offtopicartisan

A pleasant stroll past the usual restaurant-lined blocks of University Ave brings you to the classy Tamarine Restaurant. Billed as one of the Bay Area's top 100 restaurants, think Vietnamese-led Asian fusion in a seductive setting.

At once it was clear we were underdressed. The class of the restaurant was demonstrated not by the original Vietnamese prints on the walls, or the long, discreetly-lit bar, or the understated place settings, but by the utterly unfazed welcome of the maître d'. Feeling out of place, we were still seated at the long and high central table shared by pairs of diners; elsewhere, the booth tables and bar were busy.

Tamarine's menu describes how the small-plate entrees are to be "enjoyed with the pairing of a variety of aromatic, flavor-infused rice, designed to be mixed and matched to create a truly dazzling flavor experience". After superb banh mi roti, we chose the duck curry. Our waitress suggested the coconut rice to match the red curry sauce; the roasted duck in the dish was tartly offset by pineapple and grapes. Confident, smiling service throughout.

Rating: (out of four)