La Fiamma — Restaurant in London

Don't waste your time and money.

Popped in for lunch after a walk in Bushy Park and having heard good things about the restaurant. A lovely waitress seated us and gave us the QR code for the menu, but this when the first problem arose. Because there's a really weak internet connection inside, the menu wouldn't load on our phones so we asked for the WIFI password. When we were told there isn't WIFI, we asked if they had a backup paper menu that we could look at. None of those either. We had to go outside to the menu on the wall and lean over the table where a poor couple were trying to have a nice lunch to look at / take photos of the menu. A simple back up paper menu is such an easy fix to this problem.

I ordered the Risotto Pollo which was effectively a rice soup. It was really disappointing - so much liquid, really watery when a risotto is supposed to be thick and creamy (and I'm pretty certain the rice was basmati rice not risotto rice!) When we questioned it, we were told it's a 'saucy risotto' and that the chef's can cook them according to your liking - but we were never given this option when ordering and as that's not how a risotto should be cooked how on earth would a customer know to request it be cooked a certain way?

Nobody came to ask us how the food was - even when the plates were collected and I had left most of risotto even then nothing was said. We did actually question them on why nobody came to ask how our meals were and the response was 'customers have said they actually prefer it when we don't check'.... that makes sense.

Finally, when we were settling the bill, we mentioned these things to the waitress by way of thoughtful customer feedback (how can you know there's some issues if no one says anything? And no one had asked us so we wanted to make them aware!) but were met with such passive aggression and defensiveness from the waitress it was genuinely shocking! To the point that as we walked out one of the other members of staff asked why she was arguing with the customer. It was such incredibly poor service.

The setting does not make up for the extortionate cost of the substandard food or the attitude of some of the staff (you can see this if you read some of the responses on here). So disappointing as it could be such a fantastic...

After reading the multiple positive reviews and comparing to other restaurants in the area I decided to give La Fiamma a try. Needless to say I was far from impressed. On a positive note the location and views are pleasant but the food was hard to rate as anything above average. First of all I asked for a table by the window upon booking and the restaurant granted this request. After sitting down for 10 mins we were then told we were sat at the wrong table as there was another booking under the same surname for 4 people. Surely it’s not hard to work out the difference between both bookings when they have different group sizes? After my partner and I then moving table we then had our starters which was the Scallops and the Calamari which were pleasant enough. My main course of Lamb Shank was terrible. Tough meat and the rice bomblasted with Parsley making it pungent to taste. Couldn’t eat it. I notified the manager who was abrupt and rude. Still hungry I ordered dessert which was panna cotta as it’s a favourite of mine. This was presented beautifully. Yet the taste was an abomination. Too much gelatin gave the consistency of jelly and the taste was lacking any flavour or depth. Two mouthfuls was enough.

If you want to experience a good Italian then steer clear of this one ! Poor service and customer care and at the prices they are charging a little courtesy is the least one would expect. I have had better service at Nandos! Whilst the location is lovely that is all that is positive. You have...

I had the unfortunate experience of attempting to make a reservation at this restaurant, and I must say it was nothing short of a disaster. From the moment I contacted them, I felt like an unwelcome guest in someone else's home.

First and foremost, the booking process was absolutely atrocious. The person I spoke with on the phone who said are the manager seemed like they would rather be doing anything else but taking a reservation. They had a rude and dismissive attitude from the start. It was as if I were inconveniencing them by trying to make a booking. They barely paid attention to my request, mumbled the available time slots, and seemed completely uninterested in answering any questions I had about their reservation policy.

But the real icing on the cake was when I tried to discuss some concerns I had about their availability. The person on the phone brushed me off and gave me a condescending response as if I were beneath them. It was evident that they had no interest in accommodating my request or addressing my concerns and in the end she hung up the phone on me.

Overall, I would strongly advise against trying to make a reservation at this establishment. The horrible and impolite service I encountered during the booking process made it abundantly clear that they have no respect for their potential customers. Save yourself the frustration and make a reservation at a restaurant that values your patronage and treats you with the courtesy and respect...