5 /5 Vitali Zabelin: Another early court morning… and then a well-deserved brunch with colleagues at Urth Caffé. I’ve heard so much about this place, so I finally went for the Salmon Benedict, grapefruit with cottage cheese, and of course coffee — you can’t skip coffee here.
The food? Honestly fantastic. The salmon was fresh and buttery, the brioche was soft inside with a little crisp outside, and that Hollandaise with pomegranate on top is a brilliant idea. I could easily give the kitchen 5 stars — they did their part perfectly.
But service is the reason this visit becomes 4 stars.
First, tables weren’t being cleared for way too long. There were at least ten dirty tables sitting full of dishes, and nothing happened until I asked two different employees to clean one for us.
Second — everything came out almost at the same time. My grapefruit was great, but by the time I got to the Benedict, the eggs had already gone cold. Not the end of the world, but you can feel that the kitchen actually tried… so it’s sad to lose that fresh, warm moment.
There was also a small mix-up with my order: I added extra cottage cheese, it didn’t arrive, and the server said it wasn’t on the check. Then he brought it anyway, as a courtesy — which was nice. Fifteen minutes later he came back, apologized, and admitted it was on the order and they made a mistake.
That honesty earned respect. No excuses, no arguing — just a real apology. That matters.
At the end of the day, this place is still great. Food is solid, atmosphere is beautiful, and I’ll definitely be back. Hopefully next time they’ll match the kitchen’s level with quicker cleaning and smoother service.
