An accidental mix up on locations actually turned out to be a very decent mistake on my part! I had told our taxi driver to drop us off at the wrong address and after a quick debate on whether to stick around the area or jump back in the taxi and head to our original planned restaurant, we decided to stick it out and see if it was worth the mix up.
SERVICE & ATMOSPHERE
The place was bustling when we arrived around 8:30pm and weren’t convinced we would get a table. We walked into a very busy restaurant with every table full and a number of guests standing around the bar enjoying drinks. To the left is their ‘dining room’ space with a row of tables and bench seating and to the right of the bar is their more casual drinks area.
We heading to the wait station and asked the hostess if there was any chance of a table for two available. She had mentioned there was and it wouldn’t be long to get ready and to just head over to the bar, order a drink and she would be right with us. We popped over to the bar, ordered delicious cocktails and waited for the hostess to return. After a good 20 minute wait, we went back over to the same hostess to see when our table would be ready (I think she may have forgotten about us). A short time later we were seated and menus presented.
Maybe not the best start to the night, but our waitress moving forward was absolutely amazing! She gave fantastic recommendations on food and cocktails and was very personable and friendly to deal with throughout the night.
The space itself has a smart casual fit out, with an industrial feel, high exposed ceilings, white beams and brick walls. An open plan kitchen makes watching your food being prepared so much more enjoyable when you see the work that goes into each dish.
FOOD
Walking in we had no idea what to expect from the food. I’ve heard the name of the restaurant from friends before, but never really knew what they had to offer. We had a look through the menu and the dishes span across a few different cultures, primarily focusing on Asian inspired foods.
By the time we were seated, our tummies were quite empty and everything on the menu was screaming out at us. We opted for the shared dishes (as we always do) to get a good taste of what they had to offer.
We started with the ‘Asian steak tartare’ served with nahm prik & cassava crackers and a baby quail egg. The tartare was delicious with a slight fiery spice to it and the crackers worked beautifully with the tartare, adding an extra bit of seasoning to the dish.
Next out was the ‘Lemon & black pepper chicken ribs’ served with hot ‘n’ sour dressing. These were a bit on the greasy side for my liking; however the hot n sour dressing was excellent!
Once we quickly inhaled our entrees, our main was quick to follow. We decided to just go with the one main and side dish to share and see how we went from there. The ‘Chili spiced duck’ served with lime & tamarind relish, pickled cucumber jumped out at us and was a must to order. The duck was cooked to complete perfection with a slight crunch to the skin and a beautiful juicy meat to follow.
We decided to get a side of the ‘Stir fried Asian greens’ served with small pieces of tofu, garlic & chili. AMAZING! There was so much flavour in the dish and definitely worth an order (even if it is only a side dish). This is best ordered with the duck as the flavours works unbelievably together.
Overall the portion sizes were rather good, and perfect for what we were after. There wasn’t anything we didn’t enjoy about the food (other than the slight greasiness of the chicken, however LC loved it). The service was fantastic once seated and we loved the waitress that served us throughout the night.
This accidental mix up ended up being such a great little mistake. I’d definitely come back either for dinner or for just weekend cocktails. The place has a fantastic vibe and definitely look forward to coming back.