Vela Kitchen — Restaurant in Town of Mount Pleasant

This was a pleasant place, with an interesting menu and we were happy to be there. It looked like they had some regular customers and who were very comfortable eating there. But two out of the three of us thought the food was just so so. The truffle mac and cheese was a big disappointment. The sliders and the salads were good. I really didn't care much for the tuna tartare, although I really like tuna and grilled tuna extremely rare. The tuna was covered in some kind of a sauce but I didn't much care for.

Part of the problem was the servers. There was a language issue and so the questions we had about them and you weren't really answered either fully or accurately. For example I tried to find out about the cauliflower cuz I wanted a vegetable but I didn't want it deep-fried or coated in wheat. The server told me it wasn't fried and then he didn't really have the word for it so I suggested sauteed and he nodded his head. But it wasn't whole pieces of cauliflower at all it was cauliflower patties, like a little hamburger but made of cauliflower and there was no telling what was inside that patty holding it together. Someone who is gluten intolerant or just didn't want to consume weed was just taking the chances.

Sometimes after leaving a restaurant I get a reaction where I get very stuffed up. It happened shortly after eating the restaurant food. I don't know specifically what causes it but my guess is some kind of additive that they are using. I had that reaction after eating at this restaurant.

Give it a try and if you're sensitive to Foods ask the server to bring someone over who can explain the...

The most important thing to know is both my friend and I got food poisoning. I’m guessing it was the seafood paella. Other than that, the flavors were not balanced and the food was subpar especially considering the price. The fig jam overwhelmed the burrata and the steak was horribly butchered. On top of all that, we are people who like to sit at the bar and occasionally chat with the bartender throughout the meal. The bartender clearly did not want to be there, spent most of his time on his cellphone, and did not know how to recommend a wine. If a server is clueless on a wine to recommend, they normally say let me get someone else who knows better. Instead, he acted like it was impossible to find a wine to match the different dishes. It wasn’t, we found one that paired perfectly. Unfortunately, as I said, we got...

We needed a restaurant to celebrate my daughter's job offer and selecting a restaurant for my clan is never easy. We need a broad menu to suit the tastes of our picky family including a foodie, a vegetarian, and a lactose intolerant, health-focused honoree. Everything went very well; our party of 4 enjoyed a lovely evening.

The truffle popcorn appetizer was a surprise hit, flavorful and light. We also enjoyed the brussels sprout appetizer. Our entrees included a tasty version of lobster paella, seared salmon, sesame encrusted tuna, and a harvest bowl with salmon added. All the dishes were well prepared and nicely plated. We chose not to have dessert, but the options looked tempting. We expect to put Vela Kitchen into our...