I wanted to love this place. I really did. There were some bright spots but overall it wasn't that great.
Instead of a 3-star review for being standard or ordinary. They had some good dishes and some that were horrible.
First of all the service was wonderful. Our waiter was friendly and attentive. The owner/manager was chatty without overdoing it. The restaurant is fairly tightly packed and the vibe at the tables near ours was good. We chimed in on each other's conversations a couple of times which I always think is fun when the mood is right.
So the good stuff were the cocktails. Yum! The wine list was reasonable and offered a bit of everything. We had a scallop special where they were served oyster style - with dressing on the half shell.
We ordered a half dozen oysters that were not a great choice. The oysters were fresh...the problem was that the ones we got with shiitake lap cheong vinaigrette were so so salty. Then the simply raw oysters came with nothing at all which we weren't prepared for- usually I expect horseradish or vinegar. The very least they could do would be serve with a lemon wedge. Nothing.
My husband got the better choices he had campfire duck and a chocolate dessert. Almost faultless but the duck was a little salty. Folks at the table next to ours liked their duck too.
On to my dishes. I love lamb dishes but the roasted lamb neck was truly awful and inedible. The seasoning on it was good but when i took my first bite I got a huge mouthful of fat with it. So off putting. When I carved farther into the roast lamb I cut off huge globs of fat. I've never been served anything like it before. There was so much fat, more than there was meat. I couldn't eat it. Was it not cooked long enough and fat was supposed to render and drip off during cooking? That would make sense but the way it was served was just wrong. Our waiter was very good about it and took it away. I had the Thai lime creme brûlée. Another mistake. Again the flavors were there but the top of the brûlée wasn't fired at all. No sugary crispy top means it's not a brûlée. And the custard although tasty flavors was grainy. So 2 dishes we couldn't eat.
It's a modern cool room with great drinks and staff but I can't get past the poor food. (Or poor execution of good ideas)