South Philly Review

Until last week, I thought "nouvelle cuisine" went out with the Reagan administration. It has resurfaced at Fish. Chef Mike Stollenwerk, of Little Fish fame, opened his restaurant on the site of the beloved Astral Plane.

Edward and I walked past Fish's bar and into the back dining room. We were shown to a comfortable red banquette with good lighting. The walls are white with pretty sconces.

Our waiter greeted us with a hello and "what kind of water would you like?" I am getting tired of this. I feel if patrons want fancy water they should inquire about it.

Our server was courteous and knowledgeable about the menu, which consists of small plates and one a bit bigger.

A Bluecoat gin martini was $14, but I wanted a glass of wine.

"We do a 5-ounce pour," our server said.

Pull out your measuring cup and you will discover 5 ounces is a tad more than a half-cup. Wines by the glass begin at $9 for a Walnut Block Sauvignon Blanc, which I found grassy and refreshing.

The good news is Stollenwerk prepares his dishes with sustainable seafood and immaculately fresh local ingredients.

The soft and cottony bread did not reflect the quality of the ingredients at Fish, although Edward liked it more than I did. A pat of sweet, softened butter was topped with "fleur de sel," a pricey French sea salt.

We began dinner with three appetizers. Hamachi, pear, cress and mustard seed ($11) consisted of three rounds of this Japanese tuna served raw along with a slice of pear, a tiny mound of watercress and some mustard seeds. The dish was tasty, indeed.

Octopus carpaccio ($10) was one of the finest I've tasted. Served with sweet clementines, spicy arugula and tiny specks of dried olives, we liked the dish but wished there was more of it.

Stollenwerk's beets ($8) were served with chicken skin. The plate featured four tiny, whole beets topped with tangy Chevre, crunchy pistachios and a bit of mache dressed in a Dijon vinaigrette. Like the octopus, we wished there was more.

Five appears to be the magic number at Fish. Our server told us each fish and the lone strip steak each weighed 5 ounces.

Escolar ($18) is a firm, white-fleshed fish with a high oil content. This is the only one grilled at Fish; all others are pan-seared.

This information is not on the menu. I received two two-and-a-half-ounce triangles of escolar with light grill marks. My dinner included about two tablespoons of whipped celeriac with two baby carrots. A tablespoon of what tasted liked collard greens also was included. A drizzle of properly reduced, rich, roasted chicken jus was placed around the vegetables. The dish not only lacked eye appeal, it was cold. It was whisked away and warmed as I sipped a glass of Pierre Chermente Beaujolais ($10) and Edward had a bottle of Yards Brawler ($5).

His meal was far tastier than mine. His monkfish ($20) was in a curried mussel "nage" with a smattering of diced butternut squash. In other words, the mussels were steamed, probably with a bit of white wine, removed from their shells and mixed with curry. There were maybe four small ones in the dish. His fish was more flavorful than mine and it arrived hot.

Dessert ($7) was an apple tart topped with sautéed cinnamon apples, walnuts and walnut ice cream.

Fish's menu is not clearly written. Guests know the ingredients, but not how the dishes are prepared. Ingredients are set off by commas, but prepositions such as "with," "atop" or "on" should be used, as well.

Our bill, with tax and tip, came to nearly $150. This is high for a casual neighborhood spot offering such small portions of fresh, tasty fare.