Ca Va Bar & Brasserie — Restaurant in Scotland

We loved this place and had made it a Christmas tradition to come and eat the week before Christmas and then go out into town and do something festive. However the last few times we have been the service has been terrible and last year even though we pre booked our table we were squeezed into a table that was not suitable and it was a problem when we asked to move. Regardless of being crammed into another unsuitable table, we stayed - but the service wasn’t great - I think the problem is that they were catering to more covers than they could handle. We also weren’t as impressed with the food, my dish wasn’t up to their usual standard.

I came back recently with my mum for lunch but our sandwiches were so dry. Would hsve been fine if we could get any sauce on the table but was so difficult to get served & when passing on our comments don’t think they were really taken on board.

Unfortunately will be going somewhere else this year

Posted photo comparisons of what the steak usually looks like vs that night, it’s not a massive difference but the little things that change your experience. The sauce had a skin on it too, was...

Mr partner son and I went on a Sunday evening in August. It was busy with the outside seating area full. We were seated quickly, I had booked in advance. Drinks order taken and food order taken when the drinks were swiftly served. We ordered a steak each and a macaroni to share. The steak was delicious, the mushrooms and tomatoes tasty, but the peppercorn sauce and the tasty chips were the star of the meal. The steak was tender and melted in the mouth, we all had pink steak. However a dish that leaves my son talking about them after the meal is over and we are on our way home make the chips stand out.

The macaroni cheese was lava hot and incredibly cheesy The layers of the different types of cheese let the taste of the crust filter through and was a really tasty dish as a side. It was very cheesy, I'm not sure if I would finish it as a main. We did have clean plates all round and agreed to go back for dessert another night.

There was a party going on at the door as we were leaving, however it wasn't too intrusive and we had a lovely dining experience.

Looking forward to...

I was really disappointed by Ca Va. I ordered smashed avocado with poached eggs on toast - a pretty straightforward dish. Instead of fresh 'crushed avocado' as was described on the menu, I was served an ultra-processed avocado supermarket spread out of a tube. The 'sourdough' bread was also quite artificial tasting and definitely not made fresh. I suspect the eggs were pre-poached then warmed up too as they were a little overcooked.

I get that this may save on costs + prep time but you can't expect people to come back if you trick them into eating ultra-processed garbage. There's a LIDL across the road if I fancy some Old El Paso. I'm sure that there are talented chefs in that kitchen capable of making an excellent version of this dish. So please reconsider the approach and start making everything fresh.

Alternatively, reduce the size of the menu and remove this dish if you don't have the capacity to make it from scratch. I suspect that it might be too big a menu to be doing all of it to a high standard.

Hope you can take this feedback on board and I wish you the...