Lantana Shoreditch — Restaurant in London

FAO vegetarians!

I went for lunch with a friend this weekend and we both ordered the nasi goreng - he ordered the chicken version, and I ordered the tofu and mushroom version as I don't eat meat.

When the waitress came to bring our meals to the table, she checked who had ordered which and put them down in front of us - sadly she had got them mixed up and I didn't think to check which one I had (assumed she'd given me the correct dish) before I took a massive bite of chicken (disguised by the fried egg on top). I haven't eaten meat for over 2 years so I was quite upset by it, mentioned it to the waitress and she apologised but asked if everything else was alright, we said yes.

Eating the surprise chicken had totally spoiled my meal though, so when the bill came I told her I was surprised they hadn't discounted our meal bearing in mind that I'd just unwittingly eaten meat for the first time in over two years. She was visibly irritated and asked the manager, who agreed to knock off the price of our drinks (two smoothies - £10 total).

I didn't argue, and even paid the discretionary 14% discretionary service charge, but walked away feeling like this was inadequate, and feeling upset by how irritated the waitress was that I'd raised this.

The food itself was okay but nothing special (though as mentioned it was somewhat spoiled by this experience) and felt overpriced for what it was. Don't think...

Disappointed with the food. Then irate at the bill.

Firstly, I was asked if I wanted still or sparkling water. I asked for tap water - which appeared on my bill for £1 - not ok. Then on my bill there’s a £1 donation to charity. And by the way the service charge is 14%(?!) so I’ve been charged nearly £2.50 before I’ve even seen the menu.

We opted for small plates. We were seriously disappointed in the quality of the food given the promising menu and reviews. Padron peppers - covered in far too much paprika and not salted. Very bland. Served in a bed of ‘stracciatella’ which had the consistency of cottage cheese. Croquettes - very tasty. Salmon squares. Tasty enough but a rip off at £8 for the portion size Chicken bites - tasty enough, though not enough dip. Truffle flatbread. No taste of truffle at all. More of the cottage cheese. Very few mushrooms. Flavour was dominated by some green herb they had added. Not disgusting but not what we ordered. Was our main event at £18 and we were just so underwhelmed.

Restaurant was quite cold, and service was average. We asked for the 14% tip to be removed and the waiter didn’t blink - doesn’t that say it all.

We went round the corner to Officina 00 for dessert (which was packed to the rafters by the way!)

Would not...

To be honest, based on the reviews, I was expecting more. This place is close to where I work so one lunchtime I popped in and asked to book a table for 2 people for the following qeek. I was promptly told to do it online as this would be 'easier'. I'm guessing the staff meant easier for them.

So, I booked online which was very easy to be honest, but it would have been more convenient to have just been able to book in person whilst I was at the place.

When I went to the restaurant for lunch my friend had already been seated so I joined her in a nice corner. The table was a bit small, but fine and there was already tap water at the table. We both ordered the chilli cakes and they came out quite quickly and looked really lovely. I was a bit disappointed to be honest though, as there was no spice to them at all and if anything, I think they were on the bland side.

The service was quite good but it was obvious the waiting staff were rushed as we struggled to catch them to ask for more tap water and then to ask for the bill. We managed to ask for the bill twice but it never came so we just went up to the counter to pay.

In summary, it was an average place and I didn't think the food was overly tasteful so I...