The Waterman Fish Bar

The Waterman Fish Bar opened in October 2018 at 2729 South Boulevard, Suite D, in the South End shopping centre anchored by Harris Teeter, from Paul Manley and Andrew Chapman — the pair behind Sea Level in Uptown, with investors including Dennis Thompson of Firebirds and Viva Chicken and Frank Scibelli of Mama Ricotta's and Yafo. The shared ownership shows on the plate: the Sea Level Salt oyster, farmed at Sea Level on North Carolina's Down East coast, is served here at $2.50 with a house cocktail sauce, shredded horseradish and two mignonettes. Walk in on the ground floor and you see the oyster shucking happening in front of you, under a mural of a salty old seaman. A rooftop terrace called Topside opened in March 2019, seating eighty with a clear view back towards Uptown. The kitchen runs a lobster mac and cheese at $17, citrus salmon at $23.50, a lobster roll served Maine or Connecticut style at $28, and a fried platter of North Carolina mountain trout, oysters and East Coast shrimp at $36.

The non-alcoholic drinks are a recent addition and are printed under their own "Mocktails" heading, which is worth knowing because older coverage of this restaurant predates them entirely. There are two, and they are pitched at opposite ends. The Passionstar Martini ($8) is the serious one, built on Undone No. 2 Not Gin with passionfruit, vanilla and lime — the same drink logic as its sibling restaurant's version, and the vanilla is what gives it the body a martini format needs. Midnight Swim ($6.50) is the cheaper and more theatrical: a lavender and butterfly pea flower simple syrup with lemon and club soda, finished with edible glitter, and butterfly pea flower is the ingredient that shifts colour as the acid hits it. Athletic's Free Wave hazy IPA is $5.50 for anyone who would rather drink beer with oysters. There is no non-alcoholic wine on the list. Service runs from 11am daily, to 11pm on Friday and Saturday.