Oakland has a new seafood-centric bistro that performs a lovely balancing act between rustic and refined, .

The opened in the Grand Lake neighborhood in January in the former spot of the pizzeria, Sister. It is run by chef Gavin Schmidt and veteran sommelier Paul Einbund, owner of San Francisco’s Michelin-recognized , and like that establishment, has a strong focus on interesting wines (here, picked by wine director Alec Cummings).

Entering Sirene, you’ll find a cafe on the left and an airy dining room on the right, with a back patio draped with hanging vines. The decor is a homey mix of wood and brick — “simple,” as one Google reviewer puts it, “as if it was blown in on a warm breeze from the Normandy coast of France.” Both sections were fully booked on a recent stop-in, but there’s always open seating at the bar.

Sirene means “mermaid” in French, and the call of the ocean is all over the menu. But the day actually begins on land with coffee service, running until 2 p.m., featuring a “fifty-fifty” (half coffee, half tea) and high-end brews like . A pastry case is loaded with crusty, buttery treats, such as Meyer lemon danish, popovers with raclette and jam, miso-chocolate cookies and croissants filled with soft egg or ham and gruyere.

Before dinner starts at 5 p.m., the restaurant fills with a lovely, smoky aroma, thanks to the pizza oven Sister left behind that’s been repurposed to roast oceanic delights. Schmidt does a whole petrale sole ($55) that’s dry-aged for days to create a crackling skin in the oven, served with roasted sunchokes and an herb-butter persillade sauce. Other entrees include black cod ($34) with black-trumpet mushrooms and nettle jus and a bavette steak frites ($38) with lobster bearnaise — or if you’re content with pub grub, a cod-and-chips ($21) with piquillo aioli.