foodwriter93

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I've been to Kingfish Bistro on three separate occasions and each time it has been great. It really is a bistro in the true sense of the word. Fresh, simple and unpretentious. Best of all it's cheap – you could easily afford to eat here once a week as many locals already do.

Everyone seems to be talking about Kingfish at the moment, I think that's because it's different. It's better than a pub meal, cheaper than an over-priced restaurant and consistently delivers amazing seafood. I've noticed the specials board changes often too, so it never gets boring. The service is warm and friendly too. You can't ask for more than that.

Oct 25, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  5     

I've been going to Bitton for a few years now and I have to say it is not as good as it used to be.

A few years ago when it was just a tiny cafe with ten seats, the service was the best I've ever encountered, anywhere. David, the owner was always there to inject his personality and charisma to create a memorable experience. His customers were No.1 - we felt that and the food was consistently good. It was my favorite cafe and I felt blessed to have found it.

Now, a few years on, the business has grown and the culture has changed. With a larger space, it has lost most of it's charm, the service is not as attentive (as you might expect) and the food seems less 'important' in it's new surroundings. In my opinion, the cafe is now too large and I hope David and his staff can work to recapture the 'special' essence of the original little cafe.

I would still recommend Bitton to my friends but I will no longer rave about it at every opportunity. We had a couple of bad experiences there, mainly with the service. Perhaps, our expectations had already been set too high.

If you like good food, then go, you won't be disappointed. And buy a jar of Strawberry and Vanilla jam on your way out, apparently an old recipe passed on from his grandmother in France, it is easily the best jam in the world.

Jun 15, 2011

7 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  1      Service  8      Value  10     

The food is excellent but don't go out the back to the toilet. The area out back where the food is stored is disgusting. I'll never forget the smell, it made me sick.

Big bowls of uncovered chicken sitting under benches in the kitchen was off-putting too, so was the grease build up everywhere, on the screen door, the walls, the floor, the roof, everything was sticky and dirty. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Food is first class but hygiene standards are third world.

May 15, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.6 Below Average

Food  1      Drinks  6      Ambience  9      Service  1      Value  1     

We decided to go here for breakfast after reading a good review. Bad mistake.
First up, the waiter came over to take our order and told us to wait. He was fiddling around with his portable, electronic order taking machine.
Waiting... waiting... hello? Finally he gets it working and we both order the Cured Chorizo Hotpot.

Sounds good. Looks even better. Tastes bad. Really bad. It doesn't have any flavour. I can see some eggs, tomato, mushrooms and a few other things all mixed together in a tomato sauce. It has no real identity, I'm expecting a big chorizo number and it just tastes like nothing. I'm looking around for the actual chorizo and all I can find is a black coloured sausage. What is it? Nibble, nibble. Not much flavour. This isn't chorizo. Is it black pudding? The menu doesn't mention anything about black pudding, so I keep guessing. Hang on a minute, is it rotten chorizo? No it can't be. But I really don't know and I'm put off. My wife notices her eggs aren't cooked. They're still raw, the whites are clear and slimey. She's put off too.

We're both really doubting this place now and decide not to eat the food. Normally I would just eat it but I really didn't like it or trust what was in it. We were quite hungry and decided to eat the bread on the side. There was some butter, but no knife. We kindly asked the waiter for a knife but she forgot. So we politely asked again and she forgot again. I buttered my bread with a spoon.

We got up and paid the bill and the owner asked me how everything was. I told him I didn't like it. He asked me what was wrong with it and I told him I didn't like the taste. But it's more than that. It started with bad service and ended with bad service with bad food in between.

May 15, 2011

9.8 Highly Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  10      Service  10      Value  10     

I've been to Kingfish Bistro on three separate occasions and each time it has been great. It really is a bistro in the true sense of the word. Fresh, simple and unpretentious. Best of all it's cheap – you could easily afford to eat here once a week as many locals already do.

Everyone seems to be talking about Kingfish at the moment, I think that's because it's different. It's better than a pub meal, cheaper than an over-priced restaurant and consistently delivers amazing seafood. I've noticed the specials board changes often too, so it never gets boring. The service is warm and friendly too. You can't ask for more than that.

Oct 25, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

6 Average

Food  8      Ambience  6      Service  5      Value  5     

I've been going to Bitton for a few years now and I have to say it is not as good as it used to be.

A few years ago when it was just a tiny cafe with ten seats, the service was the best I've ever encountered, anywhere. David, the owner was always there to inject his personality and charisma to create a memorable experience. His customers were No.1 - we felt that and the food was consistently good. It was my favorite cafe and I felt blessed to have found it.

Now, a few years on, the business has grown and the culture has changed. With a larger space, it has lost most of it's charm, the service is not as attentive (as you might expect) and the food seems less 'important' in it's new surroundings. In my opinion, the cafe is now too large and I hope David and his staff can work to recapture the 'special' essence of the original little cafe.

I would still recommend Bitton to my friends but I will no longer rave about it at every opportunity. We had a couple of bad experiences there, mainly with the service. Perhaps, our expectations had already been set too high.

If you like good food, then go, you won't be disappointed. And buy a jar of Strawberry and Vanilla jam on your way out, apparently an old recipe passed on from his grandmother in France, it is easily the best jam in the world.

Jun 15, 2011

7 Recommended

Food  9      Ambience  1      Service  8      Value  10     

The food is excellent but don't go out the back to the toilet. The area out back where the food is stored is disgusting. I'll never forget the smell, it made me sick.

Big bowls of uncovered chicken sitting under benches in the kitchen was off-putting too, so was the grease build up everywhere, on the screen door, the walls, the floor, the roof, everything was sticky and dirty. Couldn't wait to get out of there. Food is first class but hygiene standards are third world.

May 15, 2011

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.6 Below Average

Food  1      Drinks  6      Ambience  9      Service  1      Value  1     

We decided to go here for breakfast after reading a good review. Bad mistake.
First up, the waiter came over to take our order and told us to wait. He was fiddling around with his portable, electronic order taking machine.
Waiting... waiting... hello? Finally he gets it working and we both order the Cured Chorizo Hotpot.

Sounds good. Looks even better. Tastes bad. Really bad. It doesn't have any flavour. I can see some eggs, tomato, mushrooms and a few other things all mixed together in a tomato sauce. It has no real identity, I'm expecting a big chorizo number and it just tastes like nothing. I'm looking around for the actual chorizo and all I can find is a black coloured sausage. What is it? Nibble, nibble. Not much flavour. This isn't chorizo. Is it black pudding? The menu doesn't mention anything about black pudding, so I keep guessing. Hang on a minute, is it rotten chorizo? No it can't be. But I really don't know and I'm put off. My wife notices her eggs aren't cooked. They're still raw, the whites are clear and slimey. She's put off too.

We're both really doubting this place now and decide not to eat the food. Normally I would just eat it but I really didn't like it or trust what was in it. We were quite hungry and decided to eat the bread on the side. There was some butter, but no knife. We kindly asked the waiter for a knife but she forgot. So we politely asked again and she forgot again. I buttered my bread with a spoon.

We got up and paid the bill and the owner asked me how everything was. I told him I didn't like it. He asked me what was wrong with it and I told him I didn't like the taste. But it's more than that. It started with bad service and ended with bad service with bad food in between.

May 15, 2011