The first thing to note about Vivo is how little tapas there is on offer, considering it bills itself as a tapas bar. There is a separate tapas menu, but in the evenings it’s only brought out on request; the main courses are more profitable, according to staff. Searching for tapas in vain proves a slightly confusing start to an evening at this disappointing new Soho venture, the latest from the Alphabet Bar group.

The Venue
Upstairs at Vivo there’s a small, narrow restaurant area with red banquettes along one side, traditional seating along the other. The wooden floor and tables create a pleasingly warm effect, while a photo-montage recalls King’s Cross newcomer Camino, another Iberian-themed bar and restaurant. Further back, the white tiled walls, which presumably aim at Spanish rusticity, suggest municipal baths or greasy spoon caffs instead. Lacking the tiles, the colourful downstairs bar has much more character.

The Atmosphere
Some decent cooking is undermined at Vivo by extremely poor service, which ranges from casual to the point of disinterest, to borderline rude. Be prepared to wait, whether it’s just to be seated or for your food to arrive; and don't expect much finesse either, as staples like waiting for diners to finish before clearing the table, or checking more wine is wanted before pouring, are little in evidence.

The Food
The cooking at Vivo is muscular and imaginative. A salad of avocado, papaya, palmitos, grapefruit and cashews comes together well but is heavy on the chilli in the dressing; delicate palates beware. Beef empanaditas look – and taste – like miniature Cornish pasties. The flavourful imported South American fillet steak comes just as requested, in this case perfectly rare, though the chips would benefit from a chunkier cut or more interesting preparation. The chargrilled swordfish is fresh and tender, though the spices – cinnamon, thyme and nutmeg – are little in evidence.

Desserts, unfortunately, are a different story. The Peruvian dark chocolate mousse would be better described as a chocolate pot, as it lacks the light, airy consistency of mousse. Being served very cold doesn’t help its texture, and neither does pairing it with the wrong ice cream - cardamom instead of the promised pistachio. Attention to detail is lax; on one recent occasion, the warm pecan pie was only warm at the tip of the slice, the rest fridge-cold, but the greatest surprise came courtesy of the cheese plate, which arrived accompanied by three Hob Nob biscuits, doing duty, it seems, for oatcakes.

The Drink
As you’d expect from the Alphabet Group – not to mention a restaurant with a full bar downstairs – the drinks menu at Vivo is excellent. The Iberian theme is continued with the option of sangria and two chilled sherries, or jerez; the wine list concentrates on Spanish, Argentinian and Chilean wines, with only the Champagnes and cavas from France. There’s also a great cocktail list, as well as fresh fruit juices and smoothies. It’s a surprise, then, to see that the only cider on offer is South African. With sidra being the national drink of the Asturias and Basque regions, it would be nice to see it represented here.

The Last Word
Unlike the cooking itself, at Vivo the poor service (and disorganised dessert menu) can’t help but leave a bad taste in the mouth. This is a potentially nice little venue which could do a lot worse than keeping an eye on rival Camino for tips, but it needs to get its house in order before it can be awarded the stars its cooking may well deserve.

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