Discreet Diner: Swanky Bubbles

Despite the sign along Evesham Road in Cherry Hill announcing "open for lunch," at noon on a recent Friday, exactly one patron was studying a menu at Swanky Bubbles, cousin to the trendy Philadelphia champagne bar owned by brothers John and Vincent Frankowski. It didn't seem like a good sign.

But 20 minutes later, when the lunch bell had sounded at nearby Virtua Hospital, trays of sushi, satay and salad streamed from the kitchen.

Exotic cocktails flowed from the bar as well, no doubt a relief to the Frankowski brothers, who paid a whopping $1.6 million to assume the former Olive restaurant's liquor license when they opened Swanky Bubbles about a year ago.

A recent Saturday evening was more vigorous - in fact, reservations would have been essential, had we not arrived late after a movie. A boisterous crowd seemed to be enjoying the atmosphere and the food.

Yet I couldn't help feeling that this Asian-chic space - with its exposed brick, lime and orange walls, and oblong lanterns - is struggling to figure out what it is and whether it fits in Cherry Hill. Despite the tony Short Hills address, a cardboard note on the hostess desk feels the need to spell out a dress code: No baseball caps, sneakers or athletic jerseys. And yet, as in a sports bar, games run continuously on a television over the bar.

Service was fast but inconsistent and ill-informed. One server failed to ask whether we wanted water, coffee or dessert. Another server couldn't tell us prices of the specials. After the quick delivery of food, we had an inexcusable wait for the check.

Swanky Bubbles does offer interesting menus, with "hungry" and "hungrier" sections. Portions can be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. They are served family style, all on one platter. The "Bubbly, Cocktails and Martinis" menu has a variation for every color in the rainbow.

Lunch began with robust miso soup ($3), nicely garnished with scallion greens and chunks of floating tofu. But it initially came in the wrong portion size and had to be sent back. Hunks of unremarkable tempura chicken contrasted with sweet red grapes, tart golden delicious apple slices, and sugared walnuts heaped over fresh mixed greens in the tempura chicken salad ($7.95). It was finished with just the right amount of sweet, homemade honey mustard dressing. The beautifully presented teriyaki salmon ($9.95) featured a moist rectangle of fish atop sticky rice and julienne carrots and squash covered in a mild sauce.

Since our dinner visit was late in the evening, we opted to eat light, even though Swanky Bubbles serves its entire menu until 1 a.m. on weekends. A Bubble Box ($19) satisfied our late-night munchies: two skewers of satay chicken, two dumplings, two spring rolls and fried calamari in a cute carton - all with appropriate dipping sauces. The dish was tasty, although the chicken was a bit dry and the dumplings pedestrian.

We preferred our sushi sampling, which featured top-notch fish well presented. The yellowtail on the Hamachi Nigiri ($6) was superb, as was the tuna that blanketed our California roll, transforming it into a "Tunafornia" ($9). We also sampled the Baltimore roll ($9): crab, bay seasoning and scallions.

In general, however, Swanky Bubble's food looks better than it tastes.

Swanky Bubbles is one of more than 60 restaurants participating March 9-14 in South Jersey Restaurant Week. Most will offer four courses for about $35 per person. For more information, go to

» READ MORE: www.sjhotchefs.com

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482 Evesham Rd., Cherry Hill (Short Hills Town Center).

856-428-4999.

Hours:

Lunch 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Saturday; Dinner 5-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Friday and Saturday; Sunday brunch 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

Parking Lot:

Yes.

Children's Menu:

Yes.

Cocktails:

Yes.

On the Web:

» READ MORE: www.swankybubbles.com

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