Bakini

Maybe we misread the online menu, but we were only given an express lunch menu, so daydreams of seafood and pasta were dashed. Nevertheless, the chance to try pasta made in house is always welcome. We placed our orders and over half an hour later most of the meals arrived. My lamb ragu with rigatoni was a little dry for my liking. My colleagues found the cabbage with their risotto unusual but pleasant. The gnocchi with cauliflower and gorgonzola was the pick of the bunch. Classy surroundings and polite staff throughout our visit. If coming in a group, pre-ordering is a good idea for Friday lunch as the place filled and emptied within 75 mins.

Agree with other reviewers here, this cafe/bistro is classy with a lovely decor and it's also very clean and has a great ambiance with good seating areas both inside and out. However, we visited late afternoon today just for coffee. Sad to say while the place is impressive, the coffee at Bakini was terrible and given that the place was almost empty (see my photos), we were the only two people there, I don't understand why the service was so slow. I might give Bakini another shot one day soon as I come to this location quite often.

Atmosphere: 4 of 5 great sitting area. Visited at around 5:30 pm so it can be really crowded later on or weekends. Food: 4 of 5 the PAN ROASTED BLUE EYE (Jerusalem artichoke, broad beans, rocket & walnut pesto) was great and yummy highly recommended. Be careful of the small portion of you are really hungry! Staff: 5 of 5 the girls there are so polite so nice and approachable.

I’m a local so this was normally my go-to place for a meal or a quiet drink, however I think I’ve had my last visit, and hence the review. If I were rating just the quality of the food, this would certainly be five stars. However, I’ve experienced very ordinary levels of service over several visits, and decided that I’d rather spend money somewhere that I feel as though I’m welcomed as an individual (versus a couple or group). Certainly not the worse dining/drinking experience I’ve had, however there is a great opportunity for this place to improve on service. Maybe I’ll try it again in the future, not sure. In the meantime, there are many other places local to eat and drink where staff are more pleasant.

Poor experience overall. Shocking service. There were only 2 waitstaff working and the place was packed. It took forever for a waiter to come and take our orders. When ordering, one dish "without mushrooms" the waiter said don't worry it doesn't have mushrooms even though it says Porcini mushrooms on the menu..... what the? We were sitting up the back and could then see our food sitting in the open style kitchen getting cold for ages. The chefs kept dinging the bell to no avail. When it finally arrived it was indeed lukewarm. One order on our table was incorrect completely but they decided it wasn't worth another long wait. One of the waiters seemed to just disappear for ages as well. Will not be back, horrible horrible service.