Restaurant review: Urbane in Mary St, Brisbane CBD

THE shock closure of one of the Brisbane restaurant scene’s biggest names earlier this year threatened to change the face of fine dining in the city but, just down the road, this “last degustation restaurant standing” is not just surviving, but thriving.

Fresh from the farm. Picture: AAP/Josh Woning

WHEN Brisbane fine diner Esquire closed suddenly earlier this year, nearby Urbane became the city’s last remaining degustation-only restaurant.

Delicious 100: Brisbane’s best restaurants revealed

The shock departure of chef Ryan Squires’ critically acclaimed venue sparked rumours that fine dining was dead in Queensland’s capital and had some industry folk surmising that Urbane may suffer a similar fate – especially with revered executive chef Alejandro Cancino leaving for the Sunshine Coast.

Urbane on Mary Street in the Brisbane CBD. Picture: Tara Croser.

But the Mary St venue is proving the naysayers wrong, consistently booking out on Friday and Saturday evenings under new executive chef Andrew Gunn.

Brisbane-bred Gunn continues to offer diners the five and seven-course herbivore and omnivore-style menus Cancino made popular, but has given them his own European slant thanks to his time as junior sous chef at two Michelin-starred Paris restaurant Le Taillevent, and as senior chef de partie at three Michelin-starred Le Cinq at the Four Seasons Hotel George V, also in Paris.

But before diners can ponder whether they want to be sufficiently full on the five-course option or call for a paramedic to pull them out of a food coma with the seven-course offering, they are handed a drinks list that could double as a doorstop.

The opus traverses easy-drinking from exotic wines to sake and a beyond-generous selection of cocktails.

For those overwhelmed by the choice, opt for the matching wines for $75 (five courses) or $95 (seven courses).

Both degustations begin with a series of amuse-bouches – tiny morsels designed to whet the appetite and show off the chef’s culinary approach. Some of Cancino’s favourites remain – such as tomato consomme – alongside Gunn’s more forward and bitey snacks.

Wagyu oyster blade, baby turnips, bearnaise and jus. Picture: AAP/Josh Woning

As the courses continue, sweet and sour notes contrast and complement. For example, the WA scampi is wrapped in angel hair spaghetti then fried in brown butter with an acidic ponzu balanced by an almost sugary aerated bisque.

Or perhaps corn three ways – a sweet corn and potato puree, alongside charry baby corn cooked in their husks and lacquered with teriyaki, plus popcorn with a vinegar dust.

Bite-sized, pastry-wrapped lamb tagine alongside jewelled couscous steps outside the expected, delivering the intense flavours of a long, slow braise; while oyster blade wagyu has been handled with such care to ensure ultimate tenderness and bursting umami notes, courtesy of a mushroom powder.

Gunn is still making the menu entirely his own and with time, growing confidence and a little more risk taking, there’s no doubt his already impressive offering will progress.

In the meantime, a supremely knowledgeable front of house team who bring a sense of formality to the slightly ageing timber-clad restaurant, guarantee a visit to Urbane is something special.