Esquire describes its adventurous dégustation approach as a commitment between kitchen and diner. Certainly, a visit to this riverside rule-breaker requires faith. Until you sit in the modernist-inspired dining room, you won’t know if you’ll be served 12 or 25 items, or be paying $90 or $150 for the privilege. Cynics could find their upper lip curling; then mushroom-dusted agnolotti appear, freighting a powerful parmesan broth. Or, perhaps, an elegant double-decker of air-dried beef, dotted with mustard flowers and spread with green mustard hollandaise. And then there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. Service has progressed and the sommelier matches are on song. Salt and vinegar prawns and Moreton Bay greens spruik Queensland’s charms, dressed with yeast butter and white soy. Pineapple with sage sherbet and hay-infused cream ensures the hooks continue to the end. As Esquire approaches its seventh year, it remains at the vanguard.
Gourmet Traveller’s star-ratings, which range from zero to three stars, reflect reviewers’ first-hand experiences. The best-rated restaurants form our national Top 100. Our wine ratings, from zero to three stars, are made by wine editor Max Allen on the strength of the quality of the restaurant’s wine list. View our rating key here.
