Jane W.
Yelp
I'm surprised it took me this long to visit Oceanique, considering I love trying new restaurants, love seafood, and am within walking distance to this place. Anyway, I just visited Oceanique a few days ago for Restaurant Week, and tried their $44 dinner tasting menu.
I made a reservation at 9pm, and my friend and I got there ~10-15 minutes early. The initial walk in was a little awkward - we just stood there for a few minutes, unacknowledged by anybody. I told one hostess that we had made a reservation for 9 but if we could be seated a little earlier. She said tables were getting cleared and we would be seated soon... but it wasn't until another hostess asked if we had been helped that we finally got seated. Not the best first impression, so good thing the food/service made up for that.
Food: 4 stars.
- Chef's surprise starter was an arctic char ceviche, and although it wasn't amazing, it was a good way to start the meal.
- Starter: maine day boat scallops with kimchi and lobster-soy broth. I really liked this dish - the scallops were well flavored, had a beautiful sear, and were very tender. I was surprised at how strong the kimchi flavor was - being Korean, I'm used to Western restaurants downplaying the flavors since it's pretty pungent to begin with, but it was delicious.
- Entree: wild main skate which was great as well. The fish itself was super tender and well flavored.
- Dessert was a surprise, and I got some sort of chocolate mousse dessert. Delicious.
Service: 5 stars
- Attentive but not intrusive, and very polite. The plates came out a bit slower than I'm used to, but that gave me a chance to talk to my friend (I have a tendency to wolf down my food and just leave, even at nicer restaurants), so I didn't mind too much.
We also ordered a bottle of wine for $64, so I spent a total of $100 with tip and tax.
I also had the pleasure of speaking with the chef, and he was so friendly! (When I told him I made the 20 minute walk in sub-zero temperatures to come here, he said I was in for a cold walk back, to which I told him (I was a little buzzed) that I had a nice wine blanket...) Anyway, all in all a great experience!