Merchant of Venice

Been a little while since I last came to this gem. Situated in the Intercontinental, offered simple tasty Italian fare. Part of being at work is also taking time out for friends. A glass of wine, some carbs and meat ensure that no snacking is required during the day.
Fried cuttlefish /​grilled rockling /​braised goat /​green beans = delish
The braised goat is a little salty for not having anything else to go with. The fried cuttlefish was simple and tasty.

I had high hopes for this Guy Grossi restaurant, but unfortunately, I found the food very disappointing.
In the heart of the financial district below the Rialto tower and inspired by the rich Venetian culture, it’s a nice restaurant for a relaxed business lunch, but for a night out on the town, it doesn’t impress as much.
The interior is beautifully designed, with lots of pretty and colourful murals that adorn the walls. You may find yourself seated up at the bar, or at the open kitchen, or out in the open dining space.
Fresh bread served with olive oil is homely, and the sight of cured meats dangling in the window displays teases your taste buds as you graze over the menu indecisively. Service was very friendly and accommodating to our seating preference and dining requests.
Mark ‘The Terrifying’ Sharptooth and I shared potato croquettes for entrée and then a pasta and risotto for main. Although, each dish was good, it wasn’t what I was expecting from such a high profile name. I like to think of myself as a master of risotto, so when I order a risotto out at a fancy Italian restaurant, I expect it to be better than mine, but it just wasn’t, nor was there enough. Small portions, however the menu is not ridiculously expensive, which is a nice change of scene.
They also do breakfast, which I think I’d prefer!

Great food, great service and will definitely dining there again. The black squid ink risotto is the bomb!!! That’s all I’m going to say. The atmosphere was fantastic and it was really buzzing. It’s great to see an open kitchen and watch the chefs do what they do best. It was the highlight if the night. I didn’t realize my wife and I spending over 2 hours enjoying the food, the service and the atmosphere. Food was amazing and the servings were generous. Oh yeah did i mention to say that the black squid ink risotto was the bomb!!!

Here’s the rub; the food at Merchant of Venice is really rather great. The portions are generous but not wastefully enormous, the flavours well-​considered and the menu is quite authentic. They even handled my gluten-​free situation with aplomb.
The service on the other hand is nothing short of dismal.
I dined in a group of three. We were seated in what seemed to be a walkway, in a spot that was quite draughty. So much so, that on a chilly night and wearing four layers, I kept my coat on (which the staff did not seem to notice). Approximately 20 minutes after arriving, three Bellini cocktails that we did not order were brought to our table with no explanation beyond a mumbled ‘Bellini’. (It didn’t appear on the bill, we still don’t know what the story was there!). It took 90 minutes for us to receive our entrees.
The staff seemed unable to anticipate any requirement — we asked for bread, we asked for side plates, we asked for butter, we asked for a drinks menu… you get the idea.
On the whole, I wanted to love this place, and the food almost makes it worth returning. Just anticipate poor service and hopefully you’ll be pleasantly surprised.