After a false start where we missed last call by a half hour 2 months ago, I had a chance to go back for a group dinner last week and I must say, we had loads of fun. The room is eclectic, vibrant, yet still dark and relaxed. It’s bizarre but it all works. There’s a lot of colour, and string lights everywhere – there are coloured pillows planted on the ceiling and an interesting vibe of Indian, West Indian and… heck I don’t even know anymore -- but I liked it! Also -- best. washroom. EVER. I cannot describe it. I will not describe it. It must be seen to be believed.

The 8 of us were all seated in the back along a long bench and the place was packed – it was a Friday night in Belltown after all. The room is a decent size, but it seemed like the kitchen was too small – and served to be their undoing. It took almost 5 minutes before we even got menus, even longer to get drink orders, even more longer for them to arrive… long story short – we arrived at 8PM and our entrees didn’t arrive until almost 930. That is horribly unreasonably long – by any standards – and even more damning – the food didn’t seem to benefit from that time. It was just a simple logistical issue. The kitchen staff just seemed like they were completely in over their heads. The floor staff seemed like they were short-staffed though because once the crowd started thinning out – we got much much more attentive service. Fortunately good friends can make any wait bearable – almost.

Now as for the aforementioned food – it was good. Nothing spectacularly, but there were some glimpses of brilliance. We had some starters to stat, which of course took an insane amount of time to arrive: chicken tikka masala with naan; mussels; edamame; plantain chips. I didn’t go for the mussels or edamame—nothing wrong with them, just not my thing. Of the two I did try, the plantain chips were my highlight. They were thin, nicely seasoned and a very pleasant crunch. The tikka masala was ok – nothing particuarly spectacular – I think I’ve actually had better tikka masala from a can…

My entree was the famed pork chop – it was reviewed well by eGulleters, and the waiter said the grits were to die for. Well at least 1 person was correct. The grits were some of the best I’ve ever had – closer to polenta really, but just soupy enough to be more grits-like. Also. Bacon. Inside. Awesomeness. The pork chop taste-wise wasn’t anything memorable… and it was dry. So sadly I was not impressed. Here’s the thing. For the amount of time I waited for this food – though the pork chop was dry – the grits were just barely warm – and chop itself wasn’t particularly large so sadly I was severely underwhelmed and disappointed.

Now the third course. The caramel brioche pudding was described as practically legendary so I went with them and when they eventually arrived—it was good, yes. Soft, tender – all the goodness of brioche. But IMHO my friend makes a superior bread pudding at home and the time it took the bread pudding to arrive at our table took the same amount of time he would have taken to make it practically from scratch at home.

So tremendously disappointed in the food, but an awesome place to hang out with friends for drinks and atmosphere.

I LOVE this place and it’s been awhile. This is where I go if I NEED and desire comfort food. The menu is super duper colorful, the vegetables fresh and organic, you must definitely try the soup. I’ve had a few different ones now and they are amazing and very pure. Although the food has this hearty comfort feel, you do not feel like you ate hearty greesy food, it’s the exact opposite.

Lastly, the other reasons this place gets a high rating from me? You can choose your own bathroom music!! I love it! As well as the restaurant atmosphere!!! Great date spot.