Fish is located on the very hoppin? end of upper King St. Customers of various restaurants spill out on to the side walk and the energy is electric. Surprisingly, when we arrived at Fish it wasn?t very busy. Lucky for us!
Upon arrival we realized that the Dim Sum specials were only at the bar, so we decided to eat there. Our bartender was very friendly and knowledgeable. We quickly ordered the fried calamari appetizer.
The menu isn?t too large, or overwhelming. Chef Nico Romo beautifully combines local sustainable ingredients with a French Asian flair. The menu includes a few petite plates and 8 dim sum offerings, a Fromage du jour (a steal at $8.00), 2 salads, a dozen or so entrees and several desserts. As we waited for our appetizer we couldn?t decide on dim sum or an entr?e as everything looked so inviting.
In a blink of an eye our calamari arrived. A generous portion served in a long, boat-like dish. It was delicately tempura battered with a few black sesame seeds and drizzled with a lightly sweet citrus sauce. Knock me down and call me Shorty? this was fabulous. My husband, not a big fan of calamari, thought this could have been the best he?s ever had. After eating this we voted hands down to order entr?es rather than Dim Sum. Although several people around us ordered dim sum and it looked quite appetizing (and a deal for $1.00 a piece.)
The restaurant began to fill up and I realized that there is a second floor seating area that overlooks King Street and a large, private outdoor courtyard. Many options here.
The entr?e I ordered was the evening?s special. It was porgy served with peas and fingerling potatoes. The plate was drizzled with a black cherry sauce that our bartender had told us was ?fruit forward?, but I thought it was delightful. My fish was remarkable. Grilled with a light smoky flavor. The potatoes and peas were a wonderful compliment. I didn?t know where to start.
My husband ordered the grilled pork which was served with butterfield peas, petite basque twice baked potato with brown port sauce. I always think you run a risk when you order pork at a restaurant. Rare is the occasion when it?s not overcooked. This dish however, was cooked perfectly.
Without question this place has great food. Chef Romo was named Master Chef of France in 2010 and his talents did not go unnoticed by this diner.
As the bar area started to fill up our bartender became a waiter to the tables in the area and unfortunately it was a while before we saw him again. Because the tables were seated all at once it took quite a long time to have our plates cleared and our check presented. So close to a 5 plate rating, but the delay in getting our check and cashing out dropped our rating down a notch. It also highlighted activities in the bar.
Because there is typically a significant mark up in wine prices at most restaurants, bottles of wine offered at half price is a great deal for wine drinkers. My experience has been that the downside to this offering is that people have a tendency to over imbibe. Many of the patrons near us were taking advantage of the half price wine. Unfortunately for us, the table behind us became somewhat loud and obnoxious. With every ?F- bomb dropped by the woman behind us the experience became less enjoyable. It?s possible that this is a one off, but I can tell you it was a turn off.
That being said, the food is the star and it shines brightly at Fish.
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