Saicaf - ALTAMURA

La qualità del cibo è ottima, il proprietario è cordiale e amichevole. Forse le porzioni sono un po' troppo grandi per le signore, ma lo consiglio a tutti per la cucina tipica e l'accoglienza.

We visited Saicaf (aka Riviera) in Bari for a meal last night. The food was dreadful. €12 for 4 prawns (this was the roasted prawn dish on the menu). Prawns are £13 euro retail at the local markets. The meal came on a large platter and looked impressive. The beetroot had no flavour at all. None. The very decorative raw vegetables obviously to detract from only 4 prawns. The prawns were so badly over cooked that they were tough and chewy. The shells we're impossible to peel off because they were so overcooked. When eventually the shell was off, they were so badly cooked, the tough chewy flesh stuck to the shell and had the be chewed off the shell. Due to the overcooking, about a quarter of the flesh still couldn't be removed from the shell. Considering Bari is known for it's seafood, we expected a chef could properly cook this meal. Coming from an area where prawns are plentiful, we're used to peeling them quickly and eating them often. My daughter ordered the chicken burger. The salad was almost non existent. The bun did not seem fresh as parts were impossible to chew. The chicken itself tasted as though it was cooked earlier on the day, refrigerated and then reheated. It also was tough, dry and chewy. These meals are by far the worst meals we've ever eaten. After waiting over half an hour after ordering, meals should be freshly prepared and served. To say the meals were awful is an understatement. We ordered 2 Jack Daniels and coke. We were bought 2 glasses of Jack Daniels and 2 glasses of coke (of course we were then charged for 4 drinks! We then proceeded to be pouring one drink into another from glasses at our table to get what we ordered. The front of house staff are young and while they were not rude, came across as uninterested in their job. They certainly were not welcoming at all. Realising their clear inexperience in this industry, we saw no point complaining so we paid the bill and left. If I could give no stars I would. 1 star is too much for this restaurant