Cuisine: Californian.

Ambience: This seems to be a hot-and-happening place. On the evening we reviewed the restaurant, the place was packed with people. Bizou's decor is good, but we were uncomfortable because of the straight-backed wooden chairs.

Price: About $400 per person, excluding drinks.

Pros: The friendly staff are attentive and responded quickly to our needs.

Cons: The restaurant is obviously trying to fit more tables in than the place can hold. They're set close together - so close that we could hear every word the couple at the table beside us was saying, but could hardly hear ourselves talk over the noise.

Recommended dishes: The Haas avocado, cucumbers and watercress in Green Goddess dressing ($78) was a refreshing starter, but the avocado should have been riper. We enjoyed the warm Manouri cheese with roasted bell peppers and kalamata olives ($98). The flavour of the cheese wasn't too strong and had an interesting texture that went well with the Mediterranean vegetables. However, the anchovies hidden in the roasted bell peppers should have been listed on the menu (neither of us likes them). The 'just churned' ice creams ($48) - vanilla, coffee and banana - were exquisite.

What else? The rotisserie is much vaunted, but disappointing - at least the Australian fresh half-chicken with mashed potatoes, mushroom ragout and gravy (right) was. The chicken was cooked well enough, but didn't taste any better than what you could get in a supermarket. The grilled giant prawns with garlic-herb butter ($195) didn't taste fresh, and it was a battle trying to pry them from the skewers. The accompanying crispy potato salad was shockingly oily. Don't forget to make a reservation for dinner, or be prepared to wait outside for a table.