After a particularly challenging week at work, Dr L and I decided to go somewhere a bit more fancy for date night. Going down my list, we opted for dinner at Clarence, a fairly well established modern Australian bistro at Woolloongabba, recently awarded one chef's hat on the good food guide.
We made a reservation since it was Friday night, but the restaurant wasn't entirely full so perhaps walk in would also have been sufficient. I loved the rustic decor with the exposed brick walls. Service was personable and friendly whilst maintaining an air of professionalism.
The menu was very concise, with less than half a dozen starters, mains and only two desserts. Lucky for us, there was also a 3 course set menu that allowed us to sample more of the menu.
First of the entrees was Yellowtail Kingfish, miso, apple buffalo curd and shiso. The flavours were delicate and intricate whilst the kingfish was fairly firm in texture. The shiso made the dish decidedly asian in theme whilst the apple added a sweetness and crunch to it.
Our other two entrees were the Cold roast pork, bagna cauda, capers and celery and the Watermelon, cherry tomato, cucumber and stracciatella. Both were very interesting, the cold roast pork was almost like a terrine whilst the bagna cauda and capers gave it a very sharp zing. The watermelon really elevated what would have been a simple but enjoyable veggie salad, adding a level of fresh sweetness to it.
We were provided a serve of house made bread and house made butter. I found the bread to be very dense and filling but I did like how it was served warm and crusty. The butter was definitely a highlight for me though and it was rich, creamy and salty.
Our mains showed up after a brief interlude, we had the duck, beetroot, fig and soubise along with the dry aged dairy cow with sugarloaf, pickled grapes and pepper sauce. Both were well received, my preference was for the duck whereas Dr L enjoyed the cow more. The duck had a fairly crispy skin, the fat had been well rendered and it was well infused with a delightful onion flavour whilst the beetroot and fig added sweetness to compliment. I was slightly reluctant to order the dairy cow dish as dairy cow is often not used for consumption due to how tough they're known to be. With this in mind, I was pleasantly surprised by it's texture, not being too far off from a rump steak with a very delightful beefy flavour to the meat. The sugarloaf was delicate and absorbed much of the zingy pepper sauce.
Our sides include salad and duck fat chips. The salad was fairly standard, fresh and tart. The duck fat chips were phenomenal. They were fragrant, crunchy and had a fluffy interior and they were definitely one of the better chips I've had lately. Portions wise, the chips were also very generous and definitely filled us up.
Our third course was dessert, we had the honey custard with queen garnet plums as well as a rhubarb and white chocolate tart, rhubarb sorbet. I'm not particularly a fan of rhubarb as it reminded me a bit of a sweet celery, but the tart was very well done with a crisp thin shell and a refreshingly tart sorbet. Our favourite of the night though was undoubtedly the honey custard, rich sweet and wholesome, it was a wonderful dish to round off our meal.
In summary, we had a really delightful evening at Clarence. I really appreciate their ability to take fresh, seasonal local ingredients and apply their skills to elevate them on each plate. The three course set was good value in this day and age and makes for a memorable date night. I highly recommend!
Price Range: $75pp
Taste: 8.5/10
Value: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Environment: 8/10
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