Vieta — Restaurant in Harborough

An extremely disappointing experience at a restaurant we have been looking forward to visiting for some time now.

First off, let me preface this review by saying that my partner and I have never left a review that wasn't 5 stars before, never sent food back, and never ever been unwilling to pay the entire bill.

The food (of which we actually were able to finish) was OK at best, starters were good, my partner's 'rare' steak had to be sent back as it came out well done the first time. The second time it was indeed cooked rare, however was really not up to scratch. Desserts, too, were OK.

The real issue arose when I asked the waitress to box up my Katsu curry so that I could take it home with me, as I was beginning to feel full and was looking forward to my dessert. The waitress politely obliged and went away into the kitchen to do so. Shortly after, she came out and apologised, stating that they could not allow me to take it home and have put it in the bin. This came as quite the shock, as if I'd have been told that taking it home was not an option, I'd have happily had it back to finish. I had eaten absolutely no more than one piece of chicken and 2 fork-fuls of rice. The meal was 95% untouched.

Upon the arrival of the bill, we politely asked that there be an amendment made as my main course was literally disposed of... The waiter, Nick Rigo, disagreed with our request on the basis that "you'd sent it back" and "if you're full then why do you want it back". He was incredibly rude, accusing us of 'taking the mick' and not making any effort to see the perspective of a customer who had come out for a meal, had it put in the bin, and then been charged full price. My partner was more than reasonable, saying that we are more than happy to pay for what we actually had, and are only looking for a reasonable adjustment. Nick accused us of saying we were going to walk out without paying, and continued to argumentatively quiz me on why I would want the food back etc. rather than make any conceivable attempt to resolve the situation.

In the end, Nick begrudgingly agreed to deduct the course of the main, but made sure that we were aware that it 'wouldn't make any difference' to the price, as we were having the set menu offer and by deducting the main, the discount would be lost. Mathematically, this makes perfect sense, however paying full price for a meal that got thrown away, does not. This resulted in a couple of quid off the bill, which we happily paid in order to never have to see him again.

I completely appreciate that this review is only representative of one side of the story, but I have stuck to the facts and remained impartial where possible. The treatment from Nick (other staff were faultless), was something I have never experienced before. He professed to be a manager, which I find hard to believe, but if true I would sincerely encourage the owner(s) to rethink.

Again, we eat out maybe 3-4 times a week, and have never once left a negative review. Some people love a moan, and leave bad reviews left, right, and centre. Not us, this is completely out of character, but wholly necessary. A massive disappointment to an evening we were thoroughly...

Having read very good reviews about this new restaurant we thought we would give it a try for our anniversary as we had not eaten out for a long time. The staff were excellent. The tables were well spaced out and the place settings looked nice. I thought the menu was rather limited in choice and lacked imagination. It would have been nice to see something different from the norm, although the starter choice included soft shell crab, but at nearly £10 for a starter proved to be nothing more than average....if that. The black pudding scotch egg was tasteless and bland. You can get an equivalent at Waitrose that packs a punch albeit without a runny middle. Seasoning was generally ( in my opinion) conspicuous by it’s absence. Consequently ample use was made of the salt and pepper on the table. The wagu burger and the chicken burger were ok, and the quality of the chicken seemed good. Frankly they would be better specialising in ribs and burgers and completely exploiting that market where there is real appeal. I’m not sure what the identity of this restaurant is or wants to be, but what little I know about the restaurant industry I would start by looking at the menu and it’s appeal. We eat salmon, lamb at home , but very rarely ever have a top notch burger, so this was a good opportunity to try one, but it just wasn’t special. One other point, if you serve lardons they really need to be cooked well and rendered down otherwise you are eating white fat which is very unappealing, surely for textural purposes they should almost be crispy. Similarly, if you put bacon in a burger it surely must be crispy or at least cooked very well otherwise you are left to cut off the fat which is still translucent which personally I don’t like and I don’t think many other people do either. In a competitive local dining market time will tell, but while I wish any new business the best of luck I regret that we won’t be going back. The staff really are nice and I do wish the place well it’s all about personal views and preferences.other reviews clearly take a very different...

I visited this restaurant for a birthday celebration, and while we were greeted warmly and the food was good value, the overall experience was disappointing due to poor service and an extremely noisy atmosphere.

We were seated upstairs, where a group of six dominated the room with excessive noise. Although a hen party was also present, they left shortly after we arrived — it became clear the group of six was the main source of disruption. We couldn’t hear each other or our server, and when I politely asked if we could move or if staff could speak to the group, I was told — with a smile — that nothing would be done. Several waitresses acknowledged how loud it was, and we even saw two potential guests walk out, despite available tables.

Service was slow and disorganised: plates crossed over the table, messy clearing of plates and communication was difficult. I ordered the goat’s cheese parfait, which came with no bread. When I asked for some (as my friend received brioche with hers - liver parfait), I was told no — again without explanation. Only after insisting did I receive two small, untoasted pieces (waited a long time). My rib-eye steak was undercooked to the point of being cold inside, but no one checked on us during the meal. When we addressed the noise ourselves, a confrontation followed. Staff did not manage the situation and instead implied that older guests (we're in our late 50s) should expect this on a Saturday night. It felt dismissive and ageist. The bill was dropped on our table without a word, and we were asked to leave promptly. When I asked for the name of the proprietor, I was refused. While the food had potential, hospitality is about more than what’s on the plate. Sadly, this was a stressful, poorly handled evening where we felt unwelcome and...