Beach Blanket Babylon

Our two visits to BBB were an education in how hospitality should not be done. Which is a shame, because it's a gorgeously designed open-plan bar and restaurant, with a first-floor art gallery due to open shortly, and a roof terrace in time for next summer. The floor staff on our visit looked as though they had stepped straight out of a modelling agency's books. The room was their catwalk - too bad for anyone who wanted, say, their table cleared, or to order a glass of wine. Even the manager walked past our beckoning table to sit with his friends. Only the greeter at the door seemed to know what she was actually there for. The catalogue of mistakes ranged from simply staring through our hand-waving to not bringing cutlery. Our waitress struggled to remember the three desserts on offer, and another waiter didn't know if they had been brought in or made on site. And given that the staff weren't terribly busy serving, couldn't one of them have given the stairs a quick mop? Or deigned to clean the Ladies'? Despite all this, the food was, mostly, quite good. My roast chicken soup starter was a warming, flavoursome bowl. Poking around didn't reveal the promised parsley dumplings and the waitress, under duress, went off to check, eventually reporting back well into our mains that the kitchen had run out of dumplings. The serrano ham was delicious but let down by watery, weak melon. My main course of sea bass with a winter salad seemed small, but the fish was cooked to perfection, and the fennel, pine nut and sultana salad was beautiful. The excellent Argentinian steak came blue, just as it had been ordered, the creamy parsnip mash was a delight. With some staff training, this could be a fantastic addition to Shoreditch. Until they sort this out, however, don't bother.

http://www.timeout.com/london/restaurants/12479.html