Osteria Vitis — Restaurant in London

UPDATE AFTER OWNER RESPONSE: 1: more than one person was subjected to not being able to order food from any other staff member than the manager (the shorter guy was the one who refused to take an additional order) "Additionally, your statement regarding an interaction about ordering more food or drinks and being told to "speak to the manager" does not align in any way with any staff recollections or our service practices." - Owner maybe get your staff to tell you the truth I had observed more than one person get turned away from ordering from the male staff members 2: not once was I told I can order at the counter 3: accusing me of a fabricated review is slander! 4: the staff looked stressed the last thing they would want to hear is that the table didn't enjoy the food I just simply paid and left 5: My opinion on the quality of the food seems to be shared with others the food IN MY OPINION tasted like it was from a frozen packet specifically the shrimp and muscles, the tangy/sour flavor of the artichokes suggested to me that it was canned in my opinion. 6: Not once did i mention discrimination saying i felt a little uncomfortable from shocked looking staff is not discrimination nor did i every say i was discriminated against.

Walking In the staff seemed to look shocked at my appearance which made me a little uneasy I wasn't dressed crazy I was just wearing makeup but im guessing they haven't seen a guy in makeup before. After that it seemed fine when we were seated the atmosphere seemed nice looking over the menu I was quite excited when I saw the Tagliatelle Seafood which came with a side. When I ordered I asked what side would go best with my main and was suggested the artichokes so that's what i ordered along with a cider.

While waiting for the food I noticed something quite strange they only seemed to be REHEATING FOOD and didn't hide it so this is clearly the way they do things here. When the food arrived the artichokes were extremely tangy and sour this indicated that they were using canned artichokes the seafood Tagliatelle wasn't great the Muscles and Shrimp were clearly from a FROZEN PACKET this was quite annoying as the menu constantly stated how authentically Italian the food is...

It seemed that only the manager was aloud to take orders as people were told no when asking for other items from other staff this was off putting to see the manager seemed stressed while REHEATING FOOD and looked like she was dismissing other staff in front of customers. I found it rude when the manager came to take others dishes on the table while I was still eating. (I noticed all the staff doing this.)

OVERALL the REHEATED FOOD IS NOT WORTH THE STUPID PRICE THEY PUT ON IT BLAND, REHEATED AND DEFINITELY NOT AUTHENTIC...

Food: I was surprised to see that a vast amount of the menu is out for display. The food is then taken from the display and then reheated.

I ordered the beef lasagna, and frankly, I was disappointed. I might have just been unlucky, but my portion almost completely lacked beef. The side was roast potatoes, and these again were reheated, but they were barely warm & not at all crispy.

I ordered a mango & peach lemonade for £3 and I was presented with a can of sparkling water flavoured mango & peach.. ouch

Service

The service was slow, but it seemed like the lady was the only one engaging with customers and was completely backlogged.

I did see multiple people get frustrated and get up and go to the counter to order. Due to service, they also got their own cutlery.

I asked to order something and was told by a younger male employee to speak to the manager... I want more food, not to complain, so that didn't make sense. Logic dictates that he would have told her I was waiting to place an additional order, but nope, 15 minutes later, I got up and nagged another employee. She was busy but was kind and helped.

I heard the male employee tell another customer "No" so customer satisfaction is not a priority.

Overall, I can't recommend this place for food in any aspect, unsettling atmosphere. It's much more French than anything else. I wish the experience was better as we were excited to try this place.

(Update, Due to Owners argumentative Comments ) I did attend with my friend, however we both had slightly different experiences. I kept my review fair and balanced, it remains true that a male member of staff did decline to take my order. You will see that I did go up to the counter between 10-15 minutes after our interaction to order some bread. If I could kindly suggest that you do me the courtesy of not directing me to read other's reviews for your reply. The only motivation for the review was to share my direct experience with others, so that they may make an informed choice. Please spend less time arguing/ dismissing reviewers & watching CCTV to cater for your guests. Please act...

What a terrible disappointment. Again. I've thought about leaving a review for a while now, but since The Acater was so new when I first tried it I was hoping both the food and the service would improve with time. That has not been the case. We've been three times in 6 months and I will probably never return as it does not seem to get any better. It has an fantastic location that has the potential to be an absolute thriving restaurant / cafe / wine bar / bakery / deli - whatever The Acater is attempting to be.

The food resembles the ready meals you get at Tesco's, or at a stretch, M&S.

This is a place that promotes themselves as serving "World-Class Gastronomy"....!

The service has been either; Not interested, or on the verge of hostile. I can understand one can become hostile when serving food of this quality.

There is much to be said, but I won't prolong the suffering of having to re-live the experiences, but I will end the review with a brief piece of dialogue I had with one of the waiters after I unfortunately ordered mashed potatoes;

Me: Are these mashed potatoes made from a bag of powdered potatoes? Waiter: It's not MASHED potatoes! It's POTATO PURÉE. Me: Right.. Is the Potato Purée industrial processed dehydrated instant potato mash? Waiter: Yes.

"The Acater; That place in the Village where families and friends dwell happily over an unparalleled selection of Mediterranean,...