Beira Alta (Montecasino)

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

Reviewed by Mike Erasmus

We decided to have dinner here as a party of 8 before a show. Two of our party are fine dining head chefs. The food wasn't bad - some good dishes and some average ones. I had a pork dish and the pork was dry and completely overcooked. My brother had Paulo's mixed grill which he raved about.

The service, however, was dismal. It was grudging at best and it was a battle to get anyone's attention - in spite of the fact that they knew we had a show to get to because they asked when we arrived. Dishes arrived in tragically spaced relays and the delay between starters and mains was far too long - in excess of 45 minutes

The crowning glory, however, was a sirloin that was ordered rare. What arrived was a rump that was medium. Instead of a simple apology and rectifying the order, the kitchen manager argued with the diner that the steak was actually the right temperature on the pass and then argued with our two chefs that this was in fact a sirloin.....

If you can't handle a busy restaurant then you shouldn't be in that business.

We will not be returning there ever......