great food, fun but beware. returned toplumrecently with friends in a small party of 3. tried most of the items on the menu - or let's say a lot of them. we loved every single dish - some were superb and unique, particularly the starter plates. we had cocktails and wine and thought the wine was good and a very reasonable price. its a unique bay area feel and crowd and everyone had a great time. but, here's the big but. they include a 16% service charge for all parties - not just large ones - in the bill and didn't tell us. its so dark in the restaurant, we could barely read the bill let alone the fine print so we tipped generously on top of that. no one said a word. we ended up tipping 35% approx. and we tipped on the tip! the waiter was clearly dishonest and we have to suspect we're not the first to have had such an experience. so, go enjoy the food but watch your bill!!!
-----01 mar, 2011-----
happy addition to oakland. i went here for a special occasion and wasn't disappointed. the food is good - not always great - but fun and with a little attention to detail could be great. we were a group of 3 and shared everything. most of the dishes were very good although i got the sense that they still are working out the kinks as a couple of the dishes fell a bit flat, under-seasoned or not fully developed in concept. not bad, just nothing to remember. so, there's lots of great energy around this restaurant and i'm happy to have it here. i hope they focus some energy on really working out their dishes.