Well, the cynic in me often notes that no good deed goes unpunished. However, the great thing about being a cynic is that you can be pleasantly surprised by a turn of good fortune — or in this case, a great meal.

My neighbours got screwed by bad housing contractors (it would be wholly inappropriate to note the names of Craftwood General Contracting or Roger Bambra), and it so annoyed me to see the damage caused, that I offered to help them sue the bastards. They were successful and seemingly believed that I had been of some assistance. So that was how we ended up being treated to a wonderful dinner at Goldfish.

It was raining when we got to the Annex. Running through traffic in a grey drizzle towards a series of big windows which revealed a bright and stark interior was like a vision out of blade runner (but without the unicorn). Inside things were cool and crisp, and perhaps a little too cool. My opinion warmed up, however, as the wait staff didn’t have any of the attitude which normally goes with such an interior, and we quickly settled in for a very nice evening.

The wine list was reasonable and revealed a number of nice bottles for around $30. The food wasn’t cheap, but fairly priced for the Annex, with pasta entrées around $14, with meaty dishes in the low $20s. A nice spread of appetizers, including a daily soup. Not to be daunted by some much good food, I had the salmon tartar to start. It was light, lovely with just a hint of garlic and lemon. This was followed by a beef tenderloin. The serving was generous and I was hardly bitter at all at the fact that the last piece was a bit stringy. The beef came with a thick jus and onion sauce and some great garlic mash. Other diners enjoined a fresh ceaser salad, pumpkin gnocci and a host of other delights.

The bill (yes I peeked) wasn’t bad for four people, and the service was great throughout the night. My only regret was that I stuffed myself and was unable to really get into desert. Breese did, however, and it seemed quite acceptable.