Our expectations for authentic Chinese restaurants inside The Loop have risen considerably in the past year: Mala Sichuan opened a second location at Westheimer and Montrose, and Cooking Girl has had a line snaking out the door since its debut last fall on Fairview near Taft. When we heard that Ginger & Fork was opening in the former La Fisheria spot on Inker off Shepherd, we thought we had a trifecta.

Consider the irresistible combination of Cantonese cuisine and craft cocktails in a cute setting. We envisioned this pocket neighborhood just south of I-10 – Cadillac Bar & Grill is across the street – becoming a new lunch detour. Ginger & Fork owner Mary Li, after all, has the business background, having worked managing the bar for Tony Mandola’s restaurants for years.

The cozy decor avoids most Asian cliches and has plain-ish white walls, chrome light fixtures and Frank Sinatra on the sound system. There’s a bar near the front door where you can enjoy a cocktail. And while there are a few tables on the small front deck, the back deck is where the premium outdoor seating is reserved. The small dining room in between can be noisy, even if you’re seated (as we were) in the nook under the steep angle of a staircase.

After perusing the various menus – the main food menu appears to be for both lunch and dinner, another had a few two-plate $20 business lunch specials, one listed wine and one featured cocktails – we ordered a few sharable plates.

One member of our party ordered the flowering tea ($5.50). It came in a glass pot so diners can observe the bud unfurl. Alas, after about 15 minutes and no change in the tea flower or color of the water, we realized the water was not even hot. We sent it back for a second attempt. The second pot of tea did partially bloom; however it didn’t make tea. Again, the water was not hot enough to actually steep.

Appetizers were small and surprisingly pricey. Lettuce wraps, which arrived as a pair and cost $10, were meager in size and flavor compared to others we’ve often eaten elsewhere. Steamed dumplings (four for $6, photo above) neither impressed nor underwhelmed us. The wrappers were tender, but the nugget of filling was gaunt. Cha siu sliders contained more cucumber than barbecued pork and are served as a twosome ($8, photo below) on what we could only describe as supermarket Parker House rolls. However, the Cantonese-style pork was very good.

While the appetizers were small in portion size, the entrees were not. Shrimp in “velvet meat sauce” ($24, photo below) again left us longing for more flavor. (No condiments are on the tables or offered.) The large and very fresh shrimp were of exceptional quality, but the ho-hum brown sauce (egg white, ground pork and soybean paste) clobbered it. Even a few slivers of green onion on top couldn’t add back much flavor.

Our last plate, the G&F fried rice ($15, photo below), was probably the better of the two entrees. It’s a traditional Cantonese-style fried rice with morsels of barbecued pork, small shrimp, chicken and ginger. While the dish wasn’t stale or greasy, it was bland and begging for spice, salt or soy sauce and (much more) ginger.

One of our party put it best: “I like this place in theory, but I feel like someone who didn’t grow up cooking Chinese food made our lunch.”

This neighborhood needs Ginger & Fork, and we hope the kitchen and service will both find some confidence as the management gets more feedback from diners. We also hope that an interesting lunch menu will evolve with daytime-friendly pricing. For the record, our lunch for three with no cocktails or dessert, came to $80 before tip.

Ginger & Fork, 4705 Inker, 713-861-8883, gingerandforkrestaurant.com