Philadelphia Weekly

In a perfect world, every restaurant would turn out to be as pleasant a surprise as Little Fish, the miniscule seafood-themed BYOB in Queen Village.

It's a popular misconception that critics are always searching for the next great restaurant to skewer. If I wanted to write about a hopeless pile of crap every week, I'd cover City Hall.

According to the restaurant-gossip grapevine, the once well regarded 10-year-old Little Fish had devolved into a humdrum neighborhood spot.

But this Little Fish--this pleasantly surprising Little Fish--is not the same Little Fish. New chef/owner Michael Stollenwerk has revitalized the spot. The menu--though still seafood-centric--is entirely different. This Little Fish offers creative seafood dishes that cleverly stray from the familiar while still providing exceptional flavor.

The room is lovely, with ebony wood paneling that glistens against creamy painted brick walls, but it's also tiny. Squishy. Cramped, even. If you have issues with personal space, close-talking or eavesdropping, be warned that you'll likely encounter all three. There's also an open kitchen that dominates the room. Depending on your temperament (and the girth of the party sitting at the next table) you might find the weeness charming or mildly uncomfortable. But it's worth braving the close quarters for the food.

Start with an appetizer of plump seared scallops paired with a rich cauliflower gratin that beautifully incorporates both creamy and crisp textures, and a lovely raisin emulsion whose shy sweetness balances out the sharp notes of the cauliflower. No, it's not especially seasonal, but it is especially delicious and has all the hallmarks of becoming a signature dish.

Not quite as innovative but just as satisfying is a bowl of buttery mussels, fragrant in a curried coconut milk broth spiked with lemongrass and plentiful with fiery chilies. Ginger hums through the broth; a large hunk of it is also balanced atop the mussels, where one of my dining companions mistook it for a slice of fingerling potato, popped it in his mouth and then popped it right back out again. The presentation might need a little tweaking, but the flavors need none.

Sicilian calamari is a garlicked-up hybrid of stew and sauce that owes a heavy debt to both caponata and Provencal-style cooking. Translation: It's an awesome version of that totally exhausted workhorse, calamari. Slivers of tender squid are tossed into a thick, spicy, fresh tomato sauce heavily populated with olives, almonds, currants and pastine (granular bits of pasta). Like most really excellent Mediterranean food, it manages to be both substantial and light.

Berber-spiced tuna is the only appetizer that doesn't work, despite the fine flavors of its individual parts. The spice dusting on the seared hunk of fish tastes primarily of cinnamon, which overwhelms the flavors of both the fish and a feathery avocado mousse. Toasted hazelnuts and a garnish of green papaya also seem out of place.

It's a lone blip easily forgotten once the entrees arrive.

The bright greens of sweet English peas, crisp pea tendrils and spaetzle flecked with ground peas bring vibrant color and flavor to seared halibut lolling in a silky scallop-butter broth. It's a dish that just about sings, its ingredients are so harmonious. Colorful Copper River salmon, resting on hearty chickpeas and greens, is as moist and succulent as a ripe peach. The crisp, salted skin slices through the rich flesh, while a thick fig mustard brings out its sweetness.

Marlin--which has brawny, swordfishy qualities--is given the meaty treatment, paired with a barlotto (a twist on risotto, made with barley rather than rice), charred corn and a potent chipotle oil. All the smoky flavors stand up nicely to the denseness of the fish. Grouper--a leaner, sparer fish--is humbly matched with sauteed broccoli rabe, white beans and an intensely sweet tomato marmalade that balances out the bite of the bitter greens.

Desserts are simple but satisfying. Peaches, cradled in a tart shell as fragile and papery as crumbling papyrus, perfume the table with their lush late-summer fragrance, while a parfait of coconut panna cotta and pineapple hits a sweet tropical note that takes some of the sting out of the stinky tropical weather outside.

And in sticky September, what could be a more pleasant surprise than that?

Little Fish
600 Catharine St. 215.413.3464. www.littlefishphilly.com
Cuisine: Seafood.
Hours: Sun.-Thurs., 5:30-10pm; Fri.-Sat., 5:30-11pm.
Prices: $7-$25.
Sound advice: Close quarters make private conversations public.
Atmosphere: Classy, if cramped, BYOB.
Service: Attentive and informed.
Food: Big flavor from Little Fish.