So glad I got to stop by Luka on the way home - the new dinner service from Bakers & Baristas.
First, let's talk ambience. Although Luka uses the basic set-up of the structure of Bakers & Baristas, the team does a great job creating an entirely different, classy mood. The whole restaurants glows a bit more with a sexier orange light and candles all over the restaurant. Low-playing jazz and other suave songs play throughout the background.
Second, let's talk the menu and style. The menu shows off an array of really of Asian Fusion / New American dishes. I unfortunately wasn't hungry enough to try a wide breadth but here's what I did get to order:
*Marinated Cherry Tomatoes: Came highly recommended and granted, I'm normally not a huge tomato fan. I think this was solid. I ate every last tomato and loved the dressing and ricotta. Just a nice mix of seasoning that helped create a smooth mix of flavors. The ricotta definitely was the star for me that helped elevate the dish.
*Spicy blue prawns: My favorite of the night. Beautifully cooked, juicy prawns in a sauce that was simply was magnificent. The staff was so nice to add a baguette to soak all the sauce up in. A great mix of seasoning and spices.
*Sundae: Probably the most beautiful dish of the night. The sundae was such a clever mix of complex and bold sweet flavors. The yuzu curd may not be to everyone's liking but I thought it added such a nice zing at the end of every bite (make sure to scoop it up from the bottom).
*Skin contact Straka wine: A good list of various wines and more to come apparently! A perfect complement to the meal.
They also had an espresso menu at the end as well as some beer options. This all came out to about $80ish by the end of the meal.
Service, which was mainly from the server, Jerrill, and the rest of the Luka team, was great and super attentive with constant water refills; great explanations about the menu; and a breakdown of the curated wine list.
Parking is similar where there is usually enough parking in the lot (go past the restaurant to the middle area where there is usually a mix of more parking). Yes, the parking lot is super funky with some spaces that are super tight / not really realistic but think there's always something available.
Kudos to the B&B team - hoping to try more in round 2 in the future!
