pretentious with mediocre food (Cafe Mao)

Member Name: doodler

Product:	Cafe Mao
Date:	09/02/02 (402 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: none really

Disadvantages: food, staff, name

I been here a few times (more accurately dragged by a friend who appreciates the large smoking section).
The food is adequate but no more than that and tends to be rather oily. Fishcakes are fried spongey balls of homogenised material (unidentifiable).
The staff are of the aspiring actor variety but are unfortunately not able to act the part of waiters very convincingly.
The floor manager I have encountered is an officious busybody who I saw sending a waiter upstairs after somebody she thought might be going to the bathroom - " he didn't eat here! Stop him!". She will make you wait 15 minutes for a table on principle because,you know, Mao is a happening place and you can't expect to just swan in and sit down at once.
Why give them the money when the cafe a few doors down has lovely food and genuinely charming staff?
Another thing: who chose the name? Was it a toss-up between that and Pol Pot?

Summary: