Allegra Dining Room
Recently opened above Etica pizzeria in the city’s south-east, Allegra elevates plant-based foods to a level of sophistication rarely seen here.
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Level 1, 125 Gilles St, city
Recently opened above Etica pizzeria in the city’s south-east, Allegra elevates plant-based foods to a level of sophistication rarely seen here. Vegetables are celebrated for what they are and what they can become. Clever alternatives to dairy, eggs et cetera are convincing. Everything feels complete.
The narrow upstairs space, most recently used for storage, fits 28 diners on a mix of banquettes and traditional seating.
The whole package is remarkably polished. Linen napkins are placed on laps. Gorgeous ceramic bowls are dropped at the centre of wooden chargers. Service is flawless. The five stages of the set $70 menu are matched by inspired wine selections.
The meal begins with attention-grabbing snacks such as pickled veg to dip into a luscious cream of emulsified soy bean, and a buckwheat cracker carrying slices of smoked beetroot, a soured version of the cream and pink pearls of finger lime.
More substantial dishes include florets of roasted broccoli sandwiched between a base of pine nut cream and a mudslide of fluffy polenta
You can almost see fingerprints on the orecchiette, the little pasta shells hand-made downstairs, that are coated in a cauliflower puree.
Grilled celeriac “steak” is presented as the main event and comes complete with a pair of sides: a mixed grain salad with shredded spring onion; and a salad of mixed leaves, pear, sprouting lentils and fried curry leaves.
A glossy billow of soft Italian meringue that is the star of dessert is so luxurious it’s hard to believe it could be whipped up from something as mundane as the water leftover from cooking chickpeas.
- Hours: D Thurs-Sun
- Bill: Five courses $70; $135 with wine match
- Wine: Wine list
- Chef: Elliot Vials
