Hello Please knows how to handle a walk-in. No reservation, a show across the road in an hour, and they squeezed us in on a heaving night without blinking.
The room hums with that Fish Lane energy, busy but never chaotic. You can tell the kitchen and floor are in sync.
We started with the scallop supreme with caviar, wasabi and yuzu ponzu. Sour yet fruity, with a sharp hit of ginger that was pitch perfect. That sauce was epic. I could drink it by the glass and would happily order more just to mop it up.
The crispy duck wontons with ginger and orange caramel are a combo you would not think works. It works. Sweet and sour done with real intent.
Bay lobster dumplings with fermented chilli butter were the sleeper hit. Buttery, with that ambul quality I know from Sri Lankan cooking, deeply savoury, tangy and peppery all at once.
The BBQ snapper with Sri Lankan curry, crispy noodles and curry leaf was the wobble. I love the concept and the energy behind it, but the fish carried a slightly burnt taste and the skin was not to my liking. The curry comes made separately, and I have learned I do not like that. Honest marks for ambition, fewer for execution.
Wok fried green beans with sesame miso verde and crispy garlic were very nice, the quiet achiever of the table. Short grain rice to bring it all together.
Staff were awesome. Friendly, fast and just on point, getting us fed and out in an hour so we could make the show.
I overall love this place. It is innovative, bold, and I will certainly be back.