Zia Vitalia — Restaurant in Mole Valley

I'm very surprised at the other reviews for this restaurant. Two of us went to the restaurant on a thursday. It was possibly two thirds full. Unfortunately there was only one waiter on duty which was made obvious immediately. We waited to be seated, without even being acknowledged, for several minutes. We waited for a menu at our table. We waited for a drink at our table. We waited to order our meal (only 1 starter and 2 mains) and waited 25 minutes for the starter, a simple cured meat and very dry salad with no dressing, and none offered. After waiting so long to order we decided to keep it simple, not wanting to cause the kitchen any problems, and ordered a pasta carbonara and 4 seasons pizza. We requested the bacon in the carbonara to be well cooked if not not crispy. It wasn't. The pizza was dry, pretty barren with what looked like very old tinned artichoke hearts. Genrally a very poor experience. Won't return and...

I have never eaten there before. I pased it often but was never tempted in. I was taken there by friends and went with an opened mind. The place wasn't as inviting as it is made out to be and there weren't many people in, perhaps it was the week day. When it came to order drinks, we asked for beers they only had one type. So we had to make do. Then they didn't have some starters we settled for a set menu. My choice of starter was passable and then my main, fish and vegs. The carrots were directly from a tin and the beans had seen better days, whilst the potatoes cooked from a frozen batch bought in bulk. The dessert was ok but not fresh. We had a complimentary shot at the end, that had been diluted. And when the bill came, gratuity was added automatically, and not complimentary! The service from the staff was so so and sporadic. Will I go there again? Not so...

We ordered lunch from the set menu.

The aubergine starter was extremely rich and flavoursome. According to our very nice waitress, it's one of their specialities - and I can see why.

The plaice main course was perfectly cooked, light and refreshing with a beautiful white wine sauce.

The panna cotta for dessert was the absolute best I've ever had. The prefect wobbly texture, and the strawberry sauce complimented the smooth creamy vanilla flavour perfectly.

Even the coffee afterwards was fantastic, despite being decaff!

The service was very friendly and professional. I can't...