I was really hoping I could give this place a better review, I really was. The place has gorgeous views and kind of a nice setup. However, they have a lot to work on as far as service, drinks, and menu options.
We couldn't get a table at Karakter, so we went up to Koraal, when I approached the lady standing at the podium, she politely informed me that they don't have any tables, then a male staff came and completely dismissed the idea of us getting a table, he wasn't friendly at all, then the lady manager walks in, after speaking with her she said that they might have a table that's paying out so we could get this table, but she doesn't know how long we will habe to wait, she also said all other tables are double booked.
We sat at the bar to have a drink waiting for our table to be ready, we never got greeted by any of the staff, there was only 3 bartenders but it seemed like they needed at least 5 since all 3 of them were trying to make all the drinks and avoided any eye contact or giving guest at the bar enough attention, on top of that the manager was not seen helping the bar and the bar top was not clean at all.
At some point, one lady came and cleaned some parts of the bar, while we were still sitting there waiting for a miracle of getting a drink to happen, it was apparent that no such thing was going to occur anytime soon, bartenders were still making those drinks at their own pace and not worrying about anything else.
Finally, one of the lady bartenders approached us, after I kept trying to politely get her attention without being pushy or inconsiderate, we ordered our drinks and few seconds later the table was ready, that was a waste of 18 minutes at the bar.
We moved to the table, and drinks were delivered by the manager. After some slow minutes, we got the menu.
Service was slowish at first, I would say, but the waitress was nice. She seemed like she was running around trying to keep up, she did good, we didn't feel rushed, and she checked on us several times.
The drinks were nicely presented, tasted just okay, nothing impressive, I noticed that the drinks tend to be either too sweet or lacking flavor.
Now the food, how can I say that in a nice way, "if you can't have a proper full kitchen in a space that's considered more of a bar / lounge / terrace, then the menu should consist of items that can be easily made from this kitchen", but don't serve me a Tuna steak and a nice ribeye with French fries without any possibility to get any other sides, even the vegetables that come with it were onions and bell peppers, very basic, precooked with no other alternatives.
I can say the food was good, the quality is good with a decent presentation. 👌
I would definitely like to have different options to complement the menu items offered.
The views are very relaxing, and of course, the sunset was gorgeous and calming.
2 of the tables that were "double reserved" were empty the entire time we were there, we spent over an hour, isn't that lost business? Turning people away when you can accommodate a 50 min dinner or give the table away if the reservation is late more than 15 min? Just a thought....
All the best!
