Oliver Twist

First off, this restaurant is a tapas restaurant/martini bar, although they do have a small assortment of dinner entrees, the menu is mostly geared to tapas, martinis and desserts. We've been twice now, and have yet to eat inside - their patio is nicely located in the front of the restaurant and if you sit just right, you almost forget that you're sitting outside a strip mall, next to Ace Hardware and Planet Fitness.

They have nightly specials which range from 1/2 price tapas to $5.00 martinis. (I'd aim for the 1/2 price tapas night, if I were you)

Let's see...drink wise...good martinis - a bit on the pricey side, but generously portioned and well mixed. If you're in it for the drinks, $5.00 martini night is for you, as my last bill (for 2 Tanqueray martinis) was around $18.00.

Now onto the food. The tapas are priced around $9.00 up to $14.00 maybe. And, most of them are quite small. There are some exceptions, however, and even though the portions may be small, the flavors are great! For example, the beef carpaccio was delightful! I was so excited to see this on a menu here in Raleigh! Definitely on the smaller side of things, with maybe 5 slices total, but given that the idea is to order multiple items, I can forgive this. However, the chicken satay - with a measly portion of 2 skewers and a pretty hefty price tag of around $12 (can't quite remember the exact amount...I did have 2 martinis), left a bit to be desired.

An outstanding option both in size and price is the crab dip. Both tasty and filling, we've gotten this one both times we've been and haven't been disappointed. It's served with toasted pita chips and is so rich and creamy, it's almost sinful.

This latest time we decided to try the entrees to see how they compared to the tapas. Well, and we had a hard time agreeing on what to order that we would want to share. We had the mustard crusted lamb chops with potato fonduta and zucchini friti and the grilled mahi mahi over lobster and crab risotto. The lamb chops were delicious, and you could actually taste the mustard crust. Amazing in my book, since I've found, in most places with an elaborate description like that, I'm often disappointed with the result. The potato fonduta, on the other hand, was a bit weird. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't what showed up! I know fonduta is fondue, but I thought, how in the world can you make potato fondue? Well, I guess you take potatoes and put them in the food processor until they turn into wallpaper paste - maybe add a little cheese, I couldn't really tell, the texture was just so thick, it was hard to even eat them. The zucchini friti - another name for fried zucchini, was actually perfectly lovely. They were just barely coated with the briefest dusting of panko breadcrumbs and fried until just golden. Those were perfect!

Now, onto the Mahi. It looked a bit dry. And it was. I mean, just how hard is it to cook fish? Come on people! You cook it just until it flakes! I am fairly new to the enjoyment of eating fish, and I have always known that! You don't need to cook the crap out of it - you cook it just until it changes color and then it's done! I have been in so many restaurants lately that just royally screw up even fish and chips! I mean, how can you screw up fried fish? It's frozen, all you have to do is throw it in the fryer and cook it for the stated time. Not rocket science here! Annnnnyway - back to the Mahi - apart from it being horribly overcooked, it tasted ok. The lobster and crab risotto was good too. Not fabulous, but not awful either. Very flavorful and had a definite seafood flavor without being fishy.

The service. We've had the same waitress both times we've dined here, and we have absolutely no complaints! She is attentive without being annoying and always keeps our glasses full and the table cleared. She offers helpful suggestions (and even tells you what NOT to get, which is nice in a restaurant with prices like these).

Will we go back? Yes, definitely. Would we recommend it to others? Yes, with the above caveats noted and try to go on a night when they have a special that will benefit you, and watch the prices. Both times, we've been totally shocked at the bill - and not in a good way!

Oliver Twist
8111 Creedmoor Rd, #137
Raleigh, NC 27613
(919) 844-4426