Make a splash with Brisbane’s best degustation and tasting menus
If you’ve got something to celebrate – a promotion or a milestone birthday, for example – there are few better ways to celebrate than with a fancy dinner. While we love dining a la carte, we think degustation and tasting menus are one of our favourite ways to experience the full depth of a chef’s vision. If you crave culinary creativity, are seeking a truly unique eating experience or just want to savour wave after wave of food until you’re sated, dego dining is the way to do it. A number of restaurants excel in this long-form feasting – here’s a list to refer to when you have something to celebrate next.
Ach, Hamilton: Earlier this year, the crew behind Hamilton-based wine bar Ach enacted a pivot. The team swapped its a la carte offering for a tasting-menu service dedicated to showcasing the complexity and depth of Middle Eastern cuisine. Ach gives guests the option of two set menus – a shorter menu featuring between six to nine courses, and the Ach Experience, which will fluctuate between ten and 15 courses. Both menus will start with a glass of cardamon and orange tea, as well as Ach’s signature house-baked challah, which is orbited by a selection of salatim, otherwise known as mezze. Though the tasting menu’s daily composition will be a fluid affair, sample menu inclusions range from malawach squares with dry-aged topside nayyeh, keshk, chickpeas and black garlic; Moreton Bay bug with chicken garum, spicy silan, shorbat adas (lentil soup) and prawn oil; and Moroccan tagine with sous vide short rib, grilled skirt, Jerusalem artichoke and pomegranate jus.
Attimi by Dario Manca, Paddington: When Dario Manca decided to open his own restaurant, the talented chef had an idea in his mind of the kind of eatery he’d like to run. At Attimi, Dario is riffing on high-end Italian cuisine with a degustation-centric offering that is immersive and creative. The restaurant offers two degustation menus (a shorter eight-course menu and a longer twelve-course option) that take guests on a region-hopping tour of Italy, disassembling regional specialties and then reassembling it in fun new ways. Crowd-favourite dishes include the Campania (black squid-ink tagliolini with vongole veraci, goat cheese, katsuobushi, mint oil and bottarga), Emilia Romagna (fish crisp with ricotta and tarama, white sardines, lemon zest and fresh oregano), and the Lombardia (crispy saffron risotto, 24 months Galloni prosciutto, stracciatella and EQ caviar).
Bacchus, South Brisbane: If refined European-inspired fare is your jam, we think Bacchus’ tasting menu is right up your alley. For $140 per person, enjoy a selection of dishes crafted by executive chef Marco Sfamurri – we’re talking amuse bouche, house-made focaccia with preserved tomatoes, Hiramasa kingfish with green gazpacho, compressed apple, ponzu and furikake, tagliolini with lemon, seaweed and tuna, Black Angus fillet with seasonal vegetables and puree, a selection of petit fours, and apple with honey, cinnamon and blue cheese.
C’est Bon, Woolloongabba: There’s something about French food that lends itself to lavish, full-send dining. If you’re looking to push the boat out, C’est Bon’s seven-course tasting menu is a superb pick. Head chef Andy Ashby and in-house sommelier Miriam Rose deliver a dynamo food and drink pairing – the full details of which are only revealed as you progress through each course. The menu often changes, but previous editions have included the likes of barbecue snails with cafe de Bearnaise, baby yabby with preserved kumquat, swimmer crab with beurre consomme and melon, kangaroo with elderberry and rosella, and Loire Valley foie gras brulee, roast poussin with morel and corn, and poached cod with Iberico ham and seaweed.
Deer Duck Bistro, Auchenflower: Boasting almost unrivalled versatility, Auchenflower institution Deer Duck Bistro offers five-course, short-course and long-course degustation menus for both carnivores and vegetarians. Seeing as we’re not messing around, we’re opting for the longer feast – a nine-course smorgasbord that kicks off with amuse bouche, salmon sashimi with Jerusalem artichoke puree, lemon aspen gel and dill, Bangalow pork loin, braised cabbage, swede puree and pork jus, and lavender panna cotta, rosella jelly, Persian fairy floss, citrus gel, lemon balm and stingless-bee honey.
You might like
e’cco Bistro, Newstead: Philip Johnson’s long-running restaurant e’cco Bistro is a pillar of Brisbane’s dining scene – one widely known as a top spot for exceptional eats. e’cco’s tasting menu is the best way to experience this, with a five-course offering featuring potato gnocchi with mushrooms, sage, pumpkin broth and parmesan crisp, half-shell scallop with foie gras, merlot vinegar, hazelnut and pear, grass-fed Gippsland ‘Little Joe’ sirloin with roast celeriac puree, oxtail, croquette and braised onion, and blueberry pavlova with mascarpone chantilly and blueberry sorbet. There’s also vegan and vegetarian tasting menu options available.
Exhibition, Brisbane City: Tim Scott’s 24-seat subterranean restaurant Exhibition is a go-to spot for foodies seeking a bit of escapism through food. Taking a leaf out of Japanese omakase-style dining, Tim and his crew shape and serve a new offering every night, reflecting seasons and spotlighting Queensland’s best biodynamic and sustainable farms. No two trips to Exhibition are ever the same, but you can guarantee it will feature some combination of fresh fruit and veg, live seafood, premium meat and game. Exhibition offers two omakase-style menus – a shortened option and the full Exhibition experience. Previous menus have featured dishes like Hokkaido Island scallop with green mango and fig leaf, spanner crab with sweet corn, aji marillo and Kaviari white sturgeon caviar, wagyu tartare with truffle, rayu oil and cured egg yolk, and chicken Maryland with lemongrass, spring onion and kohlrabi.
