Chef's Garden

I see all the pictures and reviews only and it’s like we went to a completely different place. Food was underwhelming to put it nicely. Such a shame but it was pretty disappointing.

Had a really fabulous dinner at Chef’s Garden. The staff was super kind and welcoming and the food was delicious - a representation of our culture to be proud of! Our favorites were the gnocchi and the steak off the tasting menu.

Unfortunately, our experience at this restaurant was not what we expected. We made a reservation for a seven-course dinner 11 days in advance. The reservation cost $70 ($35 per person). We were very excited. Reservations for tapas tastings are free, only the seven-course dinner is available. Two days prior, I received a message from the General Manager, Dayhana, who kindly sent me the tapas and cocktail menu. At no point was I notified that the chef would be out of the country and that the dinner for which I had paid a deposit would not take place. When we arrived, the staff treated us very kindly. We decided to sit outside, but the rain and mosquitoes were a problem that they couldn't control, which we understand. When we asked about the seven-course dinner, our server, who also greeted us, seemed unaware that we hadn't been notified that the dinner we were expecting wouldn't be available. She told us that only the tapas menu was available. I inquired about the deposit and was told it would be refunded in 3 days because it's only charged to hold the reservation. This isn't stated when booking, nor is it included when reserving tapas. I appreciate your apology. The cocktails were excellent. We ordered the purple sweet potato soup and really enjoyed it; the gnocchi were delicious, but the sauce was too salty and was the same base sauce used for the lamb tortellini. The pasta was somewhat undercooked. The prosciutto we ordered also had too much salt. I don't understand why I wasn't notified in advance that, unfortunately, the event I booked wasn't going to happen. We decided to stay for the tapas because we didn't want to leave and wanted to give this place a chance. We came from far away and chose this restaurant for a special occasion. I feel we shouldn't have stayed because we didn't receive what we booked, we didn't really enjoy it, and the staff didn't give me a complete explanation of the deposit we paid. If the chef wasn't going to be there, they shouldn't have allowed reservations for a dinner that wasn't happening. Addendum: I received a refund for my reservation in less than 24 hours. We are people who will always support local businesses. The place is a unique concept. We wish them much success.