Urban Deli has two main parts – the coffee shop and deli on the ground floor and restaurant upstairs. This review is mainly about my dining experiences in the restaurant.
The restaurant is nicely laid out with a central bar and has a pleasant ambiance with a view over the marina.
It has an extensive selection of good wines and Belgian beer.
Service is friendly, and tries hard, but unable to deal professionally with customer complaints.
To visit the Urban Deli for a beer and a sandwich is fine. Their baguettes are good.
The menu is good, and together with the high prices it is reasonable to expect a “fine dining” experience.
But what comes out of its kitchen is a major disappointment.
The starters are acceptable, can’t go far wrong with smoked salmon; and garlic prawns are difficult to screw up. However the real disappointment is the main dishes. Far away from “fine dining” standards they struggle to meet fast food standards. The chicken is dry as if has been cooked earlier then re-heated, and the fish tasted as if it has been in the freezer for too long – with a texture like cardboard. Veggies are very average. French fries taste as if fried in old oil. Crepe suzettes are mediocre.
I have been here on a number of occasions in the hope that things would improve, but have been disappointed every time and leave the restaurant feeling cheated.
Summary: This restaurant could easily do better, but first it needs to establish procedures for managing quality, and for improvement in response to customer feedback. It has the feel of being run more as a hobby rather than a serious business.