I don't know what intrigued me more to visit this restaurant: the name of the painter Van Gogh or the news that the environment had free parrots under a spectacular investment. The connection with the painter's name probably refers to the colors because the vibe is more Amazonian judging by the parrots, but what I believe we all agree on is that the investments in Tirana manage to impress you!
I rushed to try it out and what left me with the impression of the experience was a real personification of living in Tirana: a very basic plastic entrance where apparently gathers residents of the neighborhood for assembly, in contrast to an impressive architectural display (I'm not exaggerating when call that the wow effect that the investment left me), that awaits you inside the restaurant.
🍹I've been to this place twice, both times for a redeeming meal of oysters, so I'm starting with the cocktail: amaretto sour (600L) – among the weakest I've tried, moreover served in the wrong glass. The cocktail had no 'sour' element because it was all sweet syrup.
🥗 Tropical Salad: 1,100L
The quinoa was paired with mango, pineapple, shrimp, cucumber, all ingredients that go well together, but overall it came out dry, it would have been better balanced if it had more acidity.
🍣 Sushi:
We ordered different uramaki. The quality was ordinary, similar to what we have encountered in many restaurants in Tirana. The sushis were done to our liking. Prices are average, not too high.
???? Salmon sashimi:
The most common cut is the 'hiramasa', a long and uniform slice of thickness (about 6mm), large enough to show off the salmon's 'marble' color and texture. At Van Gogh's both times, I got a very thin slice (in part almost transparent), and not one-size-fits-all.
🧑🏻💼Service:
Correct and carefree in the 'casual' sense, it fits the atmosphere as a whole.
Briefing:
The focus at places like Van Gogh is more on the ambiance and experience than on the food or the attentive service, so it takes a bit more attention to create a complete experience for the customer so that they will come back.
Personally, I have avoided organizing with live music, as Van Gogh seems to me to be a very narrow environment for these types of arrangements.
I greatly appreciated the precise information in the website.
Suggestion: I would prefer the menu to include more vegetarian and vegan options as well as information on allergy products. A scan menu would also be a bonus.