REVIEW
Details matter here in this split-level dining room, with its swish marble bar and hard-working wood-fired grill. Like the butter, churned with Jersey cream from the Scenic Rim. Or the thick-cut sourdough, made with sustainable wheat. You’ll want an extra slice to mop up the citrusy macadamia milk and lemon-myrtle oil used to dress pristine snapper crudo swathed in black-edged slices of kohlrabi. Charred sweetcorn and ricotta ravioli is similarly adventurous, coated in grated mortadella and a smoky, buttery corn-husk sauce enriched with kombu and parmesan. Rolled organic Longreach lamb saddle, meanwhile, arrives stuffed with the trimmings and served over spinach, pepitas and zingy gremolata. Desserts lean savoury, too – perhaps a play on pumpkin pie featuring pumpkin curd and piped meringue dusted in chilli. Factor in attentive service and a wine list that balances new-wave locals and old-world prestige, and it adds up to a satisfyingly grown-up experience.
ABOUT
Essa
Australian
181 Robertson St, Fortitude Valley
(07) 3177 1011
Chefs Phil Marchant & Fin Burgess
Price guide $$
Bookings Recommended
Wheelchair access Yes
Open Lunch Fri-Sat; Dinner Tue-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.
Gourmet Traveller Annual Restaurant Guide
Our guide gives a yearly snapshot of the best restaurants to eat at right now. The best-rated restaurants, as judged by the reviewers’ first-hand experience, form our national guide.
