Box is a trendy, upmarket little place on Collins St. located next to the Regent Theatre. The space is quite narrow and a bit dark, and extends well back from the street. As you might expect from the name, the somewhat minimalist decor has a squarish theme. There are two levels, the lower one the "cafe/bar" and the upper one the "restaurant." We ate on the lower level but the menu looked as if it would suit a "restaurant" just fine. Prices ranged from $20 to $30 for main courses, and the selecton was pretty much what you'd expect from a trendy city establishment - not too adventurous but not completely familiar. Dave tried a crispy chicken fillet served over what looked like salsa and preserved lemon, and he says it was very tasty. My porterhouse steak was not the best I've ever had, but it wasn't the worst. I think it suffered mostly from the quality of the meat itself, and the fact that they overcooked it to medium rare when I ordered it rare. At least the potato and parsnip mash underneath was very nice. And it's hard to get wilted spinach leaves wrong.
The wine list wasn't extensive but I enjoyed my 1999 Brokenwood Shiraz. Of course, I'm only a layman when it comes to wine, so I can't talk about nose and palate and other poncy stuff. I also forgot to ask Dave if his wine was any good.
Dessert is what really set this place apart (besides the restroom - more on that below). We both tried the Trio of Chocolate something-or-other with blah-blah (sorry, didn't take notes). Basically it was a chocolate souffle with a heavenly soft, melting centre of dark chocolate, everything drizzled with a minty fudge sauce, served with white chocolate ice cream. It was extremely rich and definitely worth the $12 price.
Service was very very good. I never had to ask for my water glass to be refilled, always a good sign. The waitress even brought me an extra cushion for the back of my chair because the trendy stainless steel mesh design was obviously not tested for comfort. She offered the cushion without being asked, simply because she saw me squirming and rubbing my back.
The restrooms deserve mention here, even if I can't really describe them. Worth visiting, is all I can say. Even if you don't need to go.
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Dave's summary: "Not quite bizarre." (I think this is mostly due to the restroom.)
Probability that we will return: 30 / 42 (mostly due to the dessert)
Note that the probability rating is affected by the fact that there are hundreds of places to eat around here.