I rarely find the 5 star system too blunt. But this was a tough call between 4 and 5.
If money is no object, this place is just a blast. Each dish is an exciting new experiment in eating weird plants (grape vines; sea asparagus) or dusted nuts or crisped malts with mostly interesting and nicely done main items like guinea fowl or octopus or hanger steak. In between courses come more tiny surprises (devilled eggs; strawberry puree chocolate cookies). You will not be bored here.
But you will chew with your front teeth. The dishes are tiny. And if dropping $150 vs. $100 on a two person meal matters to you, you should think twice. A couple of the dishes seemed to lack bold flavours in spite of the interesting ingredients. And one of the wines I tried (the zweigelt rose) was very flat indeed. Not such a sin, but rather disappointing at $12 a glass.
You pick 3, 5 or 7 dishes ($45, 55 and 65). Or, as we did, do 4 each (3 + 5). And then when you're still hungry, order two more. The thing is, as each tiny plate arrives (not withstanding the amuse-bouches), you wonder if you are going to want to pop into the KFC across the street to finish dinner afterwards. We ended by ordering 2 more dishes (two amazing chocolate ganaches).
Still, this restaurant was a ton of fun and I look forward to telling people about it. I'll just tell them to bring their wallets--and have a late lunch, too.
Service--excellent
Ambience/decor--excellent