Service is everything when you are eating out in the city and paying city prices.
From the courtyard of 25 Martin Place Sydney, L'uva Pasta & Wine Bar looked like a good pretheatre option. We had tried the other restaurants and bars in the Martin Place area many times and it's always nice to try another Sydney venue and expand the eating out repertoire.
Early observations at L'uva indicated the lack of attention to detail that was to follow. We were seated in our requested corner booth quite comfortably. Single sheet printed menus were the first sign of a lack of care. The menus were deficient in ink and therefore patchily printed and hard to read. We took turns walking around the poll to read the butchers paper specials. And we settled on a shared first course from the regular printed menu to start. A favourite dish of mine, Vittello tonnato ($32) was very delicious. Before it arrived I notice my #bff had a knife and a fork atop her fabric napkin; my place was set without a fork, only a knife.
We also enjoyed our Orecchiette ($36) pork ragu, black garlic, burrata, a well priced and tasty signature cocktail and wines by the glass. For a list in a venue that is advertised as wine bar, there were limited choices. Yet I would eat here again with lots of lovely food options, if L'uva would up the ante with professional service.
Later our wait person says she will check with the kitchen what the dessert special (which we can't see on the other side of the pole) means. It is, by the way, Pistachio pannacotta. There is no need I explain again. Thank you but we understand the menu. We settle on Tiramisu for dessert as it's always a good benchmark in an Italian restaurant. We enjoyed that the tiramisu was served in a cocktail glass, and not - as the current trend seems to be - to spoon a portion from a larger tray at the table. To eat, the L'uva tiramisu however was underwhelming, a little lumpy in its flavours with pockets of inconsistencies.
There were a number of challenges in ordering and execution on the L'uva floor, quite a lot of little things that seemed to pursue us consistently for the duration of our stay. Some of these #bff suggested were due to waiters not listening. I might suggest it was a combination of lack of experience and understanding (language) and to proffer that these were not career waiters. They were trying, or so it seemed, if a little lost, so all I could do was smile.
Today I also see on the L'uva website there is a pretheatre special, which I can confidently say that none of the Theatre Royal early dinner patrons within earshot were offered. Such a pity. When will Sydney learn that service is so much more than taking orders and running plates.
