To be honest, when my neighbor chose this restaurant for our tiny "dinner club" outing, I bristled at the suggestion. As always, I checked the restaurant's website out, as there are dietary issues and budgetary concerns at play, and I like to get a rough idea in advance what to order and how much it will cost. My precursory research led me to believe this place was...not for me. It sounded stiff, small, even...pretentious in its food selections and presentation. And somewhat pricey, too. I was not thrilled.
Oh, how wrong I was.
Yes, the place is tiny. There's a counter with stools that seats 8. Then there's a small table by the front window that seats 4. In total, 12 diners at a time. I've never been to Asia but it reminded me, in the. movies, of the small hole-in-the-wall restaurants in Hong Kong or Tokyo that are barely bigger than a closet, comprised just of a counter and stools. Same layout, same feel. (I've never dined in a place like this, and I gotta admit, it was kinda cool, in such an intimate space, watching the two chefs make your meal and chatting with them, almost as if they were part of your dining party. In a way, I guess they are!).
We were greeted by Meghan, who sat us at the counter. She couldn't have been nicer; same for the two owner/chefs Lucas and Devon. Meghan was also the bartender/sommelier. What a team, these three make! I've never met folks who were more genuinely friendly, more approachable, more knowledgeable about their dishes and ingredients, and more adept at creative cooking, beautiful food presentation or creating gorgeous (and tasty) cocktails.
The menu changes regularly, but you can count on dishes that feature local ingredients (no exaggeration, I think this team knows where every single ingredient comes from, and they personally know the farmers, butchers and wine-makers for every ingredient in their dishes). Most dishes are vegetable-centric, with some seafood plates on the menu and few meat plates.
I realize now that I should have taken photos of the dishes and drinks we had (sorry!). Trust me, all were beautiful. I had the focaccia sourdough bread with caramelized leeks on top (unreal good) and the best Caesar salad of my life (made with Belgian endives, not lettuce, and a special Caesar dressing. Seriously, the best of my life). Portions were, for me, large, and I brought most of the bread and salad home, much to the delight of my daughter. My neighbor had a few veg dishes which she adored and half a pound of fresh prawns (in season!). She loved everything. (Note: she has to be very careful about celiac, and this restaurant staff was SO careful with her food, I was super impressed. And she was so glad to see so many options available to her). We both also had gorgeous, tasty zero-proof "cocktails".
Our counter-mate had the tempura squash and man, it looked good. I chatted with her a bit (she was a regular there, I think) and she said she's never had a bad dish here, everything is amazing.
I so wanted to try the desserts, which sounded divine, but I was way too full. They will have to wait until my next visit.
A few side notes:
-this place is super small, so definitely make a reservation
-a reservation requires you to provide your credit card information (which I was not crazy about TBH, but I guess it's a sign of the times)
-If you're driving here, turn up Victoria from Powell. There's street parking here on Victoria
I should also note, this restaurant is in a very industrial part of town. There are questionable characters lurking about outside. If you are a single woman, I'm not sure I'd come to this place at night by yourself. Just sayin'. read more