ASK Italian - South Kensington — Restaurant in London

Main complaint: the food. The pizza looked undercooked the moment it landed on the table - it was just a doughy pale white colour without any crispiness and it looked like 2 of the toppings listed on the menu had been missed out. The remaining toppings looked like the kitchen was running out of supplies. Honestly, I would have been better off buying a pizza from the supermarket and putting it in the oven at home. At least it would have had a proper layer of toppings and at least I know what a properly cooked pizza looks like and could have made sure it had a bit of crispness. Looking around, we saw quite a few other tables with pizzas that looked similarly undercooked.

My wife's pasta was OK but again not sure it was an improvement over buying pasta and tomato sauce from the supermarket.

This is a real shame because we used to like going to Ask some years ago and the food used to be genuinely good and clearly made with some care. Actually even some of the photos on Google reviews look a lot better than what we were given. The concerning thing is that if we already thought the pizza looked bad when it landed on our table (and neither of us is a chef!), then it must also be pretty obvious to whoever is working in the Ask kitchen, which suggests they simply don't care about sending out food which is obviously sub-standard.

Because ordering is now done from the mobile phone / web page, the staff had more or less given up on anything apart from delivering orders from the kitchen. We had to go to the front to ask for water, go to the front to ask for pepper / cheese, and the pasta was served without bothering to provide a spoon, so again if you want a spoon with your pasta then you'd better go to the front to ask for it rather than expect anyone to show any common sense and bring it to the table with the food.

The quality of the food and experience is unfortunately not lined up any more with the cost of the meal - as we could have made similar or better food in 15 minutes at home, and it was essentially now close to self-service, I don't know how the restaurant can justify the prices and I'm still baffled as to how the kitchen can do a bad job of...

The welcome when we arrived was frosty at best and, rather than being shown to a table, we were just gestured to sit wherever we wanted within a particular area. No kind words, no warm welcome, not even the usual complimentary shot of lemonade - just a bit of a grunt and a nonchalant wave of the arms. The young lady who came over to take our drinks order was friendly, warm, and polite, but she was the sole member of staff to come out of the visit with any credit whatsoever.

Based on the quality of the welcome, we would have left and eaten elsewhere had we been in familiar surroundings but, being in a city with which we were not familiar, we felt that it was best to stick with where we were rather than trying to find somewhere else to eat at short notice on a cold and rainy night.

For my starter I ordered the arancini, which were very nice, but the tomato sauce in which they were served was stone cold. When our plates were collected after we had finished our starters, we were told to keep and re-use our cutlery.

The poor service continued throughout the rest of our visit, with nobody checking to see if our food was satisfactory, or to see if we required any further drinks (we were wanting to order a round of cocktails but, seeing as nobody offered to take our order, we decided not to). Salt, pepper, and cheese were merely deposited onto our table for us to deal with.

Whilst we were eating, we noticed a member of staff smoking a vape within the kitchen. He noticed that he had been seen, as he made eye contact with us. Rather than stopping what he was doing, he merely moved behind a pillar and continued.

Finally, when the bill came, the service remained at the frosty level that had been exhibited all night. I noticed that the bill included a discretionary 10% tip and, as I am sure you will understand, requested that it be removed. The member of staff, rather than doing as I asked, requested that I justify this demand - this seems completely at odds with the fact that the tip is described as discretionary.

There are, certainly, better options out there for a pleasant evening meal, and highly recommend that you...

My first experience of @Ask Italian at Gloucester Arcade, Gloucester Road had been an extension to which my milestone birthday drawn to reluctant conclusion zodiac wise. My visit was on the cusp of the zodiac sign Scorpio transitioning into Sagittarius - the star aligned to make this visit before the ascending of the new moon on Thursday 24 November 2022. A new experience reflects a new beginning to be explored by new places such as @Ask Italian for new memories to be made.

The elements of emotions ranged from feelings excited, elegetic and energetic. Each emotion were connected to feeling a new extension to making moments come to life at this venue.

My mid-week lunch was enigmatically attracted to choosing Fettucine Bolognese and redeemed my celebrative cocktail bequeathed as a personal gift fit for this milestone occasion.

Set in a peaceful restaurant bliss burst sent me into a tranquil taste transit. My taste buds embarked upon a journey of fun and I sat down whilst eating at my table (number 14) was clean to add to the unforgettable technicolour experience I had.

The highlight of my experience was sipping on the Winter Aperoli Spirit whilst alleviating any post party fatigue built up across the weeks. The premium hospitality given at this branch of #Ask Italian was a pleasure to receive and will definitely warrant more time spent there.

The electric amber alcoholic beverage ticked each box to win over my heart by making me want more, wondering why I did not come soon to this restaurant and absolutely wanting to return back to make many more occasion come to life at @Ask Italian situated in Gloucester Arcade, Gloucester...