REVIEW
Queensland's inland scene is finally beginning to blossom. Proof? This impressive 24-seater, an hour's drive southwest from Brisbane. Charming interiors – pressed-metal walls, VJ panelling, a posy on every table – create a bucolic backdrop for chef-owner Jack Stuart's region-focused handiwork. The prix fixe menu might start with charry, crisp-pickled zucchini with mint from Aunt Jen's garden next door, followed by "street-style" barbecued baby corn in its husk, with raw-milk cheese sauce and popcorn. It could conclude with blood plums and sheep's yoghurt gelato dusted in fennel pollen. In between, dishes are often enlivened by house ferments – anything from mackerel garum to chilli-fuelled Trinidad Death sauce. Beef short rib arrives teamed with oxheart tomatoes over fermented cashew cheese, with curry leaves and vadouvan. A chicken-fat-imbued kipfler potato comes out enriched with toasted yeast and chicken-skin crisps. The tight but well-rounded drinks list shows equal consideration, with house-made kumquatcello a fitting conclusion.
ABOUT
Chef Jack Stuart
Price guide $$
Bookings Recommended
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch Fri-Sun; Dinner Fri-Sat
Price guide $$
Bookings Recommended
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch Fri-Sun; Dinner Fri-Sat
This review was written independently for the Gourmet Traveller Restaurant Guide. The guide's reviewers visit unannounced and pay their way. To learn more about the process, head over here.
