It seems so obvious now. How many restaurants have over 100 reviews, nearly all favorable? But we fell into the trap, thinking the few that tried to warn us may be particularly fussy. And we read that this restaurant had a romantic setting and a good wine list.

Our excitement around trying a new restaurant was immediately dampened by the rather cheap ambiance and no cloth napkins. Any restaurant serving European/Fusion cuisine at mid range+ prices must have cloth napkins (paper napkins in our book are for fast food and picnics).

After being seated, our hope for any romantic evening was completely squashed when we asked for the wine list to find there was no wine list and worse no wine. We were informed they were changing their wine list, so as we struggled to understand how that translated into no wine, the waiter mentioned they had beer, one bottle of chardonnay and one of sparkling shiraz (oh my goodness what is that?). We are not so keen on white wine, and the idea of beer with the fine cuisine that we hoped was forthcoming just didn't make sense. So still in shock and wondering what on earth were we going to do, we timidly inquired about the sparkling shiraz. Australian. High marks for creativity, but it just didn't sound appealing. At this point, we were two seconds away from getting up to leave, but felt that would be just too rude. So in desperation and against our better judgment we agreed to stay and try it. Well, that was a big mistake. Picture cheap red wine with bubbles.

We ordered dinner which was fair. Grilled king prawns - tasty, but nothing to rave about and from the reviews you would think this was something to die for. Lamb - not much flavor but cooked medium rare as requested. Pork - dry, sauce boring. Overall, nothing special. And for the price there are numerous better options available and in more interesting settings and with a lot more ambiance. Oh and in case I forget, with good wine options that pair well with the food.

Positive points - food was presented nicely and service was decent. Also, we have a great story about the sparkling shiraz to muse over with friends.

Conclusion - after our mediocre experience, the large number of highly favorable reviews (many going into unusual detail) left us with the impression that they may not have come entirely from independent sources. Caution is therefore advised.