Espresso, Waterford

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Espresso is one of a chain of successful restaurants in Waterford and Dunmore east which are owned and managed by the Cavaliere family. Each restaurant is different and Espresso would be aimed at the casual end of the market.

Having heard conflicting stories about the place I stayed away until May 2008. In fairness I won't be rushing back.

The decor is a little tacky in vivid red and grey with bare wooden tables and paper napkins.

That saying, service is very prompt and very pleasant. Really the staff can't do enough for you!

Favorite Dish: Where it falls down, oddly, is in its food. I say "oddly" because the Cavaliere's have always been renowned for great food. Therefore I'll make allowances and say that perhaps we were there on a bad night.

I started with a platter of anti pasta. What I got was nice but the serving was miniscule. I have enjoyed this dish in their other restaurant and found it to be a far more generous platter of meats and vegetables. With this course came a slice of what I think was meant to be garlic bread, but it was so tough and rubbery that I could not even bite into it!

My main course was tagliatelle with a sauce of gorgonzola, ham and spinach. Very rich but quite delicious.

I tasted what my friends ordered. One of them had a prawn cocktail where the prawns were, literally, flat as if crushed in frozen storage. A lasagne seemed to be all tomato sauce with no visible meat. This was accompanied by a similar slice of rubbery bread.

OPEN - from early 'till late.