David Smith
Google
A slightly strange experience and mixed feelings about this restaurant, but let me explain.
On arrival, we were greeted by the maitre d' but it seemed that they weren't sure about our reservation. They disappeared and reappeared to show us to what they were keen to describe as their VIP area, so overall that worked out well, eventually.
The menu is quite extensive and lots of choice to work through, which is great, but we were initially rushed to choose drinks and place our order while we were still just getting settled.
Once the order was placed I was able to relax a bit and take in what is a beautifully decorated restaurant and obviously a high-end establishment. Also, the quality of food is beyond question, pushing for Michelin star levels in my opinion and most of the group opted for the taster menu to experience it to the fullest.
However, the service needs to match the quality of the food and after all the initial attentiveness we struggled to get noticed by our serving team (it seemed one did food, another drinks which was a little confusing).
Another strange aspect was on this particular Friday night, while the inside area was very civilised and high-end when I went out to the inner-courtyard area there were stag and hen parties going on, with a distinctly different ambiance.
Overall though, we had a very enjoyable evening and I can certainly recommend L'Escoleta for a special night or occasion. You won't be disappointed by the food, the setting or the team there. My intention though is to offer this honest feedback in a constructive manner to help the restaurant achieve the highest levels they are clearly striving for.