Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor
€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)
1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-80); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-90); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (90+)
2.25 - Star........................................€€....................................."bomb" bells
While checking out different restaurants I have not been to, I came across this restaurant and thought what a great idea. It's like a permanent "pop-up" restaurant except the restaurant stays while new chefs come every week to serve up their style of food. ISABEL GARCIA, was the chef of the week, and she specializes in Spanish and mediterranean cuisine.
This was the menu for the evening. Everything is a la carte. Note: do not depend on the online menu. It's not always updated.
The interior is quite small, maybe sits 24 people along a few tables with chairs with backs and 2-bar like tables at the back and front with stools that were very uncomfortable and seemed a little unstable to me and had no backs. And, there were a few stools along the kitchen bar.
ENTRÉES
Who doesn't like anything fried. We actually ordered 2 of these. They're normally served by two's, but our wait-person accommodated us at got us 5, since we were 5. But of course charged for the extra one.
It was served fresh out of the fryer, hot, crispy and surprisingly the chicken was very very moist. The chicken were not in pieces, but rather almost blended into a chicken paste. None-the-less, we thought they were delicious served with a spritz of lime.
CALAMAR FRIT, MAYONNAISE PIMENTÉE (Calamari with spicy mayonnaise)
The calamaries were fried perfectly and tender. The calamari was drenched in a flour mixture with lots of black pepper, that wasn't particularly heat spicy, just spicy that sort hits your upper palate. However, with the sauce it brought the spicy levels up. But with a little squirt of juice, I thought it was a good combination. One person thought it was a bit too spicy, but she liked it nonetheless without the mayonnaise.
We got this dish when we finished eating the calamari. I don't know if it was intentional that they be served separately or the kitchen got backed up. I have to say I liked this dish. I thought it odd with strawberries at first but it worked. They called it a Sichuan sauce, there was nothing Sichuan about it. It tasted as if it was tahini mixed with mayonnaise. I think if they used true Sichuan, it would not have worked with the combination et.al. Overall, I thought it was a very good dish.
PLATS PRINCIPAL
RIZ DE SEICHE ET MOULES (Rice with cuttlefish and mussels)
Three of us ordered this dish and they were first to arrive at our table. The other two had to wait. We waited, and waited for the other two to get served, but it took 2-reminders before they finally received their dishes and the 3 of us had basically finished our dishes.
Now onto the taste. Despite the mishap of their terrible timing with the plats, NOTE: in France everyone is supposed to be served at the same time, you don't begin eating until everyone is served. I'm guessing the rice was "bomba" rice or arborio rice. It was nice and round, had a nice texture, a little al-dente and not overly starchy. I thought the cuttlefish and mussels was a great combination. And the herbs and lemon gave it a nice freshness. A great dish, in its simplicity
After almost 20-minutes after 3 of us were served our rice dish and finished or almost finished, our friend's dish finally arrived. A no, no in France.
I have to say this was my least favorite dish. Although the fish was perfectly fried, skin was crispy, flesh was moist and warm. It sat atop a cold romesco sauce, not warm, but literally cold. I was trying to figure out if this was intentional, so they could get the dish out fast, since they were so behind with their timing. The combination just didn't work. One cancelled the other which made a lukewarm mush. Personally, if the fish had been served alone, it might've been better. The cold "Romesco" sauce added no value. Personally, I think it was intended to be served warm, but they were really behind.
This was very well prepared (finally, as it arrived 15 minutes after the seiche mains were served), with great flavors and pieces of artichokes. The ricotta in side the pasta had a marvelous flavor, and was surrounded with a buttery sauce..
NOTE: I forgot to find out what wine we had. And, we decided to forgo desserts
SUMMARY
I'm a strong believer that the DINING experience should be about the WHOLE experience, from the time you make the reservations til the time you leave.
In summary, the food was excellent with the exception of the fish dish, but the delivery was disastrous. I understand, with a new chef and not accustomed to working with an existing staff it can make it challenging. And, we were not served any bread at all, "sacre bleu" this is France. On top of that, I felt the restaurant was way too noisy and the seating was very uncomfortable. I had to readjust my stool several times because I was afraid of falling. The bar tables are extremely narrow, making it hard to share dishes.
Keep in mind the chef changes weekly, so you'll never know what you'll get. If you like surprises, then this is a place for you. If I'm being honest, we probably won't go back.
Net-net, this was a hard review for me, because for the most part the food was excellent, but the experience was a disaster.
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