The Apo - Fortitude Valley

Having recently gone to Gerards to enjoy quite a delightful (and last) breakfast, I had made a note to go and try out The APO which is run by the same owners as Gerards and conveniently also situated at fortitude valley. 

Making a lunch reservation for the 12, we were the first ones there. Faced with the option for indoors and outdoors at the back, I naturally took the inside option. Despite the abundance of natural light from outside, it was still a little dim for my liking. 

 

The food menu was contained on one page and the drinks menu on another. There was a lack of subheadings in the food menu, but we were easily able to identify the entrees, mains and desserts. I liked the innovative menu which contained quite a few dishes I hadn’t heard of. 

First to arrive was the Puffed tendon Aleppo and sumac spice. Not knowing what to expect, I can only describe it as a lighter version of prawn crackers, less the seafood taste but with additional sumac, it definitely did not taste like the tendon that I’m used to, and made for quite a tasty appetizer. 

Also from the entree selection was the Smoked tartare, pickled artichoke, potato crisp. I really enjoyed the freshness of the smoked salmon, which was contrasted by the potato crisp. The seasoning also added quite a bit of depth to this delicious morsel, which quite similar to the salmon taco I had at Nobu recently. 

For our mains, my companion and I both ordered the highly captivating Steak frites with cafe de paris. I enjoyed the steak, which was cooked perfectly rare, very tender without being overly fatty. The cafe de Paris could have been a bit more seasoned though, as the butter and herbs were extremely mild in taste. The fries were also only fried very lightly, and could stand to have been browned a bit more. 

Our dessert consisted of my companions favourite Profiteroles, mushroom custard, olive caramel, cocoa. Despite the strange combinations, it was actually quite tasty to have the unique scent of mushrooms and olives in a dessert context. I note the puffs were deliciously crispy and the custard wasn’t overly sweet. My companion quite enjoyed this dessert.

Price Range: $30 - $40pp

Taste: 7.5/10
Value: 7.5/10
Service: 7.5/10
Environment: 7.5/10