Cantinetta

I have eaten at Cantinetta quite a few times and always had brilliant food ( the new chef turned up 3 months ago and I think his food is fantastic.)
The Spaghetti with crab is gorgeous and the fresh swordfish is the best I've ever eaten.
The place seems to attract celebrity as I've seen the LeBons in there and Bob Geldof, Andrew Marr, even Nick Clegg. The service was as I like it ! Attentive and caring for my dietary requirements.
I have taken friends with me and they have always gone back with their friends. I have eaten at many restaurants but always enjoy Cantinetta's food quality / price.

NS

We used to love the Phoenix, and unfortunately the new restaurant does not reach the same standards as the old one. The decor is a little suspicious; like a cheaper and not as sophisticated copy of what the Phoenix used to be like – which by the way is true about their food as well.
We went there very soon after they opened and maybe they hadn't gotten their act together yet, but as a new restaurant you MUST give a good first impression otherwise the guests will not come back. It was unclear who is the manager (when you expect the new manager to great and ensure all guests know who he/she is), our waitress and waiter (we didn't have the same person throughout the meal which caused some confusions and delays) seemed to be training on the job with some way to go before qualified to wait on tables.
You sit supremely uncomfortably as the chairs are too low for the tables. The food would have been OK, had we not waited a VERY long time for it and had we not compared it with Phoenix and had we not paid too much for it.
We live so close that we'll probably be tempted to try it once more if we're feeling too lazy to walk into Putney for a meal out one evening, but they'll have to come up with something pretty special to repair that bad first impression.

Lunch on a Saturday afternoon: Bring your coat, the place is freezing (not unlike when it was The Phoenix). Terrible & clueless service staff; stale bread; aggressive manager; 45 minutes to get a defrosted pasta dish consisting primarily of bechamel sauce. NEVER again!