Barbican Bistro — Restaurant in Great Britain

I was looking forward to this as my partner had an amazing time there around New Year’s, but overall, it was a disappointing experience. I’m giving this review because my feedback is constructive rather than negative.

We arrived midweek, for an evening meal for two, and were brought to the rear dining area and given stool seating over a small high table, the kind you would have a drink at, and maybe an aperitif snack, but then move onto an actual dining table to dine at. Instead, the (five) dishes unexpectedly arrived together and there wasn’t enough room. Maybe we could have been served our starters first and then once they were cleared the mains could have been brought out? No matter, we said if a dining table was available we wouldn’t mind moving and luckily one did. Unluckily, in the main room the ceiling lights were on full power giving it a canteen vibe - not the soft lighting and cosy atmosphere we expected. So the plates arrived without any introduction, which isn’t unacceptable but it is handy and a nice thing for waiters to do. Later, a bill was brought to us for another table; dessert was brought out and the waiter wondered aloud if we should have smaller spoons; innocuous incidents on their own but along with the previous events was indicative of a Front of House team who lacked experience. Lemon sole and squid dishes were fantastic and would...

We had booked a table and were seated near the door, by the bar, which ended up being quite drafty as people came and went.

This is a "tapas" restaurant, where it was suggested that we order two or three plates to share. I had difficulty choosing something that would not affect a capsicum allergy although I felt I was clear what that involved when ordering. The waiter asked me "how bad is it?" (my allergy) That worried me a bit, so I was certain to stay clear of anything that might be an issue.

I ordered the tomato/olive salad, insisting that it could only be black olives and not green with pimiento, and the blue cheese soufflé. My husband ordered fish with capers. The food was presented fairly quickly. And we both did enjoy our meals He also enjoyed a Spanish beer. Not being a beer drinker, I cannot add any advice to that.

I did not give a higher star rating because I thought that the meals were a bit over priced for the quantity in comparison to other places where we had dined in Penzance. And, although they were good, there was nothing that would have called me back to eat there a second time. But if it is Sunday night, and you need a place to eat, this restaurant is certainly a great choice.

FYI: There is no view from the front room, and there is one heck of a step to get into the door...

Disappointing experience despite good food.

I want to be honest, which is why I gave the food 3 stars. However, everything else was the worst I've ever experienced.

We had a reservation, but when we arrived, our table had been given to someone else. After waiting 10 minutes, we were finally seated.

We ordered food and a bottle of wine, but they brought us whiskey glasses, explaining that they had run out of wine glasses and would clean some and bring them over. If that was the case, why bring the whiskey glasses at all? I’m not an alcoholic, and I can wait a bit longer for proper glasses. This felt incredibly rude.

When we ordered mussels, they didn’t provide a separate plate for the shells, even though other tables received them. We asked the waitress for a separate plate for the shells, but instead, she brought another plate of mussels.

The manager checked on the other tables but completely ignored us, asking every table about their food except ours. She smiled at everyone, but smiling doesn't equate to good service.

We were always kind and tried to find positive reasons for this treatment, but things only got worse. We finished our food, and nobody collected the empty plates for a while. We’re not overly sensitive people, but this was too much.

I’m genuinely curious about the reason behind...