I thought it was fairly priced and the food was fresh and delightful. This is a very nice mid to upscale restaurant located very close to the interstate and its worth a visit.
#Lingr yelp free
I had the gluten free fish cakes and even though it doesn't look like a lot of food the fish cakes are dense and they are a lot foodwise. My favorite was the Hamachi crudo which I actually ordered two of because they were so delicious. I found all the food and preparation to be exceptional. There were no issues with food allergens (wheat, rye, or barley) as the menu has many many denotations on what is gluten free, what has soy, dairy, seafood etc (which I really appreciated). Our waitress was very friendly, helpful, and talkative. Its a small restaurant and simple in style and tables are adequately spaced out in my opinion. Its dimly lit with light coming from the bar area. We stopped in for dinner and had a reservation. The appetizers are definitely worth a visit! I’ll keep watch on menu and re-visit when they execute the concept better. Price point was fine as well and I was fine to tip well since the ingredients were great and service did well to compensate. The quality of ingredients are definitely there, the issues I experienced are easily surmountable, and I still love the fusion concept of the 2 flavors. And the ebelskivers, (which I loved as a kid, and usually light and airy) were disappointingly a dense cake donut texture and I did not taste “Szechuan spiciness” mentioned in the description. The kladdkaka is supposed to be crispy outside and gooey inside but this one was dry all through, and the berry compote was great but not liquid enough to compensate. For desserts, the focus was very Scandi - which I was excited as my parents are Nordic. The wok fried snapper (crisp edging) and fan jiu (‘burnt’ caramelized rice) when paired together made this a very dry dish - separately they would have been great when paired with a moist option, or they could have provided a subtle sauce. For the mains, the chicken was dry/tough and not as fragrant/flavorful as I would expect, as it was meant to be combined with the plum sauce and sweet potato wraps (dry!) similar to how Peking duck is served. The steamed bao with shiitake and gailan were perfect spiciness, and definitely ideal when also flavored with sauce from the dumplings. Potato and asparagus dumplings were mild, flavorful when the sauce spooned atop. The appetizers were the stars of the show, I’d make a meal of those. Least favorite was “water” which seemed overpowered by the dill, perhaps they can switch out with a pine needle or red clover.
“Wood” tasted much like a Negroni, as the server expertly described. Next favorite was “fire”, would have liked it just a bit spicier. Of the 4 cocktails, the “Metal” was by far the best - a mix of subtle bitterness with botanicals (which was likely the mix of baijiu and aperol). Food pacing was perfect - we did not feel rushed, nor waiting too long between courses. Service was fine and receptive to feedback, although we were brought a drink we didn’t order - not once, but twice (not our direct server’s error). Menu is interesting and innovative, a great mix of Nordic and Asian/Cantonese influence, definitely very novel for the Tampa Bay region. The owner/chef was active during our dining visit, checking in with a couple tables and helping at the bar.
And definitely book a reservation weeks in advance for optimal seating. Parking is limited for a Saturday night so plan ahead. Small contemporary indoor seating with minimalist decor and sufficient lighting to focus more on the food and conversation. The venue is nice, especially for Florida with plenty of outdoor seating with overhead cover for inclement weather. I was looking forward to this restaurant - great concept, quiet location away from the tourists, adventurous menu - a potential hidden gem like ones I had enjoyed in NYC or Singapore.
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