The Food Island — Restaurant in London

“The Kitchen?” Nope, it should be called “The Takeaway”

Visited late last night and it looked like a kitchen equipment sales shop with a pizza oven at the very back! I didn’t realise it was only a takeaway but with 8 vegan pizzas to choose from and hotel a couple of doors down, it was a no-brainer.

Vegan Menu: The vegan options were Margherita, Hawaiian, Meat Feast, Pepperoni, Sausage Mix, Chicken Mix, Vegetarian and Sausage. £9.95 to £11.95

I chose the Sausage Mix £11.95 which has a tomato sauce base, grated vegan mozzarella, slices of vegan sausage, thinly sliced red onion, sliced roasted red and green peppers, jalapeños and virgin olive oil.

The chef hand stretched the dough and cooked it in the pizza oven which took about 4 minutes. It was served piping hot with a pre-bought garlic and herb dip. The base a nice mix of crispiness and softness, the vegan cheese was amazing and it tasted really nice.

If I’m to be critical, the topping slipped off when I tried to eat it because all of the cheese went under the toppings (add half underneath and half on top guys). I also only found one slice of jalapeño so so it lost any heat I’d...

Truly shocking service and average food. Call me picky but I feel there are several basic elements to running a restaurant: When the customer says 'hello' upon entering an establishment, it is common courtesy to acknowledge them with an equal greeting. NB: A sneer is not an equal greeting If wine has been ordered, bring it to the table in advance of the meal as the customers may want a drink while waiting 20+mins for the food to arrive. Once the wine has been delivered, allow the customer to taste it to see whether it has been corked Ask all guests what they would like to order, rather than a select few Bring all orders to the table and not wait to be chased for missing dishes Offer condiments, such as black pepper, rather then let the customers root around for them Let all guest finish their food prior to clearing the table Say goodbye to customers when they depart. Again, a sneer is not a suitable response

The above may sound standard (or perhaps I am picky) but not one of them was adopted by the staff at La Cucina. Maybe this is their innovative model, it is a competitive...

Not great.

I went to this place as it was right next to my hotel. I spent a total of £19.90 on a can of diet coke, the American hot pizza, and some calamari rings. The food itself took only a few minutes to cook, for obvious reasons - the pizza was barely cooked through, drenched in chilli sauce, with tough meat. The calamari rings smelled fishy with a heavy battering and I didn't enjoy a single bite of anything.

I ate one slice. I was so disappointed with my food that I attempted to take it back. I don't like bothering restaurant staff at the most urgent of times but I couldn't stomach any more.

I was very apologetic and polite, insisting that I didn't mean to be rude but the food simply wasn't for me. The gentleman I spoke to didn't understand why I didn't enjoy it, to where he went through the menu with me to insist that this is what I'd asked for. I requested a partial refund, but was instead offered the use of their bin. Almost £20 down and an...