we had a great dining experience at orca.
the table location was where we expected, having booked ahead. this is always a good sign as some restaurants put advance bookings in the worst spots, reserving the best tables for walk ins. the welcome was friendly and the young woman who served us most of theeveningwas genuinely delightful, striking a nice balance of being attentive but not fussing too much. the décor was bright and open but we still felt like we had our own little corner. it was a busy evening, but staff seemed to be on top of it all.
the food was what we had come for of course, and we weren’t disappointed. we had already discussed the menu when we booked and were really pleased to see an imaginative vegetarian entrée and main. sure, there could always be more choices, but orca steered well away from those tired old clichés, fettuccine alfredo and vegetarian lasagne! other restaurants take note! we can cook this stuff at home! the dishes were elegant without being pretentious and were a taste sensation, especially the mushroom entrée. the gnocchi dish was lovely too. i suspect it was done in a skillet instead of simply being boiled. venturing into meat territory once in a while, i had lamb which was very good indeed.
we had three courses with wine and the quality and presentation were excellent. there was just the right amount of time between courses too, so you never felt either rushed or neglected. a big test of aneveningis when the dessert menu is presented. many restaurants either shove it your face as an afterthought or leave it so long that you simply go off the idea. no problems here. we had a lovely tart tatin and gratefully accepted a dessert wine suggestion. it was all rounded off with a good coffee.
so all in all we had a very pleasant evening. lovely staff, great food and definitely somewhere we would recommend.