Lisa T.
Yelp
3.5 STARS - *1st timer*
PARKING (4/5):
They have both self-park (don't know the cost) & valet ($20). There was no one at valet when we arrived, a bell boy came out and said they were short staffed and said it would be faster to park in the self-park & he'd give us complimentary tickets to cover the parking cost. Very thoughtful & great solution for when they're short staffed. It's 5 steps further & I appreciated his honesty. However, when we tried to leave the parking structure there was a 5 car pile up because the machines were working and no one could leave. They ended up just letting everyone out by manually opening the gate. Wasn't too long of a wait but seems like they were having a rough night.
AMBIANCE (5/5):
The restaurant is inside THE VIV HOTEL on the 12TH FLOOR. It's very well decorated & charming inside with an elegant feel. The windows are floor to ceiling to show the skyline and Disneyland fireworks! Make sure to request a window seat & check the Disneyland fireworks schedule to make your resy at the right time to view an extra special treat! Great spot for a date night if you want to impress someone.
FOOD (3/5):
**I loved the flavor of all the food we got, however, a lot of the dishes we received came out COLD**
I tried to rationalize for why it could've all came out cold, because we were sitting under the A/C or that we took to long to eat it, but even the dishes they had just placed on the table - it was cold! There is no excuse. This is where the restaurant fell short & I would have easily given 4 stars otherwise. Do they not have heating lamps? Do they pre-make dishes since we came on the weekend in anticipation of the big rush and just have it ready? I think so. Because we ordered 5 dishes (not including dessert) and 4/5 came out to the table in LESS THAN 5 minutes. No way they could cook it that fast.
$12 PAN CRISTAL: fresh toasted bread with grated tomato. I wish it had the garlic, but this restaurant doesn't serve it like that. The bread WAS HOT & delicious, but I wouldn't order this again.
$21 CHARRED OCTOPUS: LOVED THIS! Octopus was cooked perfect and loved the olive oil, lemon purée, potato foam sauce. Definitely order!
$14 JAMON SERRANO CROQUETTES: with bechamel. It's a cheesy potato ball! Crispy on the outside, smooth on the inside. Not spicy. Delish!!!
$22 BEEF CHEEK: one of the most popular items on the menu & rightfully so! Fall apart meat with amazing flavor & piquillo pepper purée. Sadly came out COLD.
$55 DOVER SOLE: brown butter, marcona almond, lemon. I wish the skin was crispy, but it wasn't. Tasted A LOT of butter. I'd pass on this. Also came out COLD.
$12 TARTA DE QUESO: burnt basque cheesecake. Loved this! Was a perfect dessert that wasn't too heavy. Luckily the dessert was supposed to be served cold.
$68 BODEGAS BRECA OLD VINE GARNACHA: a light red Spanish wine (about the equivalent to a merlot) to go with our meal. It was good.
OVERALL:
I really think this restaurant is great... loved the server, ambiance, fact that you can see Disneyland fireworks, solution to their short-staffed parking problem, and flavor of the food. The ONLY negative thing is that a lot of the dishes came out cold. Even then, I would still recommend this place to friends and hope that it doesn't happen in the future. Obviously, I could've said something in the moment, but I was having a wonderful evening and didn't want to ruin the mood by complaining about food temperature. Highly recommend this place. When I come back to try a 2nd time I will update my review.