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‘Platters on the Esplanade’ is a new place in a new building overlooking the ocean on the Isle’s Western side.  (H-106)

From the ground floor one can take an elevator up to the restaurant.  From the elevator, in a wide shopping mall corridor, Platters on The Esplanade is immediately to the left, at the corridor’s end, the right stretching away to other shops and venues.  The building has an aerostat pad on the roof.

A server will greet one at the entrance, and will likely know regulars by sight.

The restaurant is built on an extension from the side of the building, and there are windows on almost three sides. The server leads them to a corner table with views both out to sea and along the locally famous ‘Esplanade walk’ – a meandering stonework ribbon along the built-up shoreline with shops and a park on the landward side, and from which occasional stairways lead down to the variable patches of beach or rocks below. The windows automatically tinted to shade from the glare of the star, as appropriate.

The server will allow guests to sit, turn glasses and pour cool water from a carafe on the table, ask if one would like a drink.  

Dinner Menu

For dinner there’s a fair range of fresh-food-based dishes and some farmed exotics (grilled, fried or casseroled) with potentially interesting-sounding sauces. It seems to be evenly split between a set of common meals with a twist (eg: pasta with the usual range of sauces, but always a mention of some unusual ingredient, or goat stew (but with lime)) and some attempts at new things that sound like the chef is feeling adventurous (eg charred Icbing nut-flavoured steak in fresh cauliflower sauce on top of a virgin garden salad on pita bread – eat with cutlery or use the bread) The menu is enticingly written, with a short paragraph dedicated to each dish.

Lunch Menu

The lunch menu is lighter, but with the same sort of style (eg Fish-sticks and potato fries in a wrap.)

Dessert Menu

The ‘taster trio’ of desserts is recommended for first-time diners.

Vibe

It’s heading-up-market in feel, but it looks like they’ve tried to keep the prices somewhat accessible.

The place seems to be aiming for a mix of stylish-modern. It looks, perhaps to be trying for the elegance and up-market that Lia may associate with establishments in a Resi Section, but not so much as to be intimidating to people not used to such things, and also not to have the occasional ‘stuffiness’ that can come with such places. So far the limited interaction with the server has been pleasant and professional. The place settings are stylish and upmarket, and seats comfortable as well as decorative. Design does seem to have been optimised to take advantage of the views available in this location, and the room has an open feel – presumably so all the diners can see the windows.  The tables are spaced out enough so it doesn’t feel the patrons are on top of each other. The place has not opted for background music nor entertainment.

It looks like there is a small bar where patrons could order drinks rather than have table service, but it is usually only staffed for special functions.

Seated at a table at a window corner, one may notice some external heat noticeable radiating from the glass. The environmental systems do seem to cope though.

Behind the scenes

The owners financed the restaurant start-up with an illegal loan from an organised crime connection.  The place is run as a partnership between Benino Meyer-Fawlt, the manager and Gord Bolton, the head chef.

Benino is an idealist who, having seen the privileged and under-privileged, wants to bring the joy of fine dining to a wider group of people.