24th January 2008
I cannot discourage you enough
I am so opposed to this restaurant that I run the risk of ranting, for which I apologise.
It is in a marvelous location, it looks very stylish (if somewhat reminiscent of a fish bowl), fresh and as though you should get a great meal.
I like the idea of being to chose from a wide range of fish and request how you would like it cooked. However, please, you can't just slap garlic butter or salsa on everything you chuck out of the kitchen and expect it to taste good. It really smacks of a lack of imagination! I am ALL in favour of fish being prepared and cooked simply; good fish well cooked requires so little.
And so we come to out next problem.
I don't know what the poor sea bass I ordered on my first (and why not my last?!) visit had done to but by God did Chef have his revenge! Overcooked, flavourless, tough, insipid and a curious shade of grey that quite took me back. But that's fine. Chuck enough greasy garlic butter on it and it tastes of... well greasy garlic butter.
My friend's tuna steak ("Medium rare please") looked as though it had been scrapped out of a tin and apparently tasted little better. The fresh salad we had with it was far from fresh and drowned (presumably by the same guy who "does" the garlic butter) in a pretty uninspiring dressing.
The wine list was uninviting (before you even looked at the prices) and please, do NOT try and offer advice to diners about what wine to drink unless you have a clue yourself! At least let us make our own mistakes! Which is a sure thing with a list like that.
I have so far resisted the temptation to rage about the portion size. Are you ready?
ARGH!!! How can you make a fillet of sea bass that small?!?! I swear I have had anchovy fillets that are larger than the smear of grey leather tossed onto my plate! And to charge THAT much for it?! How dare you!
So. Do yourself a favour, save yourself some money and just don’t bother.
Summary: Expensive fish abuse