying close by for another 3 days, but I will not...

Sadly, I had been looking forward to eating at Piccolino, but they fell short in a few important areas.

First (noticed more by my daughter than me initially), there was only one member of staff wearing their mask properly. Some had it down at their chin the whole time, others paid lip service to knowing how to wear it, by occasionally pulling it up over their mouth, but leaving their nose completely exposed. In the first weeks of the new concern about Omicron, this is lackadaisical, and many customers would be put off by this straight away. In a restaurant, you have to be seen to be conscientious about the rules. If they’re not fussed about the masks, what impression does that give about their views on hygiene?

Second, having explained at length that they would need the table back within 90 minutes when we booked (not really a problem, we thought - it was just a quick meal, nothing too fancy), there was a delay of nearly 1/2 an hour between us finishing our starters and our mains arriving. None of them seemed complex or time-consuming for a restaurant to make in my view, and several other tables got their mains long before us, despite having ordered later.

Finally, I had ordered the steak, but the waitress never asked me how I wanted it cooked. I had to make a point of saying ‘Can I have it rare please?’. Then, after that long delay, it arrived medium-well, with a flourish from another waiter - ‘Your steak sir, medium-rare.’ I’d have taken medium-rare, but it patently wasn’t. I know perfectly well how to cook steak, and usually grudge paying a premium to have someone cook me one, but I was in the mood for it. It’s not difficult, guys - if you’re going to offer it on the menu, at least ask how the customer wants it cooked, and then cook it that way.

The rest of the food was pretty decent, though.

I suspect we won’t go back anyway, but it’s a shame to have been so disappointed with some...

Pre Cinema Food Hoped off the bus at 19:04 and walked the short distance to the restaurant. We were on a deal, pasta, dessert and prosecco which was ideal for the time we had before the film 🎞. I spotted my partner sitting towards the rear of the restaurant. Francesco came over with menus and explained what was available on the deal and which items had a supplement. He then turned the blue glasses over and I thought we were going to be offered tap water but none arrived. A few minutes later we ordered and waited for our food to arrive, I was just checking my watch as I thought we had been waiting a while, when the food arrived. The prosecco was poured and looked like a half glass. I chose the lasagna and added garlic bread 🥖, the lasagna was the freshest I have tasted and the accompanying tomato sauce was excellent. I added a glass of red wine 🍷 to go with the pasta 🍝 and thoroughly enjoyed it. I then chose the strawberry 🍓 tart which was a short crust pastry 🥮 with fresh strawberries on top. As we were starting to run a little late we never bothered with the coffee ☕️. I caught the attention of the other waiter and Francesco brought the machine over and I paid and tipped to round up the bill. I have passed Piccolino hundreds of times on the bus, I am glad I have finally tried it, it was a pleasant dining experience. The atmosphere was good and judging by the reception some of the other patrons got it seems to have a strong regular customer base. Total bill £45.40...