To start, we were greeted by a young guy who was super polite and keen to help out and super friendly. After ordering our first two dishes and first round of dishes he returned to inform that the drink I had ordered had run out. It didn't even bother me at this stage as I was trying something new so I ordered the next drink on the menu and have now discovered my new love of strawberry and lime cider, needless to say, I'm still a happy customer. The waiter then returned and informed me that the coated, crunchy beef dish I ordered had been a popular choice and, once again, had run out and suggested a few other dishes I might like. Again, I was trying new thing tonight which is rare for me but left the fate of my first meal to the waiter.
After looking back at what the waiter suggested on the menu I started to worry. What he had suggested was a poached beef on sweet potato mash with pees. I started having doubts that something would be served up that was ordinary that I could easily prepare at home and when it came out my worries weren't soothed, it was exactly how I imagined. 5 thin slices of rare beef on a bed of sweet potato mash with pees. It was quite a long wait for the first dishes also.
The moment the fork peirced the small slice and the second I ran the knife blade through the sliver of red, juicy beef I knew I had been corrected with a meal that had ALOT of thought and skill in making. The smoothness of the sweet potato and the salty juices that had surrounded the meal mixed together with the beef in a purely eye closing experience, I just couldn't keep them open and the groaning noises of delight were slightly embarrassing, but with the relaxed atmosphere I was so carefree it didn't matter at all.
The Pork Belly that my wife had was super succulent and had so much flavour. The portion was large and came topped with a sweet layer of apple and beetroot to perfectly cut the super salty kick from the pork! That layer of crackle, so salty and crunchy and perfect. I could have left at this stage and given a great reveiw.
We decided to keep going for more but our waiter had disappeared from the scene. I tried to make it obvious that we were ready for more by looking at the menu and looking around but staff didn't seam to notice for about 10 mins and continued tidying tables and making the place look good. There were few other customers and it felt we could have been looked after a bit better, in saying so I did need alot of time to decide on what I wanted to try next. I ended up heading to the bar and the barman was happy to help and take my order which was great.
The next round of dishes arrived super fast and I was SUPER happy.
My ocean and earth bruchetta was absolutely to die for! The flavours all complimented each other with such a zing and pop with the lime slice squeezed over the caviar and running through the layers of smoked salmon and squid, eventually finding its way to the rare beef slices layed over a superbly crunchy base. I wake up craving that experience again.
One of the bar staff suggested the salt and pepper calamari which we tried, perfectly cooked which is rare! There was however an abundance of flour in the coating. It wasn't terrible but I wouldnt order it again simply because of the other items on the menu.
Overall, 9/10 and an awesome night out with the wife.
P.S. My wife was ordering cocktails all evening and at one stage wasn't sure what she wanted. The barman spent time explaining different drinks and ended up choosing one for her that she LOVED. Extra points for great personality and patience. read more