This meal came in sharp contrast to our previous one at il Galeone, as The Italian Job is a new Italian themed, concept restaurant in Bay Street, presenting every possible sign of popular, in vogue and contemporary decor, style, service and cuisine. It is a sprawling eatery with different sections which offers quite a varied and interesting menu for a casual and fun time out. It can also very easily fit the bill for a number of different occasions, from an uncomplicated meal, to a family outing, to a larger group function.

Our lunch was very much of the group function type and to define it better it was of the very disorganised and dysfunctional type indeed. As we were meant to be a group of well over thirty persons, the restaurant very rightly advised us to opt for a set menu, so as to facilitate service, quality and comfort for our group. Although we initially approved of the idea, as unfortunately often happens in these occasions, nobody could agree on anything. Some found the menu too much, others too little, and everyone agreed to disagree. So the restaurant very kindly consented to us going a la carte.

We were meant to arrive at 12:30, however incredulously a full hour later, there were still the last stragglers making their way in calmly and lethargically, while I for one continued drowning my frustration in more and more gin and tonics. Needless to say, several didn’t even bother to turn up at all, without as much as a call or SMS to the organiser. Then being such a large group the only place we could fit on one table was on the terrace outside. However once we were seated several of us there were feeling rather cold, so we all just stood up and went back inside, all sitting haphazardly at different tables without much thought or design. By the time we all managed to find a seat several others arrived, and upon realising that there was absolutely no more space left for them to sit, we all stood up and went back outside.

So this is what could be very safely defined as a restaurant’s nightmare and in my book is ample reason to be reprimanded, if not shown the door. However much to my amazement, the general manager Jason, along with his superb team of staff, didn’t even bat an eyelid. They went about their business assisting us with drinks, resettlements, stampedes and no shows, until at some time in the mid to late afternoon we were finally seated, for the last time, with menus in hand.

The food on offer is nicely varied and ranges from pizzas, pastas, burgers, top quality meats and more. As may be expected, orders ranged tremendously and covered virtually the entire menu, which I am sure was most thrilling for the kitchen! However again, much to my amazement, service was quick, efficient and as far as I could see totally devoid of any error whatsoever. No mean task with such a large, chaotic group.

Both the very original presentation and the quality of the food left nothing to be desired. I asked for comments from different diners and to my knowledge everyone was more than satisfied. I shared a lovely massive 800 grams flank for two, which was cooked very rare as requested, was of top quality and also extremely tasty. This was accompanied, as were many of the dishes, with lovely thin and crispy fries, as well as a nice fresh salad. So definitely a thumbs up for the quality of the food also.

I would highly recommend this establishment for that fun group outing right in the middle of town, and would like to end by thanking Jason and his team once again for their exceptional patience, customer care skills and professionalism.