Flying Fish and
Shakespeare Theater
He Said:
Flying fish, flying fish, flying fish where do I start with you?
For those that have been living under the proverbial rock for last few years, South Lake Union is going places, and going places FAST! In the four short years that I’ve resided state side, I’ve been amazed to witness it go from industrial, boat repair wasteland to Paul Allen, SLUT serviced, glass bathed fun-land.
With new whiz-bang and funky building popping up every day, Amazon setting up shop in and it becoming a world-renowned hub for bio-tech companies, the flood of business and residential investment has opened up scores of opportunities restaurateurs and daters alike.
One of the more famous, or should I say infamous restaurants to open up in South Lake Union has been the relocation of Belltown icon the Flying Fish. On the corner of Westlake and Thomas, while I wasn’t able to patron the old location, it did come well reviewed so I expected good things from the flash new restaurant. We had driven past it a few times not long after it opened and it seemed to always be jammed to the rafters so when the opportunity came up for a date night there, i jumped on it.
The first thing to strike you about the new Flying Fish is the ultra modern design that you’ll find synonymous with South Lake Union. With a clubby-esk feeling bar and a large open space for seating my first impressions were pleasing. Dismally though, this was the high point for the Flying Fish. The large open seating space I mentioned is unfortunately jammed with 5 too many tables. We really felt like we were on top of the other patrons and this was exaggerated further when Mandy’s right side neighbour had what I think was a hilarious coughing fit. Usually Mandy and I are all for dinning in close proximity with other patrons as it somehow makes it more intimate, but this doesn’t work at the Flying Fish. The bright lights that they employ and the echo of a new building take away the romance.
Decor aside, the next sticking point for the Flying Fish is the service. I’m not sure if the management there has access to interweb and Yelp but it seems to be a common problem for them there. We waited 20 minutes for our order to be taken and half an hour at the end of our meal for our check to arrive. The salt in the wound for Fishes was again the large open room we were in. For 20 of the last 30 minutes we were able to stare head-on at our waiter as they chatted away on the side with their work colleague. Frustrating much? This all could be washed away though with a good meal but alas the Fish let us down yet again. While it wasn't bad, it was definitely not worth the trouble.
After the disappointment of the Flying Fish, our night turned for the better as we headed up to Seattle Center and Seattle Shakespeare Company’s rendition of Chamber Cymbeline.
It was my first encounter viewing one the bards' performances and while I’ve never been a Shakespeare kind of bloke, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. Shakespeare rates highly on the romance scale so you’ll be doing yourself a favour by booking some tickets, lads.
I’ll admit that I’ve put this off for a while now because I didn’t think I’d ever understand the poetic nature of the speech. I was worried I’d look quite the fool talking about the play afterwards and not know what the bloody hell happened.
Well I’m happy to report that after 20 minutes or so you actually start to understand what the actors are talking about and genuinely appreciate the show. The Seattle Shakespeare company puts on a great show as well with fantastic set design coupled with an intimate theatre. A great finish to the evening.
Cheers!
Brett
Flying fish, flying fish, flying fish where do I start with you?For those that have been living under the proverbial rock for last few years, South Lake Union is going places, and going places FAST! In the four short years that I’ve resided state side, I’ve been amazed to witness it go from industrial, boat repair wasteland to Paul Allen, SLUT serviced, glass bathed fun-land.
With new whiz-bang and funky building popping up every day, Amazon setting up shop in and it becoming a world-renowned hub for bio-tech companies, the flood of business and residential investment has opened up scores of opportunities restaurateurs and daters alike.
One of the more famous, or should I say infamous restaurants to open up in South Lake Union has been the relocation of Belltown icon the Flying Fish. On the corner of Westlake and Thomas, while I wasn’t able to patron the old location, it did come well reviewed so I expected good things from the flash new restaurant. We had driven past it a few times not long after it opened and it seemed to always be jammed to the rafters so when the opportunity came up for a date night there, i jumped on it.
The first thing to strike you about the new Flying Fish is the ultra modern design that you’ll find synonymous with South Lake Union. With a clubby-esk feeling bar and a large open space for seating my first impressions were pleasing. Dismally though, this was the high point for the Flying Fish. The large open seating space I mentioned is unfortunately jammed with 5 too many tables. We really felt like we were on top of the other patrons and this was exaggerated further when Mandy’s right side neighbour had what I think was a hilarious coughing fit. Usually Mandy and I are all for dinning in close proximity with other patrons as it somehow makes it more intimate, but this doesn’t work at the Flying Fish. The bright lights that they employ and the echo of a new building take away the romance.
Decor aside, the next sticking point for the Flying Fish is the service. I’m not sure if the management there has access to interweb and Yelp but it seems to be a common problem for them there. We waited 20 minutes for our order to be taken and half an hour at the end of our meal for our check to arrive. The salt in the wound for Fishes was again the large open room we were in. For 20 of the last 30 minutes we were able to stare head-on at our waiter as they chatted away on the side with their work colleague. Frustrating much? This all could be washed away though with a good meal but alas the Fish let us down yet again. While it wasn't bad, it was definitely not worth the trouble.
After the disappointment of the Flying Fish, our night turned for the better as we headed up to Seattle Center and Seattle Shakespeare Company’s rendition of Chamber Cymbeline.It was my first encounter viewing one the bards' performances and while I’ve never been a Shakespeare kind of bloke, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it. Shakespeare rates highly on the romance scale so you’ll be doing yourself a favour by booking some tickets, lads.
I’ll admit that I’ve put this off for a while now because I didn’t think I’d ever understand the poetic nature of the speech. I was worried I’d look quite the fool talking about the play afterwards and not know what the bloody hell happened.Well I’m happy to report that after 20 minutes or so you actually start to understand what the actors are talking about and genuinely appreciate the show. The Seattle Shakespeare company puts on a great show as well with fantastic set design coupled with an intimate theatre. A great finish to the evening.
Cheers!
Brett
RATINGS:
Flying Fish // 300 Westlake Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 // (206) 728-8595
Shakespeare Theater // 305 Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98109 (in the Center House) // (206) 733-8222
Romance: Flying Fish: 2 // Shakespeare: 4
Cool Ambiance/Interior: Flying Fish: 3 // Shakespeare: 3
All Around Service: Flying Fish: 1 // Shakespeare: 3
Cost: $$$ = entrees from $14 - 22
Would we recommend it? Flying Fish: For a working lunch, yes. Very cafeteria-like. // Shakespeare: YES. Very fun and artsy.
Flying Fish // 300 Westlake Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 // (206) 728-8595
Shakespeare Theater // 305 Harrison Street Seattle, WA 98109 (in the Center House) // (206) 733-8222
Romance: Flying Fish: 2 // Shakespeare: 4
Cool Ambiance/Interior: Flying Fish: 3 // Shakespeare: 3
All Around Service: Flying Fish: 1 // Shakespeare: 3
Cost: $$$ = entrees from $14 - 22
Would we recommend it? Flying Fish: For a working lunch, yes. Very cafeteria-like. // Shakespeare: YES. Very fun and artsy.
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