I thought I'd review Bertorelli as I have been to two different branches in the last week.
Bertorelli is a chain restaurant in the same group as Chez Gerard and Livebait. As you may have guessed from the name (and the section this review is in), Bertorelli specialises in italian / meditarrenian cuisine.
The first Bertorelli I visited was on Frith Street, as it was convenient for the Gielgud theatre which we were visiting afterward.
I made reservations although it was quite apparent that there was really no need once we arrived there. I suspect that the restaurant is busier on weekends and later in the evening.
The frith street restaurant is very much continental café style downstairs, although there is a more formal restaurant upstairs. We weren't asked about going upstairs, and I presume that the first floor is only opened when the place is busier. The atmosphere was great however, and the customer service prompt and friendly.
We ordered red wine. The first bottle we were served tasted corked, but our waitress immediately removed the bottle and replaced it.
Complimentary bread sticks are given to each table (which are very moreish indeed - we easily consumed them all!!). I ordered had a rather pleasant pizza and my finaceé ordered an omlette.
As we waited, the restaurant did fill up a little bit, but the meals did appear to be taking a long time. Just as I was about to ask however, the manager came over to our table and apologised that the chef had dropped the omlette. He explained that a new one was being made, and apologised for the delay. He also, without asking, insisted that he would remove the cost of the omlette from the bill to make up for the delay.
When the meals arrived, they were great. The pizza was just right, and the omlette was piping hot and very pleasant.
Deserts were ordered - I had the chocolate cake, and my finaceé had the sorbet. The sorbet was delicious but sadly the chocolate cake was nut filled. I (rather apologetically at this point!) asked if I could change this for a sorbet - the menu does not mention nuts in the cake. Again, they were very nice and changed the meal immediately, apologising that the menu didn't mention the nuts.
The bill was reasonable (£35) and we left a generous tip. If only all restaurants could be like this!
This experience of excellent service was repeated on my second visit to Bertorelli. On this occasion we had intended to eat at Chez Gerard on the Opera Terrace, but we couldn't get a table. The staff at Chez Gerard were quite rude over the phone too "'old please... (7 minutes later) we 'ave no tables, goodbye."
Bertorelli were very pleasant and booked a table immediately.
The Floral Street Bertorelli is completely different from the Frith Street branch. It is much more formal, and the menu was also different. There were no pizza's, just pasta and main dishes. We had a bottle of Perrier Champagne (on special offer at £15) and I ordered a steak. My fiancée ordered a chicken dish.
The food was served promptly, and again my meal was excellent. Unfortunately, my fianceés chicked seemed a little undercooked. But on mentioning this to the waitress, she offered immediately to replace the dish. 5 minutes later the manager popped over - and guess what - insisted that the meal would not be charged for. We chose not to have the meal replaced as we were a little short on time.
Deserts were excellent, and we also enjoyed watching Placido Domingo arrive at the Royal opera House - Bertorelli's windows open on to the stage door. We had excellent seats rather ironically, as we were off to see Calamity Jane, whilst everyone else in the restuarant was heading for the Opera!
The bill was again reasonable - we also had a buy one meal get one free voucher, so this meal came out at about £30 in total!
--------- Summary ---------
Bertorelli restaurants are efficient, courteous and serve good food well. The food is also inexpensive (cheaper than TGI Friday for example) and satisfying. Booking was easy, and they left us thinking we will definitely go back.
It is worth checking out the Bertorelli you are heading for if you want a particular ambiance as they do vary widely it appears.
For more info, type Bertorelli into any search engine and you will be able to find location and reservation details.
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