The pleasure in dining is the overall feeling that comes from the different circumstances, places and people that accompany the meal. In fact, the philosopher Epicurus said it best when he said that we should look for someone to eat and drink with, before looking for something to eat and drink.

With this ideology in mind, I believe that restaurants have a very difficult job. Not only must they impress you with quality cooking, interesting menus, fitting surroundings and attentive service...they must also ensure (somehow) that all other diners (including the one(s) you have brought yourself) are creating the perfect mood for you.

The Fundamental Fish Bar in Balmain was (unfortunately) subject to this challenge on Saturday night.

The restaurant was fantastic. It was nicely set-up with modern seats and tables along the walls, a display counter showing their fish, simple yet classy furnishings and fish tanks that gave the place a touch of colour and life.

The food and wine was fantastic. For our starter we shared a brushetta that had a lovely taste of tomato and basil (rather than just of oil and bread) and for our main we both ordered the mini seafood platter (I love platters...eating lots of little things is sometimes much more exciting than eating just one serving of the same thing...and I love even more the idea of a platter for one...no more stressing that someone else will eat your delicious prawn, you can take your time and be the only master of your plate!).

The seafood platter was fantastic. The ingredients were so fresh I could still smell the ocean, and they had grilled/barbequed it so flawlessly (they had even taken the shell off just the edible part of the prawns for you) that even though it was the perfect sized serving, I was still left wanting more.

The service was fantastic. Staff were not only friendly, courteous and unobtrusive, but well trained in perfect timing too. Quite often food comes out so quickly that you haven't even had the chance to absorb the surroundings and before you know it you've paid your bill and left the restaurant all in the space of less than an hour...dining shouldn't be what takes place before an event - it should be the event!

So with all the above elements being fantastic, the question remains - why wasn't my dining experience perfect?

Because sadly, Demis and I were the only diners. Although we chatted away and had a good time, we didn't have a great time. We missed the background noise of laughter, glasses toasting, cutlery chinking, deep conversation and that overall feeling of life that floats through the air when so many beings are in the same room enjoying themselves.

I can't say for certain why there were no other diners...maybe it was too early in the evening, too much competition or just a down night...but whatever the reason it made me realise a few things.

So often I'm guilty of hating crowds, queues, excess hustle, annoying bustle and loud noises...and I've preferred intimate settings and quiet corners over the more rowdy and crammed scenes. Yet without these things the world feels small and your night feels smaller. Sometimes it's the stranger eating under the same roof that you will never know anything about, and may not even notice, that makes your dinner perfect.