We dined in Barracuda as a group of 17 people last weekend for a 30th birthday. I have eaten in Barracuda a few times & the experience has ranged from dismal to really good so this was going to be a good test of how they have improved (especially as the restaurant was recently acquired by Robbie Fox of Reynards fame).
We had booked a table for 9pm & arranged to meet for drinks in the very attractive bar on the ground floor. The waitress in the bar seemed to be doing everybody's job at once that night - greeter, server in the restaurant, bookings clerk and bar waitress. Consequently it took 15 minutes to receive our drinks order... we were the only people waiting in the bar area. This multi-tasking also meant that people walking in the door had nobody to greet them as the young lady was upstairs & promptly turned around and walked out!

At 9.15, we were shown to our table which faced the attractive sight of the boarded up Fun Palace amusement arcade - no amusements there, but plenty to be had by observing drunken revellers relieving themselves in the doorway.... nice sight as you tuck into your food! Blinds might be a suggestion for this side of the restaurant.

Our table was simply laid, with just cutlery, napkins, side plates & wine glasses. Not a jug of water, water glasses or bread was in sight. Why can some restaurants not set up tables properly before guests sit down? It should be common sense, never mind good practice to ensure that there is water for guests before wine arrives & bread takes the edge of the sometimes indeterminable wait for starters. We ordered 4 bottles of various house wines - 2 red & 2 white all priced about €14. All were dispatched with haste - I think we hit the 16 bottle mark by the end of the meal!

Menus were passed around the table - starters ranged from €3.50 for soup to about €7. We had seafood chowder, a green salad, brie wrapped in filo pastry, a lovely tortilla shell filled with spicy tandoori chicken and an avocado & bacon salad from the list. All were very good - the only gripe was the foil wrapped pack of butter which accompanies the petit pain bread -
I hate to see this anywhere but a cafe, as it smacks of meanness.

We asked the waitress for water and glasses when the wine was served. We asked her again when the starters arrived and eventually two jugs of water and glasses arrived at the table. When the water ran out (as two jugs will do when shared amongst 17), it took three requests to get them refilled. Eventually, I got up and asked the bar staff to do this.

Our mains arrived just after the starters were cleared & were priced between €14-€20. Curiously, there was no chicken or lamb on the menu apart from a baby poussin which would melt the heart of the hardest person - it was too little & too cute to eat... of course we had a savage who devoured it & pronounced it delicious. The Special was smoked cod & salmon wrapped in filo with an onion marmalade - this was a unique take on the battered cod -
plenty of fish & the marmalade was divine. Other mains were grilled swordfish, fresh tuna & steak and were also polished off. All mains were accompanied by a side dish of mashed potatoes, mashed turnip & ratatouille.

A special cake was organised for the birthday girl which arrived before dessert. Some hungry savages also ordered dessert at €5, but ate it so quickly that I never got a chance to try any. I believe that lemon tart formed part of this list as did apple pie.

I must stress that the food in Barracuda is excellent but the service was dire. Restaurants cannot rely on food alone to carry their reputation - service is really what makes the customer smile, tip and return. Our meal cost about €50 each including 2 drinks and wine.