Joy, Fortitude Valley: If you can score a booking, Joy is, hands down, one of the best dining experiences in Brisbane. Head chef and owner Sarah Baldwin pours every ounce of creativity, passion and fun into Joy’s ever-changing menus, which are driven by seasonal ingredients. Though the menu fluctuates in content and length, there are some signature inclusions that are always on the list, including chawanmushi (a traditional Japanese appetiser of soft-set custard made with chicken and porcini stock base before served with butter-poached spanner crab, corn custard, roasted quinoa and Yarra Valley triple-smoked caviar) and the Mont Blanc, a dessert built with layers of Italian meringue, gingerbread biscuit, salted chantilly cream, chestnut caramel and a gold flake on top for good luck.
La Cache à Vín, Spring Hill: When it comes to French food, it’s hard to look past the quality of La Cache à Vín. Those that are yet to sample the incredible fare on offer need only look to La Cache à Vín’s degustation menu, which boasts six courses of sublime sustenance. The offering kicks off with cod fish brandade, olives tapenade and croutons, before ramping up with grilled Japanese scallops with Albufera butter, light and fluffy cheese souffle with Kirsch veloute, confit duck Maryland with broad beans, white bean ragout and orange sauce, a selection of cheeses from The Fromage Yard, and classic creme brulee to finish.
Montrachet, Bowen Hills: Another icon of the scene, Montrachet has been enjoying a renaissance under the guiding hand of new owner Clement Chauvin. Offering a classic expression of French bistro cuisine, Montrachet’s degustation menu delivers hit after hit, starting with an amuse bouche trio (a tartelette of smoked-trout mousse, goats cheese Boursin and duck-liver parfait on grilled brioche) and soup of the day, followed by confit ocean trout with herb veil and cauliflower puree, caviar and lemon beurre blanc, quail and foie gras croque monsieur with confit quince and quail jus, roasted venison loin and braised shoulder with glazed beetroot and pickled radish, blackberry and venison jus, and Clement’s signature passionfruit souffle with chilli explosion and coconut sorbet.
Perspective Dining, Fortitude Valley: If you want a truly sense-enlivening experience, it’s hard to look past Fortitude Valley 12-seater restaurant Perspective Dining. Here, guests enjoy food through the unique creative lens of head chef Andrew McCrea, who has only six-percent vision. Drawing inspiration from intangible sources, Andrew’s seasonal menus are a multi-sensory excursion through the chef’s brain. Though it offers share-style lunch menus and high tea offerings, Perspective’s nine-course menu is the best representation of Andrew’s talents. Quirkily named, simply described and artfully plated, highlights include dishes like ‘Night surf’ (swimmers, seaweed, pollen, consomme and cucumbers), ‘Shepards pie’ (soft-footed game, highs and lows, monkey apple, cured potato black-butter toast, and embers), and ‘Floating island’ (kiwi jam, custard apple, banana and chestnut). Follow the rabbit hole further at The Eucalyptus Room next door, where Andrew is applying his unique approach to the realm of dessert.
Pneuma, Brisbane City: Nestled above the bustle of George Street in The City, this cutting-edge restaurant – operated by top-flight chefs Matt Blackwell and Dan Arnold – is known for its phenomenal chef’s menu, with both a long and short option available. Naturally, we’re going to recommend the longer feast, which includes a procession of nine dishes plus an optional cheese course. Highlights include Pneuma’s aged-cheddar and comte custard tart with malted onion and burnt leek, almond-fed pork with foie gras, PX sherry, trotter sauce and pickled date, and soursop and lychee ice-cream with yuzu custard, toasted rice and frozen lemon-curd crumble.
Restaurant Dan Arnold, Fortitude Valley: One of Brisbane’s best fine-dining restaurants, Restaurant Dan Arnold (owned and operated by Dan Arnold, a chef with Michelin-starred experience) is known for its elevated take on modern Australian cuisine with French-inspired techniques. Restaurant Dan Arnold offers three tasting experiences that highlight seasonal Australian produce, with the Carte Blanche menu the undoubted pinnacle of the offering. The menu is created by the kitchen and tailored on the day, so you never know what you’ll be getting. But rest assured that you’ll be taking on an exquisite epicurean journey that you wont soon forget.
Rogue Bistro, Newstead: A popular choice for anyone looking to celebrate a milestone with an unforgettable meal, Rogue Bistro in Newstead’s back streets prides itself on its monthly degustation menus. Rogue Bistro caters to a wide range of dietary needs, with dedicated menus for vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, seafood-free and garlic-free diners. By the time you read this list, Rogue’s May menu has likely been swapped for the June edition, but morsels included Hainanese chicken skewer with shallot and ginger salsa, and chicken skin, charcoal Mooloolaba king prawn with gochujang creme, baharat-spiced lamb backstrap with Bee One Third honey, burnt-butter pumpkin puree and hazelnut dukkah, and bruleed Basque cheesecake with roasted vanilla bean, popcorn ice-cream and torched figs.
Tartufo, Fortitude Valley: Boasting a legacy as one of Brisbane’s best classic Italian restaurants, Tartufo is a go-to destination for primo pizza and pasta. And while that’s enough for most, the restaurant’s two degustations menus – one of which is a pescatarian-friendly option – are the best way to experience the full breadth of the offering. Both grazing menu options feature six courses – enough to leave you in a state of blissful glassy-eyed contentment.