Nectar is nestled in Seven Miles Shops on West Bay Road, its darkened windows giving no hint of the decadent, lamp-lit lounge inside.
 
As soon as you walk through the doors, you’re welcomed by the lush, blue, velvety interior. Dining tables are tucked behind long, flowing curtains and the seating is soft and comfortable.
 
The lighting is provided by candles and lamps, but never fear – if the light is too dim for you to read the menu, manager Salvo Anzalone is on hand to provide one of the many small torches he keeps on the bar for just such emergencies.
 
The restaurant and bar opened at the end of August, replacing Sapphire, and has been attracting a steady flow of patrons who come back again and again for its delectable martinis, mouth-watering sushi and tapas and chilled-out lounge music.
 
On a recent visit to Nectar, my dining companion and I started the evening by perusing the martini menu that offers such delights as Buddha’s Belly, which is litchi flavoured, an espresso martini and an elderflower martini. The wine menu is not extensive but holds gems including Prisoner and Cloudy Bay at prices that won’t break the bank.
 
We opted for sushi for dinner and were treated to several dishes created by Chef Christian de la Cruz, who works behind a small sushi counter in full view of the bar and restaurant.
 
We started with temaki, a hand-rolled sushi in seaweed that contained tuna and salmon, avocado, rice and lettuce, before moving on to two delicious California rolls.
 
This was followed by cubes of fresh tuna in a spicy sauce. It definitely had a kick to it, but the spice did not overpower the taste of the tuna.
 
Next came a dish of Rainbow Sushi – a big plate of sushi rolls of different flavours and hues. It almost looked too pretty to eat, but we set aside our aesthetic objections and tucked in. It was fresh and flavoursome and the large size of the rolls ensured we were entirely full by the time we finished.
 
A unique touch at Nectar is its shisha, or hookah, pipes. For $15, patrons can smoke one of these water pipes with tobacco flavoured with apple, strawberry, grape, peach or blackberry. On Wednesdays, it holds an Arabian night, with free shisha refills.
 
We ate reasonably early, around 8.30pm, but for diners who have a craving for sushi or tapas late at night, Nectar serves food until 12.30am most nights, except Saturday when it closes at midnight.
 
Nectar stays open later on Friday until 2am and food can be ordered up until 1.30am. On Friday, Nectar takes on a whole new vibe, playing house music later at night.   WH